The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child will become law in 2020!
Hello! We’ve decided to take an important step.
We’ve already done a lot without saying anything. We’ll continue promoting childrens’ rights, including the right to development through play and learning. Now we’ll go even further to promote childrens’ rights in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, especially Article 12, which concerns children’s right to express views and have an influence. At Alfie Atkins’, all children will have the right to vote. Gearing up for Children’s rights!
We know that having an influence is an important right, and it’s one we value highly. Now we want to further improve our efforts in this regard. Our aim is to give children the right to vote at the Alfie Atkins Cultural Centre.
We want more children to know their rights and what these rights mean at Alfie Atkins’. To achieve this aim, we’re adding more information on this subject to our website.
We want to explain in a playful way about children’s rights and opportunities to have an influence. For this reason, we’re planning a new performance about children’s rights and influence.
We’re aware that the way we say things is very important. We want to reflect on how we speak to children and the signals we give them.
Children have a fundamental right to play. We aim to clarify the importance of play as a basic children’s right.
To help children exercise their right to play and learn, we will ask all parents to switch off their mobile phones before each programme activity starts.
We see it as vital to provide accessibility for all children, regardless of functional ability. For this reason, we aim to ensure that there is always room for a wheelchair in the building.
We are committed to promoting children’s rights and opportunities to express their views. As part of this commitment, we want to encourage all children to express their opinions about the Alfie Atkins Cultural Centre and suggest improvements.
We are passionate about helping children develop their ability to express their thoughts and views. For this reason, we plan to establish an Alfie Atkins Opinion Panel. We also intend to make children’s voices heard in our annual reports and newsletters.
We strive to continuously develop our knowledge of and adherence to the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
WE ALREADY DO A LOT OF POSITIVE THINGS IN THIS REGARD:
We passionately support children’s right to play. And we know that the rights to learning and development are closely linked to play. The whole of the Alfie Atkins Cultural Centre is brimming with play, learning and development.
The Alfie Atkins Cultural Centre exists for the benefit of children and their adults. We address the child first when we have visitors.
We always put children first when planning our activities. For example, new performances are shown to a test audience of children, who are invited to give their feedback.
We believe it is crucial for children’s opinions to be heard. For this reason, a test panel of children has guided us in developing accessibility projects at the Alfie Atkins Cultural Centre.
Because children are our main audience, it is important to give them a chance to voice their opinions. After our performances, we allow time for children to come forward and give feedback.
The opportunity to influence is an important children’s right. When we designed a garden cabin for installation on our terrace in collaboration with the School of Design and Crafts at the University of Gothenburg (HDK), children chose the design and inaugurated the cabin by playing in it. Children were also involved in designing a costume for the performance of Alla möjliga Alfons (Lots of Different Alfies), also in collaboration with HDK. Children chose the decoration on the wheel guard for the children’s wheelchair at Alfie Atkins’.
To give children the opportunity to participate and ask questions, our educational projects are interactive and include question and answer sessions.
Children are invited to influence the content of some of our programme activities, such as the choice of repertoire or the songs to be sung.
We always aim to adapt our activities to children’s needs. For example, we ensure that children get the best places in the theatre. When the audience enters the theatre, the children are always greeted first.
The equipment and accessories we use, such as the tables for our experiments, are of a suitable size and height for children.
We encourage free choices and independent decisions. Curtains instead of doors at the theatre entrance make it easier for children to decide whether to leave or take part.
We have a picture chart on our website to help familiarise children with the building. This makes it easier to prepare for a visit if needed.
FURTHER INFORMATION:
About the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
https://www.raddabarnen.se/rad-och-kunskap/skolmaterial/barnkonventionen/
https://www.barnombudsmannen.se/for-dig-under-18/barnkonventionen/
The incorporation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child into Swedish law
https://www.regeringen.se/regeringens-politik/barnkonventionens-vag-mot-svensk-lag/
Barnrättssnack (podcast on children’s rights)
https://poddtoppen.se/podcast/1478021324/barnrattssnack
A film about the Convention on the Rights of the Child
