The Janusz Korczak Association Australia wants to make sure your voices and ideas are heard and seen.
Just because you are young doesn’t mean you don’t have ideas and can’t speak about things you are thinking about. Even if you are younger than 18 you have the right to freedom of expression; to share what you learn, think and feel. Freedom to find out more and share ideas too, however you choose, by talking, writing or in print, art, or any other way unless it harms other people.
The Janusz Korczak Association Australia invites you to share your thoughts, ideas, learning and feelings on this website too.
As Korczak said,
"Children are not the people of tomorrow, but people today. They are entitled to be taken seriously. They have a right to be treated by adults with tenderness and respect, as equals. They should be allowed to grow into whoever they were meant to be - The unknown person inside each of them is the hope for the future."
Janusz Korczak
We never know for sure what is going to happen tomorrow, but when things are important to us we think about them a lot and try to plan so things will work out the way we are hoping for. Some examples:
When we’re planning to go to the beach on the weekend we make sure we pack sunscreen and a hat plus any other sun protection so we can play on the sand and swim and have fun without worrying about sunburn and all we’ve been told about skin cancer in Australia.
The school year is soon coming to an end in Australia. Some children will be starting school next year. That’s a big step. If this is you, what are you hoping school will be like? Will any of your friends be going to the same school? How can you make new friends? Are you asking questions about school? Make sure you talk to people and tell them how you imagine school will be and what is important to you about going to school and what helps you when you are in a new and different place. For students in secondary school, are you worrying about your results and thinking about subjects for next year? Or have you just completed final exams and you have now finished being a school student? You've probably been thinking a lot about next year and making big decisions about what next you think is right for you. When you talk to people about this, make sure you tell them what is important to you and what needs to happen in your community/city/country, things that are not only good for you but are also probably good for everybody else too.
Surprise parties can be a lot of fun, but what do you need to do so it will be fun for everyone?
The world is changing a lot in so many ways that impact on people in so many places. The theme for this World Children’s Day is reassuring you that your thoughts, ideas, hopes, worries and dreams about the future are all important and if you and other young people don’t let others people older than you, organisations and decision makers know about these, how can you expect them to understand you and see how together you can make the future you and they will be so happy to see.
*What kind of world would you like to live in when you grow up?
*What do you like about the world today?
*What would you like to see changed in the world?
*How do you think you and/or together with others can make the future better for everyone?
*Imagine yourself twenty years from now , living in the world of your dreams that is not only great for you, but others are also very happy. What would you write in a letter to the younger you in 2024 and were thinking about your ideas, hopes and dreams for a better future, but the world wasn’t in a good way and you were worried about different things. Tell your younger self about what you have been doing to make what you were hoping for become real; what has changed around you and what it is about the world twenty years from now that makes you so pleased you talked about things that you valued and were important to you, and kept on talking till people listened, wrote and painted about these things to help people understand and met with others who had similar ideas and dreams and together you kept talking, trying things out and didn’t get upset when things didn’t work out, just kept trying.
Being a voice for the future can take many forms:
A video with you speaking and those who go to this website could listen to you.
Write what you want people to know about the future
Write a letter as if it was 2034 as suggested above
Paint or draw a picture of the future you would like to live in when you grow up
Plan a panel with you and other young people speaking about the future
With other young people, creat a mural of the future you all want that will benefit everyone.
Any other ways your voice and mind can share ideas, dreams and hopes for the future.
Please share your responses here
Sharing stories of your experiences with digitalization can show others what can be done. We all learn from each other. You can share your stories here with words and perhaps images or short videos also.
Any of the following questions is likely to remind you of something you would like to share:
How has digitalization:
Helped you solve problems?
Opened your eyes to new possibilities?
Enabled you to achieve goals ?
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Choose one of the Sustainable Development Goals from this chart and think about how digitalization could help to achieve that goal or steps that would enable positive progress to achieving this goal. You could also discuss and work on this with a group of friends. How do you see the role of youth in achieving Sustainable Development Goals?
Your ideas and experiences can be shared here
If we think about arguments or fights, making up and getting to know each other and getting on well is reconciliation. Whoever you are, it's important that we all understand what it's like when people don't respect us and don't agree with us just because we are different, but when we get to know each other and listen to one another and don't hurt others just because they are different, we can find out some wonderful things about each other and become friends too.
What can you do to learn about Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders and understand them better?
If you are Aboriginal or Torres Straits Islander, what can you do to help other people understand you more?
