Overview

Students will discuss the concept of human rights and then learn how these ideas led to the drafting of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. They then consider five particular Articles of the Convention and, in groups, discuss how these relate to their media use. Students debate which Articles are most important to their media experiences and defend their choices to the class.

Learning Outcomes

Students will:

• learn about the concept of human rights
• learn about the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child
• discuss how Articles of the Convention apply to their media use
• lead a small-group discussion
• collaborate with an expert group
• present and defend opinions
• write a persuasive essay

Preparation and Materials

Teachers wishing a fuller background on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child may consult the UNICEF Web page at http://www.unicef.org/crc/.

Photocopy the handout Media Rights.

Procedure

What are rights?

Start by asking the class what they know about the term rights:

• When we talk about having the right to do something, what does it mean? (That you can’t be prevented from doing that thing.)
  
  
• Following on the last point, introduce students to the idea that some rights protect your ability to do things (e.g. expressing your opinion) and others guarantee your protection and freedom from certain things (e.g. having your reputation damaged by false statements about you). In fact, the rights you have to do things can’t be separated from other people’s rights (and vice-versa.)
  
  
• What examples of rights can students think of? (Some might include the right to free expression or “freedom of speech,” right to privacy, the right to vote, etc.)
  
  
• Why do we have rights? (Rights limit the power of government over people and promote fair treatment of all citizens; in general, they protect people from being mistreated or unreasonably limited by the government or each other.)
  
  
• Where do rights come from? (Rights are guaranteed by the laws or constitutions of different nations. One of the reasons for the founding of the United Nations in 1945 was to ensure that there would never be another human catastrophe like the Second World War. One of its most important tasks was to create new instruments to redress the human wrongs of the period up to and including the war by promoting human rights and guaranteeing them through international treaties and conventions like the Convention on the Rights of the Child.)
  
• Who has rights? (Everyone: the difference between a right and a privilege is that rights are guaranteed and available to everyone.)
  
  
• What limits do rights have? (Rights normally are limited only when they conflict with other rights. In Canada, the rights guaranteed by Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms are subject to “reasonable limits prescribed by law as can be demonstrably justified in a free and democratic society.” For example, you have a right to freedom of expression, but not to falsely shout “Fire!” in a crowded theatre because that would conflict with other people’s right to safety.)
  
  
• Does everyone have the same rights? (Normally all adult citizens of a nation have the same rights, with some exceptions: if you are a resident of a country but not a citizen, you will have some rights but not others; and you may be temporarily deprived of some rights if you commit a crime.)
  
  
• Do children have rights? (Yes, though children often do not have certain rights such as the right to vote or to agree to contracts until they reach the age of majority, which in Canada is 18.)
  

Rights of the Child

Following on the last point, explain to the class that because children have generally had limited rights to participate politically (most importantly, the right to vote), it is difficult for them to protect or advocate for their rights. As a result, in 1989 the United Nations adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which calls on all countries to protect the rights of children (defined by the Convention as being anyone under 18 except in nations where the age of majority is younger.) The rights covered by the convention are human rights because all children in the world should have them.

Give students some examples of the rights guaranteed under the Convention:

• The right to protection from violence (Article 19)
• The right to an education (Article 28)
• The right to learn about and practice your own culture, language and religion (Article 30)
• The right to play (Article 31)
• The right to be protected from harmful or exploitative work (Article 32)
• The right to know about their rights under the Convention (Article 42) 

Explain that in order to have any legal power the Convention had to be ratified (made law) by different countries. Canada ratified the Convention in 1991, and has since that time used it as a guide when creating laws relating to children (for example the Youth Criminal Justice Act); since 1990 the Convention has been ratified by all UN members except the United States and Somalia.

Media Rights

Explain to students that because using media (television, music, the Internet, etc.) is an important part of their lives, the Convention applies to their media use as well. For example, Article 28 might guarantee the right of students to access the Internet or other media products when it’s necessary for their education, and Article 32 might protect children from having the creative work they do on or offline exploited by adults.

Distribute the handout Media Rights and divide the class into groups of four. (If the number of students in the class is not divisible by four, you can either have some oversize or undersize groups; either will work equally well.)

Within the groups, each student will act as the expert for one of the Articles (with Articles 34 and 36 counting as one Article):

• Child’s Right to Freedom of Expression (Article 13)
• Child’s Right to Privacy (Article 16)
• Child’s Right to Access to Appropriate Information (Article 17)
• Child’s Right to Freedom From Exploitation (Articles 34 and 36)

Each expert will read and/or summarize their Article to the group and lead a short discussion on how it relates to their media use; the expert for each Article should also take notes on that discussion. The discussion should cover the following topics that examine the ways in which this Article is relevant to students’ media use:

• Situations: What situations can you think of where your rights under this Article are not respected? 
  
  
• Challenges: What challenges can you think of that might make it difficult to guarantee the rights under this Article?
  
