Vocabulary

Equality is the state of being equal, especially in status, rights, and opportunities.
Freedom is the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint.
Peace is freedom from disturbance; quiet and tranquility. It is also freedom from, or the cessation of war or violence.
Principle is a fundamental truth or proposition that serves as the foundation for a system of belief or behaviour, or for a chain of reasoning.
Pursuit is the action of following or pursuing someone or something. 
Social Justice implies fairness and mutual obligation in society, meaning that we are responsible for one another, and that we should ensure that all have equal chances to succeed in life. 
Solidarity is unity, or agreement of feeling or action, especially among individuals with a common interest; mutual support within a group.

Purpose - Solidarity & Equality for Peace

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True peace can only be accomplished when all people unite in the pursuit of justice and love. In the 'Social Justice' sub-units, children develop a clearer understanding of what is meant by social justice. In this first sub-unit, children identify that social justice means that everyone enjoys freedom and every person has equal status, rights and opportunities. 
Child Asks: What is social justice?
Children's Rights Education enables the child to identify that social justice includes principles of equality and solidarity in the pursuit of justice and peace. 
Child Answers: The pursuit of justice leads to peace.

Classroom Learning Activities

1. Defining Terms
Social Justice
=
Freedom
+
Equality
+
Solidarity


Social justice implies fairness and mutual obligation in society, meaning that we are responsible for one another, and that we should ensure that all have equal chances to succeed in life. 






Freedom is the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint.









Equality is the state of being equal, especially in status, rights, and opportunities.









Solidarity is unity, or agreement of feeling or action, especially among individuals with a common interest; mutual support within a group.
6 Elements of Social Justice
  1. Self-love and Knowledge - Teachers provide opportunities for students to learn about who they are and where they come from. A sense of dignity in their culture, heritage, ethnicity/race, religion, skin tone, gender etc. is cultivated in the classroom. Students learn about different aspects of their identity and history associated with it. Negative stereotypes about students' identities are deconstructed.
  2. Respect for Others - Teachers provide opportunities for students to share their knowledge about their own cultural background with their classmates. The goal is to create a climate of respect for diversity through students learning to listen with kindness and empathy to the experiences of their peers. Students deconstruct stereotypes about their peers' identities.
  3. Exploring Issues of Social Injustice - Teachers move from "celebrating diversity" to an exploration of how diversity has differently impacted various groups of people. Students learn about the history of racism, sexism, classism, homophobia, religious intolerance etc. and how these forms of oppression have affected different communities. Teachers make links that show how the historical roots of oppression impact the lived experiences and material conditions of people today.
  4. Social Movements and Social Change - Teachers share examples of movements of iconic and everyday people standing together to address the issues of social injustice they learned about in element three. Rather than leaving students feeling overwhelmed and defeated, teachers help students understand that working together, ordinary people have united to create change.
  5. Raising Awareness - Teachers provide opportunities for students to teach others about the issues they have learned about. This allows students who feel passionately about particular issues to become advocates by raising awareness of other students, teachers, family and community members. It is important to recognize that while raising awareness is a necessary and important pre-cursor for action, it by itself does not translate into change.
  6. Taking Social Action - Teachers provide opportunities to take action on issues that affect students and their communities. Students identify issues they feel passionate about and learn the skills of creating change firsthand.
Retrieved from 6 Elements of Social Justice Education.

Relevant Convention Articles

Article 3
1. In all actions concerning children, whether undertaken by public or private social welfare institutions, courts of law, administrative authorities or legislative bodies, the best interests of the child shall be a primary consideration.
2. States Parties undertake to ensure the child such protection and care as is necessary for his or her well-being, taking into account the rights and duties of his or her parents, legal guardians, or other individuals legally responsible for him or her, and, to this end, shall take all appropriate legislative and administrative measures.
3. States Parties shall ensure that the institutions, services and facilities responsible for the care or protection of children shall conform with the standards established by competent authorities, particularly in the areas of safety, health, in the number and suitability of their staff, as well as competent supervision.
Article 6
1. States Parties recognize that every child has the inherent right to life.
2. States Parties shall ensure to the maximum extent possible the survival and development of the child.
Article 38
1. States Parties undertake to respect and to ensure respect for rules of international humanitarian law applicable to them in armed conflicts which are relevant to the child.
2. States Parties shall take all feasible measures to ensure that persons who have not attained the age of fifteen years do not take a direct part in hostilities.
3. States Parties shall refrain from recruiting any person who has not attained the age of fifteen years into their armed forces. In recruiting among those persons who have attained the age of fifteen years but who have not attained the age of eighteen years, States Parties shall endeavour to give priority to those who are oldest.
4. In accordance with their obligations under international humanitarian law to protect the civilian population in armed conflicts, States Parties shall take all feasible measures to ensure protection and care of children who are affected by an armed conflict.

Online Resources and References