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The 3 Obligatory Pillars Slide Show: A Journey From Promise to Reality Presentation - This presentation outlines in greater detail the obligations we have to fulfill the rights outlined in the Convention for all children. |
"Dignity is a necessary condition for democracy because citizens require dignity if they are actually to govern themselves." (Ober, 2012)
Children's Rights Education as a Pathway to Securing Global Peace
At the end of the Second World War the people of the United Nations committed to take collective measures to effectively prevent and remove all threats to peace and, in doing so, save succeeding generations from the menace of war (Charter, 1945). To accomplish this, United Nations officials and committees set out to “establish conditions under which justice and respect for the obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international law can be maintained” (ibid), and in doing so, “promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom” (ibid).
However, global violence still prevails where the fundamental rights and human dignity are continuously compromised in the “pursuit of power or material wealth” (Dalai Lama, as quoted in Cavoukian & Olfman, 2006). As such, the objective of securing world peace has been, and continues to be illusive. In the continued pursuit of creating long-lasting peace, social reformers have turned to the work of education. Visionaries such as Maria Montessori claimed that, “establishing peace is the work of education” (Montessori, 1949). In a speech before the European Congress for Peace in Brussels (1936) she further declared the role of “education as the armament of peace” (Standing, 1957), and claimed that the dilemma of world peace can never be satisfactorily resolved until we commence with the child by acknowledging their contribution to the formation of society (ibid). Arun Gandhi, the grandson of the legendary spiritual leader, Mahatma Gandhi, supported this objective of education by stating that education should “help create not only a balanced and harmonious individual but also a balanced and harmonious society where true justice prevails, where everybody is assured the right to live and the right to freedom” (Global Villages Resources, n.d.). Recently, the Dalai Lama also proposed directing our attention to our children, the world’s future. Through care and a sound education that instils positive values, children can ensure a more “harmonious, peaceful and productive future for us all” (Cavoukian & Olfman, 2006). This vision of a harmonious world that embodies a people’s image of a peaceful future (Charter, 1945; Miller, as quoted in Cavoukian & Olfman, 2006) requires that we partner up with young people to establish a “foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world” (Convention, 1989).
At the end of the Second World War the people of the United Nations committed to take collective measures to effectively prevent and remove all threats to peace and, in doing so, save succeeding generations from the menace of war (Charter, 1945). To accomplish this, United Nations officials and committees set out to “establish conditions under which justice and respect for the obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international law can be maintained” (ibid), and in doing so, “promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom” (ibid).
However, global violence still prevails where the fundamental rights and human dignity are continuously compromised in the “pursuit of power or material wealth” (Dalai Lama, as quoted in Cavoukian & Olfman, 2006). As such, the objective of securing world peace has been, and continues to be illusive. In the continued pursuit of creating long-lasting peace, social reformers have turned to the work of education. Visionaries such as Maria Montessori claimed that, “establishing peace is the work of education” (Montessori, 1949). In a speech before the European Congress for Peace in Brussels (1936) she further declared the role of “education as the armament of peace” (Standing, 1957), and claimed that the dilemma of world peace can never be satisfactorily resolved until we commence with the child by acknowledging their contribution to the formation of society (ibid). Arun Gandhi, the grandson of the legendary spiritual leader, Mahatma Gandhi, supported this objective of education by stating that education should “help create not only a balanced and harmonious individual but also a balanced and harmonious society where true justice prevails, where everybody is assured the right to live and the right to freedom” (Global Villages Resources, n.d.). Recently, the Dalai Lama also proposed directing our attention to our children, the world’s future. Through care and a sound education that instils positive values, children can ensure a more “harmonious, peaceful and productive future for us all” (Cavoukian & Olfman, 2006). This vision of a harmonious world that embodies a people’s image of a peaceful future (Charter, 1945; Miller, as quoted in Cavoukian & Olfman, 2006) requires that we partner up with young people to establish a “foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world” (Convention, 1989).
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"If we are to teach real peace in this world, and if we are to carry on a real war against war, we shall have to begin with the children." (Mohandas Gandhi, political and spiritual leader in India) |
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Children's Rights Education includes:
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Knowledge of Rights Curriculum
This curriculum is designed to teach children knowledge of their rights as outlined in the United Nations 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Values in Rights CurriculumThe Values in Rights Curriculum is designed to teach children about the different political, legal, and social structures that are in place in order to realize the Convention on the Rights of the Child for every child.
Stay tuned for this curriculum. Behaviours in Rights CurriculumThe Behaviours in Rights Curriculum is intended to develop the participation skills and due process required for the effective realization of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Stay tuned for this curriculum. |