Please tell us with paintings or drawings, words, written or said in a short video.
You can help each other and together we can make Reconciliation happen sooner!
You have the right to feel safe and be safe
Being safe means you are free from people hurting you on purpose, abuse, harassment, treating you badly just because you are different from them, discrimination or doing things to you that are not right, inappropriate behaviour. Feeling safe means you are comfortable in the places where you spend time and trust the adults around you.
You have a right to: be safe and feel safe, whoever you are, wherever you are.
Activities:
Please choose any of these activities, and draw, discuss with a friend or grown up, or write or make a short video about it.
1. Have you ever felt unsafe? What happened?
2.What makes you feel safe?
3. Where is a safe place for you? Why is it safe there?
4. What does it feel like when you are safe?
5. If you don’t feel safe what can you do?
6. What are your suggestions for making life safer for young people?
We all learn from each other and your ideas can help another young person be safe. If you would like to share your drawings/paintings, words or videos, please send here. You can put your name on what you share, but you don’t have to.
The International Day of Play June 11 every year!
Play
There are so many different ways of playing.
What do you like to do?
Why do you think play is fun?
Is play important?
Please share your ideas about play any way you choose.
How can you tell people that there is an International day of Play?
Can you make some pictures, posters about this for your school, preschool, a library, for home?
Please share here any responses to these things and or any of your thoughts and ideas about play. Do you sometimes think there is no time to play because your family is always so busy. Lots of children and young people feel like this. See if you have this book at home or in a library near you: "Today we have No Plans"
And Or click on here: https://youtu.be/l9jTfIEXkTA
Some dates each year are probably very important to you, and usually to your family too. Together we can create a calendar that includes dates of significance for so many people.
We know and respect that your birthday date is a very important and significant date for you and your family, but unfortunately we can’t include every person’s birthday date in our calendar, but you can make a copy of the calendar you help create and add your birthday and family and friends’ birthdays too. The dates in our Janusz Korczak Association Australian calendar will have dates that are important to groups of people living in Australia. But we do wish you a very happy birthday on your very own special date!
Our calendar for 2023 honours Janusz Korczak, the person who respected all people as equals and whose work and life formed the basis for the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Our calendar includes photos and words of Janusz Korczak, and the dates important to you that you have submitted). Photos of the children in the orphanage, where he chose to live, will be in our calendar also.
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child gives you the right to live safely and with the freedom to practice your own religion and culture. All children are entitled to their own beliefs and culture and live safe, happy, healthy lives.
Thank you to those who submitted dates and ideas, by doing this, you became a co-creator of the Janusz Korczak Association Australia calendar!
You can see and or download our calendar here.
World Children’s Day 2022. Inclusion, for Every Child!
What Does Inclusion Mean to You?Inclusion, for every child.
Just like our Mums and Dads are important to us always, not just on Mother’s Days and Father’s Days, the theme of each World Children’s Day is important every day too. Just like Mother’s and Father’s Days make us think more about our Mums and Dads and why they are important to us before and on those days. Special days for our parents and themes for World Children’s Day remind us of who and what is important for us all to have better lives.
You have the right to make your voices heard and take actions about these very important matters. Everyone’s lives are busy with different things, so sometimes we don’t realise that we are not doing as much as we want to do about people and things we care a lot about. Celebrating World Children’s Day with actions is a reminder for doing more about the such important things; so not just on that one day do we celebrate these. Thinking about the rights all young people are entitled to helps us all too.
With this year’s theme Inclusion, for Every Child, how do you think it is being celebrated? Is it being celebrated?
Please write, draw, or say on a short video on one or more of the following:
What happens that makes you feel included?
How can you help someone else, or more than one person, feel included?
Create an image about Inclusion For Every Child
Have you ever been excluded? What happened that excluded you or made you feel that way?
If you have been excluded, did you do anything about it afterwards?
Please send suggestions for what could be done when someone is excluded.
What could the excluded person do?
Who or what else could be done to help that excluded person or group?
How can Inclusion For Every Child Be Celebrated?
Please submit your response here
Children have the right to think and believe what they want and to practise their religion, as long as they are not stopping other people from enjoying their rights.
Children have the right to say what they think should happen when adults are making decisions that affect them and to have their opinions taken into account.
Children should be protected from any activities that could harm their development.
Children have the right to get and to share information, as long as the information is not damaging to them or to others.
