Media release – To mark International Children’s Rights Day, four Swiss organizations for the rights and perspectives of children and young people are publishing an educational toolkit for school and education professionals. It focuses on the topic of play, leisure and recreation. The toolkit can be downloaded free of charge from the website www.children-rights.ch.
All children and young people in the world should have the same basic human rights regardless of their age, gender, state of health or social situation. But what do the individual articles of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which Switzerland ratified in 1997, mean in concrete terms?
Developed with children and young people
This is the question addressed by the teaching material of “Children’s rights: Do you know them?”, the joint project of terre des hommes schweiz with the Pestalozzi Children’s Foundation, Terre des Hommes Suisse and Integras, the professional association for social and special education. A team of experts from “Children’s rights: do you know them?” developed it together with children and young people.
Also in plain language
On the one hand, the teaching material is aimed at teachers of formal education at primary and lower secondary level. It is also suitable for professionals working in extracurricular and special education, such as social pedagogues, remedial teachers, childcare specialists or socio-cultural animators. Just in time for International Children’s Rights Day on November 20, the educational toolkit is available to download free of charge from the website www.children-rights.ch. It is available in German, French and Italian and also in plain language.
“Play, leisure, recreation also vital for young people”
The topic of the three age-graded teaching cycles is Article 31 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. This deals with the right to play, leisure and recreation, for example dealing with stress or the use of smartphones. “Playing and playing together is vital for the development and physical and mental well-being of children and young people,” says Catherine Brunold, Education Project Manager at terre des hommes schweiz. “It promotes their creativity and strengthens their social and emotional skills. Leisure, play and recreation should be fundamental experiences for all children and young people.”
More about the project “Children’s rights: do you know them?”
“Children’s rights: do you know them?” is being realized in collaboration with éducation21, the national competence and service center for education for sustainable development in Switzerland. The project is financially supported by the federal government. “Children’s rights: do you know them?” is a contribution to publicizing and raising awareness of children’s rights in Swiss educational institutions. By preparing teaching materials on various topics relating to children’s rights, the initiative aims to raise awareness of children’s rights and sustainable development in schools and education.
terre des hommes schweiz
terre des hommes schweiz empowers young people in Africa, Latin America and Switzerland. Together with them, we fight poverty, violence and discrimination and campaign for the rights of children and young people and fair North-South relations.
Links: www.children-rights.ch; www.terredeshommesschweiz.ch/kinderrechte
In the photo above: For diversity, against discrimination – book visit with imagine, the autonomous youth project from terre des hommes schweiz, with Baobab Books at a secondary school in Basel. Photo Samuel Rink for terre des hommes schweiz
