Information for Teachers

Snapshot of the Contest

Students are invited to put themselves in the shoes of a judge, lawyer or social worker and write a text on one of these themes:

1. Freedom of religion
   
2. Work and school
   
3. Child custody decisions
   
4. Criminal sentences for teenagers
   

                                                                     
They must read the fact situations and legal information on the contest website, and answer one of the questions asked by Éducaloi.

All the contest information is available online at www.standupforyouth.ca.

Grade Level and Broad Areas of Learning

The Stand Up for Youth contest is open to Secondary Cycle 2 students (Secondary 4 and 5) in French and English high schools in Quebec.

Citizenship and Community Life

FOCUS: Promotion of the rules of social conduct and democratic institutions, in particular by knowing the principles of democracy and the charters and basic laws that ensure their application.

FOCUS: Participation, cooperation and solidarity, in particular through debate and logical reasoning.

FOCUS: Contribution to a culture of peace, in particular through awareness of the interdependence of individuals, generations and peoples.
   

Subject Areas

• Language Arts

• History and Citizenship Education

• Ethics and Religious Culture

• Introduction to Law

Teachers can use the contest in an interdisciplinary way to meet Québec Education Program objectives.

• English Language Arts: students learn to write explanatory and argumentative texts.

• History and Citizenship Education: the background legal information for the contest helps students learn about international treaties protecting rights and freedoms, and reflect on the evolution of human rights over time.

• Ethics and Religious Culture: students can reflect on ethical issues, and discuss subjects such as tolerance, the criminal justice system, and working conditions in poor countries.

• Law: the activity introduces students to legal concepts at the heart of Quebec society.

Educational Aims

• Become familiar with internationally-recognized concepts of “human rights” and “children’s rights”.

 

• Understand that there are some gaps between the rights guaranteed by the Convention and what happens in practice.

 

• Find ways to improve the situation of children around the world.

 

• Pay attention to the meaning of terms and learn different ways of building convincing arguments.

Time

Teachers should plan on about four one-hour periods to complete all the suggested activities.

Students should count on several hours outside class to write their essays.

 

Materials Required

If the school has a computer lab, students can consult the contest website to read the background information they need.

Teachers can also print out the information from the website. The documents are printer-friendly.

 

In-Class Activities

1. Introduce Students to the Convention
Time: One period of 60 minutes

Explain to students that, in November 1989, many countries around the world adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child (the “Convention”) to protect the rights and well-being of children.

The Convention, designed specially for children under 18 years old, defines the fundamental needs of children. Countries that signed the Convention agreed to respect the rights listed in it. 

The Convention has now been adopted by almost every country, making it the most widely-accepted human rights convention in history.

November 20th, the day the Convention was adopted in 1989, has become the official children’s rights day.

To kick off the discussion about children’s rights, ask your students these few questions:

• Who fits the definition of a “child”?
• In your view, what rights do children have?
• Why do we need a convention specifically for children?
• How are children’s rights different from the rights of adults?
• Until what age do children need special protection?

By answering these questions, students will better understand the concept of “children’s rights” and be ready for their next challenge: answering the Stand Up for Youth contest questions. 

You can hand out copies of the Convention, available at: www2.ohchr.org/english/law/crc.htm

2. Class Discussion and Essay Writing
Time: Two to three 60-minute periods

1. Ask students to read:

• The document called “A Bit of Background on the Convention on the Rights of the Child”.
• The four backgrounders relating to the contest questions.

2. Lead a class discussion about each contest question, or just one of them.

3. Ask students to pick one of the questions and write an explanatory or argumentative essay that answers that question. You can also select a question yourself.

If students cannot finish their essays in class, they can complete them at home.

3. Wrap-Up
Time: 30-45 minutes

To wrap up the activity and review what students have learned, organize a class discussion. Students can share their answers to the contest questions.

During the discussion, remind students that:

• In all countries, there are children living in difficult circumstances. The Convention is meant to protect them.
• Some children in Canada face hard challenges: poverty, living conditions of Aboriginal children on reserves, school drop-out rates, childhood obesity, etc.
• Human rights are protected under various laws, conventions and charters, but there is still work to do, even in so-called “developed” countries.

Continue the discussion by asking students to:

• identify other problems facing children in Canada
• recommend solutions for solving these problems