Children’s rights group celebrates 30 year anniversary with new book

Children in Wales celebrate their 30^th anniversary at the Senedd today – with representatives from all political parties attending as a sign of their support and commitment to achieving better children’s rights in Wales.

To further mark their three decades of vital work in Wales, the rights group for children has launched a new book which was written by young people for young people.

The book, ‘Pause, Play, Fast-Forward: The Journey of Children in Wales’ offers a unique way to reach children and young people directly as it was written by Young Wales volunteers.

Bilingual resource

Speaking in their language to help raise awareness of the UNCRC (The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child), it presents children’s rights in their own words.

Designed by Cactus Designs and illustrated by Matt Joyce, the book depicts the story of Children in Wales as well as the history of children’s rights.  It is intended to be used as an interactive and bilingual resource for schools, with additional posters, quizzes and activities that can be printed.

Hugh Russell, CEO at Children in Wales said: “The event on 7 March marks the culmination of Children in Wales’ 30th Anniversary celebrations.

“As an organisation, we have been working for three decades to achieve a Wales where all children and young people have all their rights fulfilled. This event will allow us to move further toward that goal by bringing together voices from across the political spectrum to hear their commitments to children’s rights.

“I’m also really excited that we’ll be using this platform to launch ‘Pause, Play, Fast-Forward: The Journey of Children in Wales’.

“This book, written by young people, charts the history of the organisation and our campaign for children’s rights to be placed at the centre of policymaking in Wales.

“It’s a joy and a privilege to be able to support young people to have their voices heard at this event, while also providing a platform for our elected representatives to pledge to continue to keep children’s rights at the forefront of their minds.”

Progress

Arthur Templeman-Lilley, one of the young volunteers who worked on the book said: “Pause, Play, Fast Forward: The Journey of Children in Wales is a celebration of the progress that we have made in regard to children’s rights over the past 30 years and making a commitment to continue to advocate for change moving forward.

“The book has been created by young people, where they had the opportunity to feed into all aspects of the process. It is my hope that as a result, it will feel more like a conversation between rights holders that is transparent, accessible, and engaging.”

“We want to support young people to understand their rights, empower them to claim their rights, and where they can, stand up for the rights of others.

“Today’s world can be difficult to navigate, but if we encourage everyone to look through a child right’s lens then maybe we can make a positive difference for young people now and in the future.”

Commitment

Julie Morgan MS, Deputy Minister for Social Services stated in the book: “The Welsh Government is totally committed to ensuring that children’s rights are respected.

“They are not optional. They are absolutely a part of the fabric of society in Wales and we want to do all that we possibly can to ensure that all the children in Wales have the best experience of life.”