Children who have any kind of disability should receive special care and support so that they can live a full and independent life.
Children have the right to good quality health care, clean water, nutritious food and a clean environment so that they will stay healthy. Richer countries should help poorer countries achieve this.
Education should develop each child’s personality and talents to the full. It should encourage children to respect their parents, their cultures and other cultures.
Children have the right to relax, play and to join in a wide range of leisure activities.
(Excerpts from the simplified version of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.)
Korczak Film Fest
A new exciting initiative in the Korczak Community is an International Film Festival for young people! How wonderful in the spirit of Korczak, equality and respect, young people in Australia, our pacific neighbours and all over the world are invited to participate by submitting a film and/or viewing this International Film Festival too!
The only age limit is you need to be under 20 years old to submit an entry and the film is to be based on this quote from Korczak: “One must not leave the world as it is.”
Think about what is very important to you.
Please draw and/or write about this, and also write or say why it is very important to you. You could also ask Mum, Dad or a friend to take a short video of you saying what is very important to you and why it is very important to you.
If you would like to share this with others who are thinking about these things, on this website, please send it to us
HERE
We very much look forward to seeing or hearing about what is very important to you. You are invited to write your name, first name or whole name on your drawing or writing, or say it on your video, but you don't have to.
Please ask Mum, Dad or someone who cares for you if they would like you to share your video, drawing or writing on this website.
On the events page you learned about a special day, International Children’s Day, celebrated in many countries. How would you like to celebrate this day? It could be with songs, paintings, stories, photos or plays, meeting with other children……..
Reggio Emilia, a small town in Northern Italy celebrates children in so many ways every day. Often there are children’s drawings and their words about them in shop windows for everyone to look at. Projects children are creating are often developing in city squares or parks and people of all ages are interested and speak with the children about what they are doing. At the Birth Centenary of Loris Malaguzzi there was an international event focussing on Children's Rights celebrating the life of this wonderful educator who valued children and their rights, and children’s paintings about children’s rights were on banners across the streets too.
Here are some photos of these and also some of the children’s drawings in shop windows. Children are seen as equals in Reggio Emilia and their rights are respected.
The drawings on the Homepage of this website are children’s paintings about things that are important for them. They are on the fences around their school, Port Melbourne Primary school and people passing stop and look at them and think about what children are writing and drawing.
These are all different ways of children sharing their ideas. How would you like to celebrate this day? It could be with songs, paintings, stories, photos or plays, at school, preschool, home or community groups. If you would like to share how you celebrate International Children’s day or how you would like to, please submit this HERE.
Celebrate International Children’s Day!
Even three year olds talk about what is fair. How many times have you heard children having a lively discussion say loudly, “That’s not fair!”
Children are never too young to start learning about Reconciliation. It’s not the size of the word that would hold them back. Like many young ones, this little boy and his friends and many other young children, before they were three, could say Tyrannosaurus Rex and point to this particular dinosaur even when it was in a picture with many dinosaurs. It's a lack of understanding what a word means can lead to lack of engagement.
The word and what it means is important. No one is ever too young to learn about and act to make things fair and work things out. It is lifelong learning!
Children putting handprints to create this flag was only one of many activities, to develop understanding about Reconciliation, they were doing before, during, and after both National Reconciliation and NAIDOC weeks.
Whether or not Indigenous or not, we are all equal and all can learn so much from one another.
You can be brave and make a change and or with others make changes too. How could you do this? Think about who you could speak with about this. Are you the same as your best friend? We are all different.
What could you say, questions you could ask, actions could you take to make a change so that people different from you could feel good about who they are? What would help you feel good about yourself when you are with someone different to you?
What is very important to you?
“My family is important to me because they are kind and they love me. My rubix cube is important to me because it’s like a puzzle, like a computer. When I get older I will be able to figure out what to do because I can do my rubix cube.”
What do you want to be now and when you’re older?
“Generous. Generous is when you be really nice. I want to be a good person.”
What is very important to you?
“My family and my pets because I love them. There is my mum and dad and my brother and my bird and my puppy.”
What do you want to be now and when you’re older?
“A kind person. I don’t want to be an angry person because they can be an aggressive person. When you are a kind person you can have a discussion and not fight.”
What is very important to you?
“The most important thing to me is drawing because it’s fun.”
What do you want to be now and when you’re older?
“I want to be someone who looks after the land. The land is important. If we didn’t have land we wouldn’t live.”