Description
UN Convention on the Rights of the Child emphasizes the importance of children's participation and involvement, but a number of studies in Estonia confirm that 25% of the population is convinced that adults don’t have to take child’s opinion into account. This project aims to promote awareness of children’s rights in society and child rights situation in coherent knowledge for children (focusing on Ida-Viru county), young people and adults to act in the best interest of the child. The project creates conditions for children to monitor their rights through Save the Children Moldova’s developed methodology. Results from the monitoring will be used to develop child rights module in universities. Project is strengthening democratic values in consideration of UN CRC principles.
Summary of project results
The aim of the Estonian Union of Child Welfare initiative was to promote the Estonian society’s awareness of child’s rights and to improve the accessibility of information on child’s rights among the Russian speaking population of Estonia among whom earlier research had shown the awareness was very low. The central part of the project was creating active participation possibilities for children from eastern part Estonia by including them in the monitoring of child’s rights (both Estonian and Russian speakers). Through non-formal education, children became more aware about democratic values and rights-related issue and that knowledge will remain with them. Teachers that participated in the project have now new methods that they can use in their future work. Learnings and results of the project have been incorporated into children’s rights and welfare training module that is now available at Tartu University (24 EAP) and a similar module will be launched in Tallinn University in 2016.. Altogether 52 children and 15 teachers were direct beneficiaries of the project, indirectly the knowledge reached app. 2000 children (i.e. students of participating schools). The main benefit for the Project Promoter was enhanced cooperation with partners and schools and enlarged capacity to work with children and young people, that allowed for input to several policies (e.g. children's input for additional report to UN Committee on the Rights of the Child).
Summary of bilateral results
Nordic Baltic Organization for Professionals Working with Children and Adolescents played an important role at the beginning of the project when they gave input and consulted project team on how to work with children from poorer areas and children with lower social skills.