It was an opportunity to hear from children from the Battlefords about their rights.
Last week, National Child Day was celebrated in the Battlefords with the reading, by local children, of a charter of rights created specially for this community.
Based on the United Nations charter of rights for children, the Battlefords charter has been created by a committee representing a network of early childhood educators with input from young members of the community. The City of North Battleford and the Town of Battleford have both adopted the charter.
Colleen Sabraw, executive director Battlefords Early Childhood Intervention Program, said the committee has applied for a grant for framing copies of the charter in order to distribute them to all educational, health, social, community and recreation-related services. It's an opportunity to continue conversation as a catalyst for change for children and their families, said Sabraw.
"This is to bring awareness to children's rights and to change the culture of the Battlefords to be more responsive and caring to these rights," said Sabraw.
She also said the theme for this year's National Child Day, the right to be heard, has special significance for the early years when children begin developing critical language and communication skills.
Committee members are, along with Sabraw: Elaine Sonmor, co-ordinator of the parent mentoring program with Prairie North Health Region; Erin Bland, Battlefords population health promotions co-ordinator for Prairie North; Kerry Rutley, Prairie North's TIPS program co-ordinator for paediatric therapy; Kathy Byl, Battlefords Kids First program manager; and Karen Weran, co-ordinator of the Northwest Regional Intersectorial Committee.
Presiding over the reading of the charter by local children, ages six to 14, Weran acknowledged Sabraw for all the work she does.
"She just stretches and stretches and stretches," said Weran.
Of the Battlefords Early Childhood Community Planning Network, she said, "We've really been working together to see how we can move data into action. The children's charter is a starting point regarding our values and to show how much our children mean to us."
Weran also said, "Science tells us that families that are supported in the community have much better success in school and in their future, so it is really up to our community to think about how we're going to support children and families and have the rights remembered and used in our day to day work."
Tammy Donahue Buziak, attending as North Battleford's archivist and chair of the City of North Battleford 2013 Centennial Committee, said the charter would be included in the time capsule being put together this year, to be opened in another hundred years.
"These children in our community are our future for many generations to come," she said.
Sonmor introduced Camelia Vany who sang Universal Child by Annie Lennox, a song Sonmor said captured the heart of what the charter was to be. Vany works at Saskatchewan Hospital.
The afternoon's event also asked the audience the questions, "What does this charter mean to you?" and "What can you do to support and incorporate the charter into your personal and work life?" eliciting the following answers.
Sgt. Darcy Woolfitt, Battlefords RCMP: "For me this charter means a great deal as it sets the stage for our children's future growth and understanding of their rights. The children in our community are a resource for the future and they are the future for our society. In my work, the rights of the children are of the utmost importance and we all have a responsibility to make sure this charter is maintained. Children need our support and reassurance that their needs will be met and safeguarded so they can continue to grow and be a positive part of our community."
Jeremy Reynoldson, manager of North Battleford Housing Authority: "Our vision for the community as an organization is to provide safe adequate housing so that families have a foundation, a place to start, in providing the rights of children. For us, having the charter in a written format like this, very simple, brief, powerful in its statements, to have it on our wall … is just a tangible reminder every day that our children are precious gifts we have to take care of. We could use that to remind parents that we work with the rights their children have and obligations they have to look after them, and even more importantly within our organization, what we do with our mandate with our vision to make sure we are living by that charter. It is a useful tool for us even as part of our staff meetings and our planning sessions, making sure we are living up to the rights the children in our community have. It's a beautiful tool, thank you for putting it together."
Carla Pattinson, Kids First: "When we do an initial visit with our families, I have taken [the charter] and given it to the parents and said 'thank you for being part of Kids First, and you are part of a much larger group, a whole community that is working to have healthy children … and there's all kinds of work going on by all kinds of other people that are working towards having healthy children as well.'"
Rose Benson, Red Cross: Benson said of the United Nations children's charter of 1989, the Year of the Child, "Two of the countries who sit at the UN table right now have not signed this charter to date, and you would be surprised that one of the countries is the United States. … There was a teacher in a class [where Benson was making an anti-bullying presentation] and she picked up on it just like that, probably because the charter says all children under the age of 19 have the right to health care, and it made sense."
She hands out a copy of the United Nations children's charter whenever she makes a school presentation on behalf of the Red Cross.
Audrey Wasyliw, instructor of the Northwest Regional College early childhood education program, who brought her students to the event: "I want to say thank you that we have a charter. We have a class called roles and values of the early childhood educator; we not only use this document, but we discuss and add some of our own ideas to it. My hope is for early childhood educators who are working in daycares, day homes, Pre-K programs, that they will use this as a guide in their work."
Jim Toye, manager of City of North Battleford: "As I work for the City of North Battleford, some of these issues that are on here really reflect home to me, as being responsible for things like clean water, to have recreation and leisure facilities."
He also said he and his wife have referred to the charter in attempting to help and advise their own daughter at a time when their grandchild was being bullied (in another community.)
"National Child's Day is important to ensure that our children's rights continue to be reinforced and an awareness of these rights continues to be promoted to both adults and children alike, with the aim that all children are able to live in a safe, healthy, nurturing environment until they reach the age of majority."
Battlefords Children's Charter
The Right To Be You
? To be respected for who you are - the same, yet different from everyone else
? To be proud of who you are - your values, faith, sexuality, and abilities
? To speak your language and to practise your traditions and culture
? To "feel good, proud, not to be left out - one with family and friends"
The Right To Basic Needs
? To have a safe and secure home environment, healthy food, clean water, suitable clothing and access to quality health care
? "To be strong you need to eat your vegetables"
The Right To Play
? To have access and opportunities to participate in recreation and leisure activities
? To be "in the sand with tools and a bucket"
? To "hang out with friends, drive around, watch movies and laugh"
The Right To Be Safe
? To live without fear in a community committed to freedom and peace
? To be free from neglect, bullying, racism and exploitation
? To not "hurt your bones, get scrapes or lose too much blood"
? To "not be scared, nervous or worried - know who to trust and who I am with makes me feel safe"
The Right To Learn
? To have early experiences that will build your brain which prepares you to achieve your fullest potential
? To become a confident learner and maintain an excitement for learning
? To have quality education
? To "have caring environments where teachers respect us and are kind"
The Right To Loving Relationships
? To have adults who believe in your hopes and dreams
? To have quality time with family and other positive role models
? To be nurtured in mind, body and spirit
? To "bake cookies with my sisters, mommy and grandma"
? To do "fun activities like playing board games, swimming, camping, visiting"
The Right To Be Heard
? To be free to express your thoughts and feelings - to give an honest opinion
? To have "you look at me"
? To be listened to - "other people are not talking." "Don't interrupt."
The Right To Belong
? To have a supportive family and community that advocates for you and is responsive and accepting
? To feel "happy and important"
? To "be myself and act silly and my best friends accept me for who I am - don't have to try to be someone else"
