CHILDREN'S
CIRCLE
FORUM
Link to the Children's
Discussion Forum Web Site
"Children have the right to participate in
decision-making processes that may be relevant
in their lives and to influence decisions taken
in their regard -- within the family, the school
or the community."
Article 12, Convention on the Rights of the Child
"The most powerful change wrought by the
Convention is the way in which children have
become visible. Politicians, media, NGOs and
broader civil society feel a clear
obligation to include children...You can't
ignore children any longer and get away with
it...
Stephen Lewis, Executive Director, UNICEF
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On January 12, 2001, 100 of the
World’s Nobel Peace Laureates
published a ‘Dire Warning For Planet Earth’,
reinforcing the idea that it is time to change
the way we think:
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"The most profound danger to world peace in the coming
years will stem not from the irrational acts of states or
individuals but from the legitimate demands of the world's
dispossessed… It is time to turn our backs on the unilateral
search for security, in which we seek to shelter behind
walls. Instead, we must persist in the quest for
united action to counter both global warming and a
weaponised world. To survive in the world we have
transformed, we must learn to think in a new way. As never
before, the future of each depends on the good of all."
A Voice for Children
A Children’s Circle Forum provides a
context to amplify the voice of children,
develop their ability to make democratic
decisions and generate unique solutions that
will affect their future. The
Children’s Forum will give children a voice
in the which will have profound affects on the
future of their world.
Children's Circle Forum
The Children’s Circle Forum is a pilot program based in
Melbourne, Australia for primary school children in grades 5
and 6. The Forum will provide a voice and
skills for children to facilitate citizenship and
democracy.
The children of today are the
leaders of tomorrow, and, the next generation of
decision makers.
The Children's Circle Forum is the
first forum of this type
in the world that is collaborative and proposes a
central philosophy of conflict resolution and
focussed creative, integrated thinking methods
in a positive environment.
The Children’s Circle Forum is
collaborative and cooperative, there is no opposition party. Its core belief is to
solve problems through creative collaboration and
compassionate communication. A holistic we/us rather
than antagonistic we/them paradigm. It will focus on
local community issues that directly affect children and the
community within which they live. Children will learn
to look at all sides of issues that are of concern in their
community and explore creative solutions. The children
will present their findings to local Council and State
Parliament. Therefore, children learn to become
citizens, to connect with others and participate in the
democratic process.
The Children's Circle Forum is
classroom based and issues are researched and explored
and culminates in an Agora Assembly. The whole school
is involved in voting on the proposed ideas.
The Children's Circle Forum is importantly a
fun forum and child centred
. The symbol of the forum will be
Peacefull, the World Peace Clown. Peacefull
symbolizes virtues such as: compassion,
non-judgement, fairness, unconditional love, trying
new things and a sense of humour.
The Children's Forum is in
harmony
with The United Nations Conference on Environment and
Development (1992),
Rio Earth Summit
. The action plan or Agenda 21 focuses on the local
level and in particular, local governance of sustainability.
The Children’s Forum provides a
preparatory foundation
, providing children with real skills and values to enable
them to deal with problems and solutions in a collaborative
manner. Importantly, children will be actively
involved in creating the Forum.
The program can
link schools and children with local Councils, State
Parliaments,
International Youth Parliaments and the United Nations.
These linkages provide children with further developmental
steps to enhance their understanding and experience of
citizenship, participation in democracy and awareness of the
current parliamentary system.
The Children's Circle Forum encourages children …
‘To be the Change You Wish to See in the World”
(Gandhi).
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