Children and young people from more than 35 schools across Birmingham celebrated their achievements in Unicef’s Rights Respecting Schools programme at a spectacular event at Birmingham Rep theatre.
Since 2015, thousands of children and young people in nurseries, primary and secondary schools across Birmingham have been learning all about the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child – and how they can embed these values in their daily school lives.
Schools promote knowledge and understanding of the Convention throughout the school community so children see themselves as people who can promote fairness and children’s rights.
Around 800 pupils took part in the celebration at The Rep theatre with performances demonstrating what they have learnt about their rights. The show featured spoken word, dance, drama, short films, music and art, with an emphasis on shared interpretations of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, Common Ground, Connecting Communities and health and wellbeing.
Councillor Karen McCarthy, cabinet member for children, young people and families, said: “It is wonderful to see our young people so passionate about their rights and respecting others and this celebration is particularly special after two years’ absence due to the pandemic.
“These children are so keen to help others learn about children’s rights and why they are so important. Birmingham is a national leader in this area, it is fantastic to see what schools are continuing to achieve through this programme. We will continue to support every school that wants to take part. Well done to everyone involved.”
250 schools across the city, from nursery through to secondary, are now embedding children’s rights in daily school life through the scheme. Unicef has said that Birmingham 'continues to be one of the leading local authorities in England, working with Unicef UK to promote and realise the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in educational settings'.
