Children’s Rights and Climate Change

Originally appears in the Fall 2012 issue

Children have the right to survive. They have the right to safe drinking water, nutritious food, and a clean and safe environment in which to live. Few would question these statements – but to be sure, they are enshrined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, the world’s most widely-ratified human rights treaty.

Yet more and more, the effects of climate change are challenging the fulfilment of these rights and exacerbating the existing vulnerabilities of children – particularly children in developing countries who have fewer buffers to protect them. While they should be walking the road toward greater fulfilment of their rights, many are forced to walk the other way.Too many are literally walking – away from flooded homes and schools, water-logged villages infested with malaria-carrying mosquitoes, food crops that have shrivelled from drought, or fields buried under encroaching desert. Others don’t have the means to leave, and suffer the direct consequences of their unhealthy and unproductive environment.

There is no question that those hardest hit by climate change are children in developing countries who have limited resources for quickly and safely adapting to its effects.

At the other end of the spectrum, those who have the greatest impact on climate change are those of us in industrialized countries. We consume natural resources and manufactured products at an alarming rate in order to sustain our current standard of living.

Young people in our industrialized countries may not be responsible for the trends, but they have the ability and the responsibility to help improve the state of affairs. They can learn about the issues and the solutions at hand. They can be inspired to take action in their daily lives, in the larger community, or even on the global stage.

As soon as they grasp the fact that a healthy environment is their right – and that of children around the world – they will be empowered. Environmentally-aware and empowered children and adolescents are potentially the greatest agents of change for the long-term protection and stewardship of the earth. Teachers, without a doubt, have an invaluable role to play in generating this power, and they can do so by exploring with students the world of climate change as seen through the lens of children’s rights.

The following activities were created by UNICEF Canada to support middle and high school educators in their efforts to work with youth on these issues. These activities will help equip students with the ability to understandthe issue of climate change and its impact on children and children’s rights, to explain how reducing carbon emissions in industrialized countries can reduce climate change and its negative effects, and develop the skills to contribute personally to achieving this and become ‘actors of change.’ We hope these activities will help your students meet these goals.

 

UNICEF Canada Resources

To access the full version of these and other activities found in the UNICEF resource, Education Kit on Climate Change and Child Rights, visit http://unicef.globalclassroom.ca/

Another useful guide for secondary school educators found on the site is entitled  Climate Change, Children and Youth.    If you are interested in reviewing and providing credited input into UNICEF Canada’s latest Climate Change Guide, which will take place in collaboration with GreenLearning, contact them at globalclassroom@unicef.ca.  The activities in this article support UNICEF Canada’s  national school initiative, Rights Respecting Schools (www.rightsrespectingschools.ca), which provides a hands-on program in whole school change grounded in children’s rights.

 

Activities

1. To Stay or to Go?

Duration: 40 minutes

Age/Grade Levels:  11-16 years, Grade 6 – 11

Overview

Situation cards, discussion and debriefing all serve as tools for learning in this activity about the sometimes very dramatic breach of children’s rights caused by climate change.

This simulation game has two main parts. In the first part, participants are confronted with three different situations regarding families living in a small village in Swaziland that is affected by climate change. They have to make decisions about what to do to adapt to this new situation. In the second part, they all play the role of a poor family that has to leave the village. They have to make quick decisions about which things and people to take with them; then they imagine how they would start a new life in a new place.

Objectives

By the end of the activity participants will be able to:

• explain how climate change can affect the lives and destinies of many children and families; and
• provide concrete examples.

Materials

• Copies of the situation cards
• A clock or a stopwatch

Instructions for the facilitator

• Part One: (See situation cards no. 1, 2, and 3)

Explain that, for this activity, we will imagine we all live a village in Swaziland (explain where it is located in Africa). Read them the following scenario: “You and your family live in a small village in Swaziland. As a result of climate change, the weather in your village has changed dramatically and there has been very little rainfall for months. The well is drying up and you don’t have a nearby river. There is not enough water to drink for the whole village.”

Form three groups, giving each a different situation card. Explain that in the context of the scenario you just presented, each card describes the particular situation of a different family. Each group will take on the role of that particular family, and the group’s members should discuss internally what they should do (e.g. Stay in the village or go? Why? What would they do then?). Give them 5 to 10 minutes to discuss.

In plenary, let each group present the situation of its family and explain what it decided to do. Ask participants if it was difficult or easy to decide what to do, and why. Tell them that many families in Africa have had to leave their homes. They are called ’climate migrants’ or ‘climate refugees.’ This will be the theme of the second part of this activity.

