Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/cover-story/5017005/
Listening to the Voice of the Young Child: NIPPA �" The Early Years OrganisationBelfast, Northern Ireland
Nippa �" The Early Years Organisation is the largest voluntary organisation in Northern Ireland working with children 0-12 and their families. Founded in 1965, the organisation is rooted in a strong value base which sees all young children as strong, competent, and visible in their communities. Embedded in the culture of the organisation is a philosophy of actively listening to young children. The work enshrines a children’s rights based approach and endorses the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child as a core pedagogy.
Article 12 of the Convention proclaims that a child has a right to express an opinion and have that opinion taken into account in any matter of procedure affecting the child. Endorsing Article 12 has led to Nippa adopting a groundbreaking project giving young children a voice in a range of policy and practice issues which affect them. Led by Isobel McClean, a Nippa Early Years Specialist, the organisation has developed a number of methods and tools which have been used to allow very young children to have a voice about significant policy developments in Northern Ireland such as the ...