MODULE TITLE

Childrens rights and citizenship By Rotaract Club of University of St. La Salle Module Summary

AIM The purpose of the training session is to find out about the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, and how childrens learning about their rights is integral to citizenship education within a whole school context. ACTION Introductory activity: Amazing Race Wants and needs activity participants find a partner. Main activity 1 Getting to know the UNCRC Participants become familiar with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child through a card-sorting activity. Main activity 2 Rights r us Participants decide on the features of a rights respecting school. Plenary activity Putting childrens rights into citizenship Participants consider all that has been covered in the session and link childrens rights with citizenship education. IMPACT Participants will... - know about the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child - understand that childrens rights are universal, unconditional and relate to basic needs - recognise that the Rights Respecting School Award (RRSA) can help a whole school to use the UNCRC as a values framework for a shared vision - begin to be able to introduce a child rights based

framework for citizenship education as part of a whole school rights respecting ethos - be able to apply all of these learnings to their corresponding Puroks that whenever they will be seeing such incidents violating Childs Rights, they wouldnt doubt bringing this to proper authorities

Module overview
The purpose of the training session is to find out about the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Rights Respecting School Award and how childrens learning about their rights is integral to citizenship education within a whole school context. This training session outlines the history and articles of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. It argues that the UNCRC should form the framework for a values based approach to building a culture of rights, respect and responsibilities. It then explains how this can benefit school communities and lead to schools considering working towards the UNICEF Rights Respecting Schools Award. Teachers are encouraged to think through how this links with citizenship education and how they might put childrens rights at the heart of their citizenship teaching and learning. There are a number of activities to help participants consolidate their understanding.

Recommended module delivery plan (2 hours)

Each element is supported by information on the PowerPoint presentation. 5mins: Introductory slides supplied by ACT

15 mins: Tell me what you want. Copy and cut up the Wants and Needs Cards and give each participant a random card. Ask them to find someone who has different card and if they think they have something that children need they should pair up with someone who has something children might want. Ask people to make threes if necessary. Ask a few pairs if they had difficulty deciding whether they had wants or needs and discuss the terms wants and needs. Establish all the needs. Basic needs are enshrined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Childrens needs should be met because they cannot provide most of them for themselves but rely on adults. The 20 cards divide as follows (the appropriate Article from the Convention is noted beside each of the needs this will be followed up later) Needs Wants Clean air (Article 24 health) Bicycle Clean water (Article 24 health) Fashionable clothes Decent shelter (Article 27 standard of Fast food living) Holiday trips Education (Articles 28 & 29) Money to spend Express your opinion (Article 12) Personal computer Medical care (Article 24) Mobile phone Nutritious food (Article 24) Television Play (Article 31) Own bedroom a luxury, Practise beliefs, culture and language but there are issues

(Article 30) Protection from abuse and neglect (Article 19) Protection from discrimination (Article 2) 5mins: session 20mins:

around privacy (Article 16)

Briefly outline the purpose and structure of the

Introduce the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child Using the PowerPoint presentation, look at the brief history and main five groups of the UNCRC articles. Go through the slides and discuss what is meant by childrens rights, what it means for the UK government to have ratified the convention and the consequent responsibilities. Further information is given in the notes section of the PowerPoint presentation. 20mins: Activity: Getting to know the UNCRC Give groups of participants the five focus areas ready cut up from the Five focus areas of the UNCRC resource and cut up copies of the sixteen cards from the UNCRC Sort cards for Activity resource. Participants should cluster the Articles into groups relating to five main areas - some discussion will be needed and a consensus formed as some articles could fit with more than one focus area. There is not a definitive correct answer it is the process and the discussion that is important. When the groups have their clusters ask them to feedback briefly on where similarities and differences lay with reasons for their choices. Then if there is time ask the groups to diamond-rank (prioritise in a diamond shape) the focus headings with the most important focus area at the top, then the next three, then the least important at the bottom. Again, there is no right answer and it is the discussion that is important. Ask for brief feedback from the groups and discuss. You could distribute the summaries of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child for early years and primary http://www.unicef.org.uk/tz/resources/resource_item.asp?id=292 and/or the summary of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child with all the Articles which is more suitable for secondary level http://www.unicef.org.uk/tz/resources/resource_item.asp? id=32 Possible break of 15 minutes 20mins: Childrens rights at the heart of childrens school experience Go through the next group of slides showing how the UNCRC can provide a framework for a values-based approach to teaching and learning for the whole school community. Respect and responsibilities are necessary to understanding how everyone can

