Future Leaders Initiative SL’s Post

In 2024, it's crucial to accelerate efforts to end Violence Against Children (VAC), especially with just six years until the 2030 deadline for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This year is pivotal for fulfilling the promise of SDG target 16.2. Yesterday marked the International Day to End Corporal Punishment of Children, serving as a reminder to continue our call to action. Ending corporal punishment is essential in tackling VAC, as it violates children's rights, dignity, and development, impacting their health and education. With only 14% of children globally protected from corporal punishment by law, it's evident that more action is needed to address this prevalent form of violence. High levels of violent punishment have significant costs for both individuals and society. It's imperative that we don't remain bystanders but use our voices, power, and resources to end VAC. The phrase "Do not spare the rod and spoil the child" perpetuates the problem, particularly in African countries and beyond. To engage the community in dialogue, we're organizing a teachers' debate titled: "The Children or the Rod: Whom Should We Spare?" This is happening for the first time in the chronicles of Sierra Leone Join us this Saturday, May 11th, 2024, in Sierra Leone, at the community level, with discussions in both the local language and English. Let's combat VAC starting from our communities, uniting for a better future. Special thanks to Lucien Lombardo for supporting this event. If anyone wishes to support our future events, such as World Children's Day, June 16th, International Women's Day, International Girl Child Day, or our C2C computer lab initiative, please reach out to Lucien Lombardo Bess Herbert

On this #InternationalYouthDay, let's celebrate the incredible potential of children and young people to shape fairer and more inclusive justice systems.🌍   The 2021 Global Declaration on Justice With Children, an outcome of the 4th World Congress on Justice With Children, stands as a testament to the power of collaboration and youth leadership. Co-drafted by members of the Child and Youth Advisory Group (CYAG)—including Anas, Angela, Alexandra, Eni, Helan, Iliana, Macholi, Tajdar, and Whitney—this declaration was created with input from over 4,800 participants across 140+ countries.   This groundbreaking declaration emphasizes the importance of treating children not just as beneficiaries but as experts and central players. It advocates for meaningful justice for all children, ensuring inclusive access without discrimination, resilience during crises, and child-centred justice systems. The declaration's call for systemic child participation in justice underscores that their active involvement is key to achieving equal, non-discriminatory, and inclusive justice for all. The Global Declaration on Justice With Children is available in more than 20 languages, accompanied by an accessible open course—an invitation for all of us to learn, engage, and act. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/eFzaD7Y8    #YouthLeadership #JusticeWithChildren #InclusiveJustice

Reflecting on the Global Conference on Justice for Children Deprived of Liberty (17-19 Dec 2024, Geneva) 🌍 We would like to thank everyone who participated. More than 120 participants joined us in shaping meaningful discussions! ✨ Key Highlights: ☑️ Progress on implementing the UN Global Study recommendations ☑️ Innovative non-custodial approaches for reintegration ☑️ Advocacy for better data collection on children deprived of liberty ☑️ Strengthened partnerships for justice reform 👩🦱🧒 Children’s participation enriched discussions and the DCI Children's Rights Award celebrated young advocates worldwide. 💡 The conference renewed commitments to: ☑️ Advancing the 2030 Agenda, with a focus on SDG 16 to promote child-friendly justice systems and end violence against children ☑️ Contributing to the drafting of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child’s General Comment No. 27 on Children’s Rights to Access to Justice and Effective Remedies, with insights gathered during dedicated consultations ☑️ Driving global advocacy through high-level events like the World Congress on Justice for Children in Madrid (2-4 June 2025) What inspired you most from the conference? Share below! 👇 #ChildrensRights #JusticeForChildren #SDG16 #ChildParticipation #GeneralComment27

Today is #WorldChildrensDay! Every year, World's Children Day is celebrated on 20 November, marking the date that the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child was adopted.  💡Fun fact: This year is also the 100th anniversary of the original Declaration of the Rights of the Child, drafted by Save the Children founder Eglantyne Jebb! This document would go on to inspire the current UN convention. This year's World Children's Day theme is 'listen to the future' - an inspiring call to action encouraging all of us to really listen to the voices, views and ideas of children and young people. When we listen to children and take action on what we hear and learn from them, amazing things can happen, from boosting a child's confidence to changing entire systems for the better! At 54 reasons', we're committed to listening and learning from children every day - whether that's through our Young Advisors, our annual Child Voice survey, feedback from program participants, or listening to the children in our home lives. We genuinely love to hear the good, the bad and the challenging - because the more we know, the more we can do. P.S If you're looking for something fun to do today, it's not too late to register for our free webinar, Driving Systems Change through a Child Rights Approach - 1pm AEDT: https://lnkd.in/gJ7zH-Pv

