Its relevance to the curriculum and importance for young people

Ensuring that young people understand their rights through the United Nation Convention of the Child (UNCRC) are key elements of the PD&MU (Personal Development & Mutual Understanding) and LLW (Learning for Life & Work) curricula. It provides an understanding for young people of how their lives are governed, and how they can participate to improve the quality of their own lives, and that of others through democratic processes.

By using the workshops and exercises in this section, teachers can help pupils to:

• Respect their own rights and the rights of others;
• Recognise the interdependence of people, communities and the environment; and
• Contribute to the welfare of school, the community and the environment.

Teachers can assist the development of young people’s personal development and concept of citizenship by providing frequent opportunities, within and across the curriculum, for young people to think about and experience what it means to act democratically.

For example:

• To make democratic choices in class;
• To play a helpful part in the life of the school;
• To act considerately and democratically within their family; and
• To participate in democratic activities, such as charitable, youth and other supportive endeavours in their community and wider world.

Pupils should have opportunities to consider issues of diversity and inclusion, equality and justice, human rights and social responsibility; to make reasoned value judgements about desirable action in particular situations, especially where democracy is under challenge or where values are in conflict and compromise may be required.

In June 2016 the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child published a report known as 'Concluding Observations'. The report is about how the UK is doing at keeping the promises it made to children and young people through the UNCRC. It shows government the right way to make sure children’s rights become a reality.

One of the recommendations relating to education was that children’s rights education should become a mandatory part of the curriculum. Although the resources below are not mandatory, they can provide a basis for children and young people to learn about rights, to learn through rights and to learn about their potential impact to affect change in society and the wider world.