have equal access to their rights discuss how this works. Discuss the roles of children and adults. Discuss Harry Shiers levels of participation and note the point at which the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child is mentioned on the pathway. Further information is given in the notes section of the PowerPoint presentation. 15mins: Activity: Rights r us Participants work in groups to decide on the features of a rights respecting school. What would a school that put the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child at its heart look and feel like how would visitors know that the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child provided a framework? Each group will need a large sheet of paper, felt tips etc and should produce a poster/visual representation. Ask groups to feed back three main points. Lead a discussion on peoples views. Refer back to the UNCRC, rights and responsibilities, the role of children and adults discussed earlier in the session and clarify issues. See also the notes with the slides and resource sheets. 15mins: Rights and respect in action: Watch the case studies on Teachers TV. Choose either the primary school or secondary school case study as appropriate (both 14 minutes in length). Primary: http://www.teachers.tv/video/38166 Secondary: http://www.teachers.tv/video/2842 Watch/listen and then discuss the case studies. They can be downloaded in advance so that an internet connection is not required. If it is not possible to view the case studies pairs should discuss the quotes and examples given in the resource sheet RRSA nutshell 04_2009. 15mins: What is the Rights Respecting School Award (RRSA)? Look at the last group of slides explaining the Rights Respecting School Award It is important to flag up role of children and young people as agents in the learning process and partners in introducing and working towards the RRSA. Peer education can play a significant role in rolling out and understanding of rights across the school community. 25mins: Activity: Getting active putting childrens rights into citizenship Participants consider all that has been covered in the session to make the link between childrens rights and citizenship education in a whole school context. Now that participants are aware of the UNCRC and rights respecting schools, participants think through how they might embed childrens rights into citizenship education in their schools how do childrens rights underpin active citizenship? Participants may wish to work in pairs. Use the pro-forma Putting

children's rights into citizenship as an A3 to fill in. Planning learning in citizenship may also be helpful. Leave some time for feedback and discussion at the end. Summarise. Check back with original purpose of session. Lead into completion of evaluation forms. 10mins: Completion of ACT evaluation forms

Resources required
Projector and computer Large sheets of paper Felt tips Case studies videos Cut up cards from Wants and Needs Cards Cut up five focus areas from Five focus areas of the UNCRC Cut up cards from UNCRC Sort cards for activity A3 copies of Putting children's rights into citizenship sheet A3 copies Planning learning in citizenship sheet Teachers TV case studies Primary: http://www.teachers.tv/video/38166 Secondary: http://www.teachers.tv/video/2842

Useful links and resources

UNICEF UK www.unicef.org.uk UNICEF UK Teacherzone www.unicef.org.uk/teacherzone Resources for teaching about the UNCRC http://www.unicef.org.uk/tz/resources/index.asp More about the Rights Respecting School Award http://www.unicef.org.uk/tz/teacher_support/rrs_award.asp Rights Respecting Schools Virtual Learning Environment http://www.rrsa.org.uk/ Rights Respecting Schools Award in a nutshell http://www.unicef.org.uk/tz/resources/resource_item.asp?id=80 A briefing paper on the Rights Respecting Schools Award http://www.unicef.org.uk/campaigns/publications/pub_detail.asp? pub_id=177 Summary of the UNCRC for early years and primary http://www.unicef.org.uk/tz/resources/resource_item.asp?id=292 and/or the Summary of the UNCRC for secondary http://www.unicef.org.uk/tz/resources/resource_item.asp?id=32

Resources for global citizenship www.globaldimension.org.uk

Five focus areas of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child

The right to a childhood

The right to an education

The right to be healthy

The right to be treated fairly

The right to a voice

Summary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child Articles 1 and 2 All children throughout the world have these rights. Article 12 Children should be listened to and be able to say what they think about things.

Article 6 Children have a right to live.

Article 13 Children should be able to find out things.

Articles 7 & 8 Children should have a name.

Article 14 Children should be able to worship as they wish.

Article 9 Children should live with their parents or someone who cares for them.

Article 15 Children should be able to meet together and have friends.

Article 19 Children should be safe from harm. No child should be hurt by a grown-up or a child.

Article 31 Children should be allowed to play.

Article 23 Children in need of special care should get it.

Article 32 Children should not be allowed to do dangerous work.

Article 24

Article 36 Children should be protected from activities which stop them from growing up in a healthy, happy way.

Children should have clean water, food that is good for them, a clean place to live and good health care.

Article 28 Children should be able to go to school.

Article 42 Everyone, children and adults, should know about childrens rights.

Getting active putting childrens rights into citizenship

My first step would be... Scale... School communi ty Local communi ty National communi ty Global communi ty Citizenship teaching and learning... Action... Rights...