• Part Two: (See situation card no. 4)

For the second part of the activity, the three groups will be playing the same role of a very poor family that decides to leave the village. Give each team situation card no. 4. Explain that there is more information about their situation on the card, including a set of things that they can potentially take with them from the village. Each group must work together and choose only 10 of these options, some of which might be people (such as doctors) and others might be items (such as clothes). They have three minutes to decide.

After three minutes, ask everyone to stop their discussion. Explain that because there is very little time left before their family leaves and because resources are stretched, they must now choose only five items/people to take with them. They now have one minute to decide.

After the minute is up, bring everyone together and ask each group to share what their five items were. Ask participants how they felt about having to make their choices in such a rushed way. Can they imagine what it would feel like to leave their homes so quickly? And to leave behind most of their things, and people they know and love? Which children’s rights were affected in this situation?

• Part Three: (See Tool 5: situation card no. 4)

Explain that their families have now arrived at their new home, a little village in the western part of the country, where some distant relatives have a small farm. Ask each group to sit together and discuss how their families could adapt to their new life, knowing that they have few possessions (only the ones they brought with them), but that their relatives, even if they are poor, are willing to let them live with them.

Ask each group to imagine and describe how the first two months would be. Give them 5 to 10 minutes, and then discuss this all together in plenary.

Debriefing

Ask participants if they found it easy or difficult to imagine how it would feel to start everything over again in another place, far away from friends and familiar places. Maybe some of them have already experienced something similar when they have had to move with their family. What is important when such things happen?

2) One Minute to Convince (elevator speech)

Duration: 1 hour

Age/Grade levels: 11-16 years, Grade 6 – 11

Overview

This activity takes students from a discussion about the power of politicians and people with public influence, to the development of a compelling argument, to a role-play activity to demonstrate their own power for advocacy.

In small groups, participants prepare speaking points that they could use if they found themselves, by chance, in an elevator with the president or prime minister of their country, or their favourite singer. Their goal is to convince the high-profile person about the need to fight against climate change. The encounters are then simulated.

Objectives

By the end of the activity participants will be able to:

• develop succinct messages for specific influential people; and
• simulate a discussion with an influential adult.

Material

• Paper and pens

Instructions for the facilitator

• Start with a discussion about the role of politicians and other influential people (e.g. popular TV journalists, rock stars, business people) in dealing with climate change issues. Who are they? (They can be at different levels such as school, community, regional, national, international.) What are they responsible for? Do you know any leaders or well-known people who have taken environmentally- friendly actions?
• Explain the importance of developing and delivering messages about the need for stronger climate-friendly policies and to provide information on what they should do about it, so that they will be prepared to speak to anyone on the topic.
• Form small groups of three or four. The groups will have 10 minutes to develop key messages to do one of the following:

a) convince the president of their country to adopt stronger climate change mitigation policies; orb) convince their favourite singer (they should pick one) to contribute to raising awareness about climate change by writing a song about it.

b) convince their favourite singer (they should pick one) to contribute to raising awareness about climate change by writing a song about it.

Have the groups jot down their key points in order to prepare for a simulated encounter with their chosen VIP.

1. Each group will now have only two minutes to convince the person (played by another student) to take action on climate change. The person playing the president or singer should make sure that he or she acts like one, listening but also interrupting the speaker or asking provocative questions if necessary, like these people would probably do.
2. When the first simulation is over, ask the person(s) who took part: “What went well? What did not go so well? Were you able to deliver all your messages as planned?” Then ask the rest of the group what they thought of the encounter.
3. Simulate the encounters with other groups and ask the same questions.

Debriefing

Ask participants what they thought of the activity. Did the encounters go as they expected they would? Did they learn anything new? Would they feel ready to meet with ‘real’ important people?

3)  Who does What?

Duration:  

• 30 minutes in class as well as individual/group research time (as homework)
• 1 hour to report back

Age/Grade levels: 11-16 years, Grade 6 – 11

Overview

This research project will introduce students to the inspirational actions of those who have chosen to be dynamic forces for social transformation.

This is a mapping activity in which participants research regional, national and international initiatives by individuals (including young people), NGOs, government offices and other bodies around the issue of climate change mitigation.

Objectives

By the end of the activity participants will be able to:

• find information on different kinds of initiatives aimed at supporting climate change mitigation;
• list a number of initiatives already in place to support mitigation efforts; and
• present one of these initiatives in detail.