Today is World Children's Day, "UNICEF’s global day of action for children, by children, marking the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child." A huge shout out to all advocates and change makers around the world who dedicate many talents to the protection of the Rights of the Child. Check out the State of the World's Children (yay, executive summary!) that examines global forces impacting our present and future work: https://lnkd.in/esBsYeUX You can also read more about the Convention on the Rights of the Child here: https://lnkd.in/eZ3WYETS

All eyes are on youth justice as advocates across the country take action for Youth Justice Action Month this October! With the energy for youth justice all around us, we want to call attention to the important work of building narrative power for sustainable, long-term transformation. For the past two years, NYJN's Narrative Change Working Group has convened youth justice advocates around the practice of narrative organizing toward the goal of shifting centuries of harmful narratives. Today, we are sharing our first offering to emerge from our Narrative Change Working Group: our Youth Justice Narrative Organizing Theory of Change. A Call for Funders --> https://lnkd.in/eydZn6fT We offer this work to the broad youth justice advocacy community, and in particular, as a call for funders to join us in building narrative organizing as a key long-term strategy for youth justice transformation. Serious investment is needed to build narrative organizing infrastructure that can support strategic communications, coalition building, organizing, and storytelling that heals and lights a path for a liberatory future. Please read, share and join us in unlocking our collective imaginations for the safety and justice all youth deserve. https://lnkd.in/eydZn6fT #narrativechange #narrativepower #narrativeorganizing

🌱 We wanted to share with you this *just released!* resource from our friends Eurochild and ISSA - International Step by Step Association, which discusses the power of networks and the lessons learned from the First Years, First Priority European Campaign. 🌱 In 2020, a coalition of European networks and national civil society organisations launched the 🌟 First Years, First Priority 🌟 campaign with a shared vision: to ensure a healthy, safe and nurturing environment for ALL young children and their families, especially those facing poverty, exclusion and discrimination. Through this campaign, they have seen increasing awareness and prioritisation of early childhood development (ECD) in political agendas throughout the EU. Some key takeaways? The importance of coalition-building, the benefits of cross-sector collaboration, and the necessity of a comprehensive approach to ECD Curious for more? Follow this link to read the complete resource: https://lnkd.in/eXQFNA3e

Protecting children’s rights isn’t just the right thing to do. It’s an unbeatable investment in the world’s future. On #WorldChildrensDay, we urge global leaders to: ✔ Prioritise comprehensive child-centred policies and strategies in the public and private sector. ✔ Make a smart investment -- putting money and resources into protecting and nurturing children yields the most profitable gains for the next generation (high return on investment) ✔ Listen to children and make them active participants in the decision-making process As the Convention of the Rights of the Child treaty reaches its 35th anniversary, let’s make every day #WorldChildrensDay. Learn more: bit.ly/2024WCDay #All4Children #WorldChildrensDay #CRC35 #ENOUGH #WorldVision

Authentically engaging people with lived experience in decision-making, systems change, and strategic planning efforts is vital to providing equitable services to all children, youth, and families. Check out these resources to learn more! https://buff.ly/4cipSzQ

Today, November 20, we celebrate World Children’s Day, a global day of action for children’s rights that serves as a reminder to advocate for the well-being, education, and protection of children around the world, ensuring every child has the opportunity to thrive and reach their full potential. It also marks the anniversary of two significant milestones in child advocacy: • The adoption of the Declaration of the Rights of the Child in 1959. • The adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989, the most widely ratified human rights treaty in history. For more information on these milestones, visit: https://lnkd.in/gaWZvd68 World Children’s Day reminds us that every child deserves a voice, safety, and a bright future. It’s a call to action for governments, communities, and individuals to work together to address issues like poverty, inequality, and access to education. Let’s create a world where every child can grow up healthy, happy, and hopeful. #WorldChildrensDay #ForEveryChild #ChildrensRights #FutureGeneration #HopeForChildren