October 10, 2014
For the 3rd year in a row Equitas participated in the International Summer Course on the Rights of Child in Moncton, New Brunswick (Canada). The theme of this year’s summer course was Article 12 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child; the right to participate and be heard. This year the summer course had over 70 participants from 15 different countries.
The workshop facilitated by Equitas’ representatives was an opportunity to further the relationship between children’s participation and protection, as well as brainstorm challenges, best practices alongside the project life cycle, and set goals for the next year.
The summer course began with a 3-day session on the historical and philosophical foundations of child rights followed by the thematic conference on article 12. The thematic course examined children’s participation from a variety of approaches including judicial, protection, programming and education.
The keynote closing presentations, made by Gerrison Lansdowne, drew attention to a Toolkit that has been developed to guide the process of effective children’s participation, and highlighted the successes and challenges of children’s participation in the 25 years since the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Equitas’ representatives Angie Mapara Osachoff and Laura Butler facilitated a workshop that gave course participants the opportunity to further the relationship between children’s participation and protection, as well as brainstorm challenges, best practices alongside the project life cycle, and set goals for the next year.
From Left: Matt DeCourcey, New Brunswick Office of the Child and Youth Advocate; Angie Mapara Osachoff, Equitas; Laura Butler, Equitas; and Christian Whalen, New Brunswick Office of the Child and Youth Advocate.
Finally, Equitas was thrilled to receive the Canadian Coalition for the Rights of Children, Children’s Rights Trailblazer award for 2013. Equitas’ Play it Fair! program was recognized for its innovative approach to teaching children and engaging the community around child rights.