Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/big-ideas--the-ground-work-of-the-world-forum/5020668/
Children’s RightsSubmitted by Ellen Hall
The big idea that led to the initiation of the World Forum Foundation Working Group on Children’s Rights came from Pam Boulton in a statement written to the World Forum community following the World Forum in Belfast in June 2009. In this statement, Pam wrote, “I believe that ratification of the Convention on the Rights of the Child is an important part of being a global citizen. It is time to ask �" intentionally and insistently �" that our legislators ratify this convention and that we take our place among those who agree to promote and protect children’s best interests.” This idea caught my attention as an educator in a school that has been engaged in research surrounding the rights of children for nearly a decade, and, encouraged by Bonnie Neugebauer, Pam and I reached out to one another. The idea that we could learn about ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Children (CRC) from our World Forum colleagues, whose countries have already ratified this important document, was the stimulus for the organization and facilitation of a series of panel discussions during the 2011 World Forum in Hawaii. The explosion of ideas that this opportunity ...