Since July, we have implemented a project on children’s rights.
| The project ‘Children’s rights’ has been implemented thanks to the French embassy and the French Institute in Romania. |
The International Convention on the Rights of the Child states fundamental principles and rights, which have become the guiding principles of the association Valentina. Therefore, we believe that all children have rights, and must exercise them. However, not everyone is aware of these rights, especially the children helped by our association. That is why our goal is to make these rights known.
Our joint awareness-raising action is divided in two axes. On the one hand, our action is directed towards children and aims to raise awareness of their rights and duties. On the other hand, it is directed towards the public, to make our action known and discuss with external actors on the subject of children’s rights and on the integration of vulnerable young people in school and in society.
Thus, we have started our awareness action with the children, through different activities.
First of all, during the month of July, different rights were presented to the children, which led to several discussions. These interventions were led by the professionals of our day center, a pedagogue and a social worker. Students from the Lycée Francais of Bucharest and French students from the Institut Polytechnique UniLaSalle and from the Sciences Po University also intervened.
During our summer camp, which took place from the 19th to the 25th of July, we put the emphasis on the nationality and the identity, the fight against discriminations, play and leisure activities.
We then started the drawing workshops with a drawing teacher. 6 sessions are planned, each of them dealing with a different children’s right, of which 3 have already been carried out with the children.
The first session was about the right to education. A3 paper sheets, graphite pencils and colored pencils were given to children. They had to express and interpret their right to education through drawing.
With the second session, children focused on the right to play, to laugh and to dream, with a photography workshop. With cell phones, children took pictures of nature, of their friends, of details, reminding them of different feelings.
During the third session, children talked about the right to have a name and a nationality, and did a collage workshop. The aim was to form their names with the pieces of paper cut out.
What have we noticed so far through this project?
- Children are eager to know their rights.
- They want to learn more about them and exercise them.
- They are highly invested in the project activities.
- They want to participate in the discussion sessions and express their feeling and personal experiences.
- They are starting to become aware of their rights by exchanging with their family.
- They are taking advantage of this opportunity to develop their creativity.
We will carry on our presentation of children’s rights and our discussions, though several other activities and drawing workshops!
‘’All children have rights, let’s help them to know them’’