Material

• Access to the Internet and printed material

Preparation

• Research regional, national and international initiatives. Prepare copies of some of this information for your students.
• Visit http://voicesofyouth.org/ to find out about initiatives by young people in your country and in the rest of the world.

Instructions for the facilitator

1. Ask students if they have heard about any initiatives (e.g. projects, campaigns, publications, meetings, conferences, demonstrations) on the issue of climate change.

2. Explain that there are many organizations, individuals (including young people) and other bodies that run activities to support or encourage action at the local, regional, national and international level. Tell participants that they will investigate some of those initiatives, focusing on projects conceived and implemented by young people.

3. Divide students into groups to research initiatives either at the regional, national or international level. Tell each group to look (mainly on the Internet) for various initiatives at their respective level, and to prepare a list with a short description for each item. Invite them to visit the UNICEF Voices of Youth website at http://voicesofyouth.org/ You might give this as homework, as it will take some time.

4. Invite each group to report back on the initiatives it discovered. It might be useful to prepare copies for everyone.

5. Ask each participant to choose one activity that he or she finds particularly interesting; it is better if everybody chooses a different activity. Explain that they will now each prepare a one-page presentation about their initiative. Together, come up with a structure for the presentation (for instance: title; location; short presentation of the organization; short description of the project/activity; objective(s), target groups, duration, etc.). Give them some time to prepare this, possibly as homework.

6. When everyone is finished, let some of them present their findings. You might also put all the papers on the classroom’s walls and invite students to walk around and read more about the different initiatives.

Debriefing

Ask participants their opinions about this activity. Were they aware that there were this many initiatives on climate change mitigation? Did they find any new ideas; something that they had not thought about before? Would they be ready to set up a project or an activity, or to link up with an organization and get involved? (If so, encourage them to do so!)

Possible follow-up

Some or all of the students might come up with ideas for a real project, action or activity. Try to support them as much as you can by helping them directly, or putting them in contact with local organizations.

4) Climate Change and Children

Duration: 1 hour 

Age levels: 13-18 years, Grades 8 – 12

Overview

By exploring the connection between climate change and children’s rights in this activity, students will come to understand their own individual power to stand up for their right to a healthy environment.

Instructions for the facilitator

Show the 4 minute video clip from UNICEF (found at http://www.greenteacher.com/contents96.html) that details how the effects of climate change are impacting children in developing countries. Ask students to share what they learned about the connection between climate change and children. Then ask them to address the following:

1. An action that saves the planet also helps meet the basic rights and needs of children. Explain this statement:

2. How does climate change threaten the basic necessities of human survival? Which of the articles in the Convention directly addresses this issue?

3. While many of the Earth’s resources are threatened by climate change, one resource remains unchanged: the power of youth to affect positive change. With this in mind, list the following:

a)  Five actions you can personally take to help stop climate change (e.g. I can ride a bike instead of getting a drive to school).Five actions you can do in your community to help stop climate change (e.g. I can advocate for better waste management practices in my community).

b)  Five actions you can do in your community to help stop climate change (e.g. I can advocate for better waste management practices in my community).

c)  Five actions you can take globally to help stop climate change (e.g. I can support global organizations tasked with the job to stop climate change).

The Convention on the Rights of the Child comprises 54 articles. It has been ratified by 193 nation states. When considering climate change, its effects on children’s lives, and the roles and responsibilities of those who must effect change, the following articles come to the fore:

• Article 6: Children have the right to live. Governments should ensure that children survive and develop healthily.
• Article 12: When adults are making decisions that affect children, children have the right to say what they think should happen and have their opinions taken into account.
• Article 22: Children have the right to special protection and help if they are refugees (if they have been forced to leave their home and live in another country).
• Article 24: Children have the right to good quality health care – the best health care possible – to safe drinking water, nutritious food, a clean and safe environment, and information to help them stay healthy. Rich countries should help poorer countries achieve this.
• Article 28: All children have the right to a primary education, which should be free. Wealthy countries should help poorer countries achieve this right.
• Article 38: Governments must do everything they can to protect and care for children affected by war.

To view the photo-rich magazine version, click here.

 

If you are not already a subscriber, please subscribe to read the full article

Paula Gallo is the Senior Education Manager for UNICEF Canada. Barbara Strang is a communications consultant specializing in international development and children’s rights. Both live in Toronto, Ontario.