Squamish Montessori School (SMS) students have spent the past several weeks learning the ins and outs of children's rights.
It's all in the spirit of recognizing and bringing attention to the UN Rights of the Child Day on Wednesday (Nov. 20).
The UN General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child and opened it for signature on Nov. 20, 1989. Since then, 193 countries are a party to it, with Canada having signed on in 1990.
Upper elementary teacher Erin Higginbottom said it's the first time SMS has taken part in the day and that the kids have been busy learning about all the issues.
One of my colleagues in the Yukon has been doing it up at the Montessori school up there and he invited the larger Montessori group to participate this year, she said. It's been good. The kids are really enthusiastic and we've been having discussions on what it looks like for kids in certain countries compared to what we have here. I think we've created a greater awareness and helped them realize how lucky we have it here in Squamish.
The class was separated into groups, with each group selecting one of the main rights of the convention and creating a poster. Students posted the posters in various places around town to increase awareness and Grade 5 student Sophia Katramadakis penned an article on the issue. The Grade 4 and 5 students also presented their findings and spoke to some of the younger students at SMS on Wednesday.
Copies of Katramadakis' letter will also be sent to MP John Weston and MLA Jordan Sturdy. Here's an excerpt from her letter:
In the restaurant I overheard a common exchange: Nice shirt, said one person, where did you get it? I returned to my meal but the question lingered. Where did the shirt actually come from? This excerpt was from the book Global Voices by Craig Kielburger. After reading that, I started thinking about my clothes and most of the clothes we wear. Chances are it was made by a child labourer like those who worked in a garment factory that collapsed in Savar, Bangladesh in April 2013. Have you ever taken the time to look at where your clothes were made? As a Grade 5 student I did not bother to take the time before, but after that story I did and the tag said Made in Bangladesh. That made me think of all those children just like me. Unlike me however those children get up every morning not to go to school but to make clothes in unsafe factories that we eventually buy at our stores. These children will not go to school, live in a nice home, or just have time to play.
Every child should have the same rights I take for granted living in Squamish. What is the right of a child, you may ask? Rights include such basic things as clean water, healthy food, housing, clothing, a sense of freedom, and safety from harm.
Higginbottom said that she hopes the SMS event becomes a yearly look at the rights of children and that it's been a valuable experience for her students.
It's really great that they've shown initiative here, she said. They were excited to get posters put up and make connections in the community.