  
• Limits: What do you think would be reasonable limits for the rights guaranteed under this Article?
  
  
• Strategies: What do you think are the best strategies for guaranteeing the right guaranteed under this Article to all youth?

Give students about 20 minutes to discuss the four Articles. (Remind students that their discussion should focus on how the rights relate to their media use. For example, they might discuss the right to privacy with respect to their parents snooping on their Facebook profiles, but not to their parents snooping in their rooms.)
 
Students now form new groups with the other students who were experts on their particular  Article. (So all of the students who led the discussion on Article 13 now form a group, all of those who led the discussion on Article 16 form a group, and so on.) These expert groups now share the results of their discussions and decide on the three items in each category (Situations, Challenges, Limits, Strategies) that they agree are the most important.

Making Your Case

The experts now return to their original groups and present what they agreed upon in their expert groups.

The original groups now each select which of the four Articles they feel is most important and relevant to their media use. They then select one item in each category that they feel is most important. At the end of this process they will have chosen one Article and, relating to it, one Situation, Challenge, Limit and Strategy they think is most important and relevant with regards to their media use.

Now have students present and defend their choices to the class, explaining why that Article and related Situation, Challenge, Limit and Strategy are most important and relevant with regards to their media use.
 
My Manifesto

Have students pick one of the items their group presented to the class (a Situation, Challenge, Limit or Strategy) and write a short essay explaining their position.

Optional: Using a free blogging platform such as Blogger or Wordpress, create a classroom blog and post students’ essays; you can also invite students to comment on each others’ entries.

Optional: Have students send their essays (or select essays from the class) to individuals or public bodies who have the power or influence to promote or guarantee children’s rights with regard to media (e.g. Members of Parliament or Provincial Parliaments, local school boards, the CRTC, etc.)

Extension Activity: Video Essay

Have groups collaborate on a video essay that expresses their opinions on the rights of the child as it relates to the media. For examples you can view the Oneminutesjr videos http://www.unicef.org/rightsite/media_youtube.php and the Rights of the Child cartoons http://www.unicef.org/rightsite/433_cartoons.php on the UNICEF Web site; students can also submit their videos to this site once they are completed.

Divide students into groups of two or three, and have them research and create a video essay on their opinion. It should cover key points relating to the chosen issue, and make a persuasive point. The video should be no longer than a minute or two long (60-120 seconds). (If making a video is not technically feasible, students should either perform a skit or write a short essay with the same requirements.)

To help students make the videos, distribute the handout Creating a Video Essay. Review “The Pre-Production Phase” section, and explain that careful planning is the key to making a good video. Talk them through the section entitled “Start with a plan,” and then go through the “Have a script” section. Direct each group to write the script; once it’s written, have them rehearse it to make sure it fits the allotted time frame.

Review the “Create a storyboard” section with the class, and have each group create a storyboard and a shot list for their video. Check and approve each group’s work, then schedule rehearsals (both with and without actual cameras). In some cases, the storyboards and shot lists may have to be adjusted based on rehearsal results.

(During rehearsals, remind students to be aware of the material in the “Respect bystanders and copyright” section, covering aspects such as scenes of conflict and visible trademarks.)

When the groups have finished rehearsing, review with them “The Production Phase” section of the Creating a Video Essay handout. Have each group shoot their video, following their storyboard and shot list.

Finally, review “The Post-production Phase” section and have students edit first the individual segments of their videos, and then the segments together as a whole.

Extension Activity: Imagineaction

This activity encourages students to take action on the issue(s) that have been identified by them.  Students have discovered how their rights, as they apply to their media use, may be infringed by the actions of others.  Through this exercise, students and their teachers, will explore ways in which they may act constructively to correct this situation.

Imagineaction (www.imagine-action.ca) is a program designed to facilitate student-teacher –community social action.  Once registered on the web site, teachers have access to project funding, professional resources, a database of community experts and agencies willing to assist, and a showcase of ideas from across the country.

In their groups, students have identified which of the four Articles they feel is most important and relevant to their media use. They have chosen one Article and, relating to it, one Situation, Challenge, Limit and Strategy they think is most important and relevant with regards to their media use and defended that to the class.

Each of the identified articles should be recorded for everyone to see.  The class should identify one issue arising from the discussion that they deem as the most important to them and for which they may be able to effect some change.  You may wish to show the Imagineaction video – Making a Difference as an overview to the Imagineaction program.

Briefly outline the framework for guiding students through an action project as described in the Making a Difference teacher guide.

Have students brainstorm possible solutions to their problem and then agree on a solution that is doable.  Solutions may include awareness campaigns, petitions and/or letter writing.  When implementing your strategy, it is important to remember that the problem solving model should be used as new problems arise.  Students should be involved in clarifying and solving any new problem as it may arise.

With your students, determine what will define the success of their program.  For an awareness campaign, for example, students may want to survey a representative group in the school both before and after the campaign to determine its effectiveness.