Local children go to London for Human Rights award

Seven local children who produced the children’s rights video WE'VE GOT THE RIGHT were one of four groups representing Northern Ireland at the Impetus awards in London. The children made the video when they were pupils at Fountain and Long Tower Primary schools and the project was a partnership between Derry Children’s Commission and The Nerve Centre. The awards ceremony marks the anniversary of the launch of the Human Rights Act and the Impetus scheme led by the Institute for Global Ethics is for outstanding work by young people in promoting human rights.

The local children joined other children and young people from primary and secondary schools and youth groups across the UK. Gerard Diver, Northern Ireland Co- Ordinator for Impetus said ‘we are delighted with the projects representing Northern Ireland this year and the way in which they effectively explored Human Rights issues. Tribute must be paid to the young people for producing projects of such a high standard.’

The video WE'VE GOT THE RIGHT was made by children for children and looks at the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child from the perspective of children living in the city. The project began by the children identifying issues in their everyday lives and relating these experiences back to articles in the Convention on the rights of the Child. Owen Mc Connell, aged 11 describes the process

‘We started by looking at the issues in our lives and the things we wanted to change. We talked about parks and places to play, about football matches and sectarianism. We thought a video would be a good way of showing these issues’

Clionagh Boyle, Director of Derry Children’s Commission commented on the children’s handling of the difficulties of living in a divided society.

‘The issue of community division was raised in interesting ways that are totally from the child’s perspective. A playground full of broken glass, for example, speaks volumes about the impact of sectarian division on children. The children found shared experience as well in the dismal lack of places to play in either area, in their concern for the environment  and in their determination to have their voices heard.’

Jordan Marie Curley clearly demonstrates this determination in the video , putting challenging questions to the local council on a range of issues from traffic calming to sectarianism. Reflecting on her experience Jordan aged 11 commented

‘When this project started I thought it was not going to be very important, just a bit of fun, but the video opened up a whole new world and I loved it because my voice was finally heard’

As well as being the undisputed stars of the production, the children were supported to do a lot of the camera work themselves. Ben Porter, aged 10 describes the learning curve in making a film,

‘We did a lot of the filming ourselves and you can see me on camera when we went to the Guildhall to put questions to the mayor. It was really hard work, I didn’t realise it takes hours of filming to make a 12 minute video’

Jim Curran from the Nerve Centre added

‘The Nerve Centre are delighted to be a partner in this innovative project. The project is a great example of the way new technology has become accessible and attractive to young people. I think one of the unique aspects of the project was the way that director Vincent O Callaghan passed on his skills to the young people to give them ownership of the project’

The video is certainly a great testimony to the children’s vision, an upbeat stomp around the city through the child’s eyes and a quirky and insightful illustration of the rights of the child. The project was funded by the Community Foundation for Northern Ireland Social Justice Initiatives.