World Children’s Day 2026: Children’s voices in every classroom

Posted 16 September 2026

On Thursday 20 November the Janusz Korczak Association Australia will mark World Children’s Day, the anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. This year we are inviting every school on the Mornington Peninsula to hand the day over to its students.

Korczak believed that children are not the people of tomorrow but the people of today. World Children’s Day is the one day in the year when that idea is on the world’s calendar, and we want it heard in classrooms, staff rooms and school councils across Australia.

How schools can take part

• Student-led assembly. Students choose the theme, write the script and run the morning assembly, with teachers in the audience.
• Rights in our words. Each class rewrites one article of the Convention in language that makes sense to them and displays it at the school gate.
• A question for the principal. Every student writes one question about how decisions are made at their school. The principal answers a selection of them in front of the whole school.

Schools that register will receive a short activity pack and a certificate of participation for every student. Register by emailing info@korczakaustralia.com.au with your school name and the number of students taking part.

Save the date

When: Thursday 20 November 2026, any time during the school day

Where: your own school; an online gathering of participating schools will be held at 2.00 pm AEDT

Cost: free

More about the day: UNICEF World Children’s Day and our own Children’s Rights page.

“Children are not the people of tomorrow, but people today.” Janusz Korczak

Last updated 16 September 2026