Child Thrive Research
Child Rights Education in Diverse Global Contexts and Times of Crises: A decolonizing, participatory action research project with educators, children, and community members in Canada and Uganda
Research at a Glance: This five-year research project (2022-2027), involving hundreds of children and educators living in Uganda and Canada, focuses on understanding processes for learning about child rights.
Purpose: Provide a “go to place” for sharing high-level/community accessible information about the research project to inform and engage educators, school administrators, parents/families to participate in the study across the country sites
Project summary: Given the increasing number and intensity of global crises (e.g., the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change-related disasters), as well as powerful mass movements demanding social, economic, and environmental justice (e.g., Black Lives Matter, Every Child Matters), child rights education is essential to help empower young people to actively engage in informed decision-making that will offer the best outcomes for our collective future.
As a team of researchers, we are asking: What processes support educators in different contexts achieve impactful child rights education that empowers children to learn about and exercise their rights, particularly during times/situations of crises?
This study involves children, educators and community members living in four diverse sites:
- a rural Southwestern Uganda community
- two settlements for refugees in Northern Uganda
- a city in Western Canada
This project will reflect and explore child rights education through research-focused conversations, play-based workshops, lesson planning, child-led projects, and co-creating recommendations for policymakers.
Educators from Uganda and Canada will connect through professional development workshops and ongoing sharing of resources and experiences.
Children from Uganda and Canada will have the opportunity to communicate with each other through pen pal art, and video story-sharing, and other activities
This research is led by Royal Roads University, in collaboration with a network of other research partners. It is funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) of Canada.
Why Child Rights Education: Children have the right to know about their rights. This is common sense, and it’s also captured in legislation, including the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC, Article 29.d) and the African Charter for the Rights and Welfare of Children (the Charter, 11.2), among others.
Educators play an essential role in teaching children about their rights. They know and understand local contexts, and work with children to develop their knowledge and skills.
Classroom learning activities can help children to explore:
- what child rights are
- why child rights are important to a child’s well-being
- how and when to exercise child rights
- who is responsible for respecting and upholding child rights
- where we can see differences in child rights, based on distinct contexts locally and globally
In learning about the process underpinning child rights education, researchers are also curious to understand:
- How can children’s voices and experiences be centered to inform our understanding of effective child rights education?
- How can parents and community members work with educators and children to promote and uphold children’s rights?
- How can child rights education best contribute to identifying and advocating for measures to ensure the well-being of all children is prioritized, especially during crises?
Participation: Contact us if you would like to hear more about participating.
Who is involved: This research project involves:
- Children ages 5-12+ in various primary/elementary grades in education across the four sites
- Educators (teachers, educational assistants) and administrators working in participating schools in the sites
- International team of Canadian and Ugandan researchers
Researchers are striving for approximately 60 educators and 1200 children in total across the sites to be involved in the study spanning the five year project.
In addition to community-wide outcomes, we see several benefits for participants in this project such as:
| Benefits for children: | Benefits for educators: | Benefits for researchers: |
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· Learn about child rights and how to activate them! · “Meet” children from another part of the world! – find out about how they live and rights that matter to them (could be through pen-pal art, video story exchanges, etc.) · Be part of improving how educators teach students about child rights · Have fun through play-based activities! · Lead projects in their communities communicating their ideas about child rights |
· Boost your programming on child rights, including meeting curriculum priorities
· Enhance respectful relationships between children in your classroom – studies show that learning about child rights can improve peer connections and reduce bullying · Co-learn and co-create with educators wanting to embed child rights in their classrooms, including professional development and networking opportunities · Inform recommendations for enhancing curriculum on child rights – with a global reach · Have fun through play-based activities! |
· Learn alongside children, educators and community members
· Address research questions through cross-institutional partnerships · Facilitate professional development opportunities for educators on promising processes for teaching and learning about child rights · Share and contribute learning on child rights education in different contexts, particularly in situations of crises, which can be scaled globally · Share findings with policymakers · Create and share resources widely with educators and children for the promotion of child rights in schools · Have fun through play-based activities!
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All research participants are expected to complete a consent form (educators/parents) and assent form (children) to join the project. These forms outline the research process and considerations on privacy, confidentiality and storing of data.
These forms have been approved as part of the ethics review processes at Royal Roads University (Canada), Gulu University (Uganda), and the Uganda National Council of Science and Technology.
The primary language for this study will be in English, with translated materials into Arabic, Luganda and Madi for greater accessibility for participants.
For questions related to participating in this project, please contact:
Dr. Shelley Jones
Professor, Royal Roads University
or
Dr. Kathleen Manion
Professor, Royal Roads University
Kathleen.Manion@RoyalRoads.ca
Research Team
This project is conducted by a team of researchers holding significant experience in education, child rights, community development, law, policy, social work, child and youth care studies – and more!
Canada Team
Shelley Jones, Professor in the College of Interdisciplinary Studies, Royal Roads University, has teaching experience at all levels (pre-primary to tertiary) in diverse international contexts (Tanzania, Uganda, Canada, England, and Japan). Her research and publications are focused in the areas of children’s rights, gender and education, girls and women’s empowerment. Shelley is also on the board of the IICRD. For over 20 years Shelley’s work has focused on global social justice and education.
Kathleen Manion, (she, her) is a Professor at Royal Roads University and an Associate at the International Institute of Child Rights and Development. She has been working in research, social and community services, and academia for nearly thirty years. She loves to work on projects that support children and young people to thrive. Having lived and worked all over the world, she now calls Victoria, BC her home. Living in such a beautiful place, she is keen to work with children and young people to protect this amazing planet.
Elaina Mack, Research Administrator/Collaborator, International Institute of Child Rights in Development, Victoria, Canada
Susanne Green, Research Coordinator, is Associate Faculty in Humanitarian and Interdisciplinary Studies at Royal Roads University in Victoria, Canada. “Sue” has over 20 years teaching, researching and project coordinating in the US and Canada in diverse sectors such as justice, health and inclusive employment. As a specialist in communication, safety, community and identity, Sue brings a collaborative approach to the project.
Dr. Doris Muhwezi Kakuru, Co-Investigator, Associate Professor, School of Child and Youth Care, University of Victoria, Victoria, Canada
Uganda Team
Dr. Grace Akello, Collaborator, Associate Professor, Faculty of Medicine, Gulu University, Gulu City, Uganda
Dr. Sister Lucy Dora Akello, Angelo Negri Education Centre, Kiryandongo, Uganda
Ms. Jean Asipkwe, Director, Community Empowerment for Rural Development (CEFORD), Arua, Uganda
Ms. Grace Irene Atime, Headteacher, Tekera Primary School, Masaka, Uganda
Daniel Ahimbisibwe, Research Administrator, Tekera Resource Centre, Masaka, Uganda