I
hope you enjoy this issue of my quarterly e-news. Inside you'll find
links to my latest reports, briefs, submissions and other advocacy
resources.
Thursday 12 December 2024
Issue 11
Dear Colleagues,
What
a busy year it's been! My annual suite of Child Rights Progress Reports
was released on Tuesday 10 December (International Human Rights Day).
It is the fifth in the series. South Australia still has a long way to
go before we can say we have fulfilled our international obligations in
relation to child rights, but I'm pleased to say some progress has been
made across all seven focus areas. SA SRC campaigns have had impact this
year with high levels of engagement from young people on polls and
petitions, and success in bringing the issues to the attention of policy
and change makers, including MPs and community leaders.
I
joined with other Commissioner's around Australia to point out our
concerns regarding the erosion of children's rights to access social
media, highlighting the positives it offers.
A
number of important publications were released this term, including a
signficant body of work that formed part of our submission to the Royal
Commission into Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence. My Policy Position
on C&YPs right to positive relationships and sexual health and wellbeing
complements this work and has been distributed to key stakeholders who
hold the levers for much needed change in this crucial education area.
This is also complemented by my Things that Matter to Gender Diverse Primary School Children Short Summary
to ensure we capture the important aspects of diversity and inclusion
from primary school years. Teenagers have been the focus of much
consultation I've undertaken this year with Teenagers and Safety and Teenagers and Gambling
two new reports released this term. We reached our schools
participation target of 350 for this year's 'Tell Helen" postcards
initiative and we were on the world stage at COP29 with an climate
change themed video you can view below. Postcards will also feature as
part of next year's DreamBIG Festival, so be sure to check the program
for the “Listen to Me” themed event. I was thrilled with the excellent
entries I received for my Space to Dream Digital Challenge with
top-rated designs now on display at the Australian Space Discovery
Centre through to the end of January. A very happy Christmas and New
Year to you all!
Featured News
2024 SA SRC Wrap-Up
150
passionate SA secondary school students from Years 10, 11 & 12 have
been hard at work throughout the year campaigning on the issues that
matter to them most. They've been polling, petitioning, doing media and
meeting with decision makers, including Ministers and State Members of
Parliament in relation to their SA SRC Campaigns: Fitness for Free,
Greening our Canteens, Seeing Ourselves, Our Future Our Vote and Free
Fares For Our Future.
Members
of the CCYP’s Period Justice Working Group (pictured Taylah (left), Val
(middle) & Ephrasie (2nd from right) participated in a Couch 44
Roundtable discussion for Community TV Channel 44 with CCYP's Jasmine
Wrangles (2nd left) and Couch 44 Presenter, Alina Jansons (right). The
discussion centred around the work of the group; young change makers who
are passionate about this gender equity issue.
Commissioner's Digital Challenge Winners Announced
19
school students and 10 SA schools have been selected as the top-rated
entries in this year’s Learn to Speak Robot (Computational thinking),
Space to Dream (Design thinking), and Zoom Out (System thinking)
Commissioner's Digital Challenge winning great prizes for their
school.
Mount
Barker District Council has used their Period Justice Grant for an
integrated community project that includes a blooming beautiful mural in
the heart of theMount Barker CBD.The
council’s goal was to address period poverty and close existing gaps in
resources and awareness, to ‘create meaningful change within the
community’. Find out how they did it via the link below.
$20
million in funding has been allocated by the state government to
“transform children’s lives in Northern Adelaide by taking a joined up
approach to doing whatever it takes to support children in the northern
suburbs to experience life changing opportunities and build a brighter
future."
Read
this term's summary of what Commissioner Connolly has been busy with
over the last three months, connecting and engaging with SA children,
young people, and adult stakeholders on issues relating to her advocacy
work. Read more
Submissions | Briefs | Reports
Teenagers and Safety
This
report examines responses from 908 South Australians aged 12–19 years
who participated in the Commissioner’s Teenagers and Safety survey,
conducted from May to June this year. The findings provide a rare
insight into teenagers’ understanding of what feeling safe means to
them, and where and why they feel safe or unsafe at home, at school and
out in the community.
The
important role school leaders and educators play in providing safe and
affirming spaces that uphold the core rights of gender diverse children
cannot be underestimated. This snapshot report highlights postcard
responses the Commissioner received from gender diverse students
attending SA primary schools, and focuses on sharing their experiences
specific to their gender, including how people in their homes, schools
and communities treat and understand them.
The
pervasiveness of gambling throughout Australian society is gaining
awareness. However, little attention is being given to the views and
experiences of children and young people, in particular teenagers. This
report examines 590 survey responses from SA teenagers aged 13 - 17
years, providing insight into their views on gambling and how they
engage with gambling across the day-to-day activity of their lives.
Teenagers told the Commissioner that they want to be better informed
about gambling, including what can lead to gambling harm.
Providing
children and young people with opportunities to participate fully in a
culturally and artistically rich life is something parents and carers,
as well as government and the community have a responsibility to promote
and provide to all children and young people. Creativity from an early
age is crucial to children's capacity to appreciate the world around
them and to develop a strong sense of individual creativity,
imagination, and critical thinking skills. This fact sheet explores what
children told the Commissioner would make them feel more creative in
their own communities.
Each
year, the Commissioner releases a suite of 7 reports that measure the
progress South Australia has made in relation to seven key
recommendations made by the United Nations Committee on the Rights of
the Child. Although there has been some progress made in all areas,
South Australia still has a long way to go to fulfil its international
obligations in relation to child rights.
Realising C&YP's rights to positive relationships and sexual health and wellbeing
This
Policy Position builds on the Commissioner's extensive engagement with
children and young people across South Australia on a range of issues
that include their experiences of school-based relationships and sexual
health education, the impacts of sexism and gender stereotypes,
children’s rights and wellbeing at school more broadly, and their
perspectives on friendships and belonging.
Submission to South Australia's Royal Commission into Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence
The
Commissioner's extensive submission into the Royal Commissioner centres
on the voices and experiences of SA children and young people. Key
recommendations focus on improving the capacity of all systems to listen
and respond to children and young people, invest in prevention and
early intervention, and understand the dynamics of family, domestic and
sexual violence.
Joint statement on the social media ban for children and young people
Along
with other Children's Commissioners, Guardians and Advocates, the
Commissioner has raised concerns about the rushed process and lack of
clarity regarding federal legislation restricting social media use for
Australian children under 16 years. There has been insufficient
consideration of potential unintended consequences, including children
and young people's rights to participate, connect, access support and
seek information of relevance.
Submission to the Independent Review of the Single-Use and Other Plastic Products (Waste Avoidance) Act 2020
The
Commissioner has recommended that the review focus on school canteens
as an important setting where reusable food and beverage containers
should be used, in line with the South Australian Student Representative
Council's Greening Our Canteens Campaign Position Brief.
View the video that screened inside the Australian Pavilion at COP29 in Azerbaijan.
A
selection of postcards from the Commissioner's Student Voice Postcards
initiative were featured in this video for COP29, highlighting South
Australian children's experiences and views on climate change and the
environment.
Grants | Initiatives
2024 Early Years Postcards
The
perfect end-of-year / school holiday activity for children aged 2 - 4
years. Commissioner Connolly is inviting SA preschoolers (with the
support of early learner educators) to draw their favourite thing about
being outside. Download the pack and support your preschooler to
participate!
.webp)
.webp)
.webp)
.webp)
