Meetings concerning the Rights of the Child
Note!
The launch of the Social Emotional Education International Survey by a commission chaired by Christopher Clouder will now take place on 16th September 2008.
A VISION ON CHILDREN AND CHILDHOOD IN THE EUROPEAN UNION
Director-General of UNESCO receives Professor Jan de Groof, chargé de mission to the Assistant Director-General for Education
Four Points for Change
Christopher Clouder
At a joint hearing entitled “Towards a EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child held in Brussels in April this year , Franco Frattini, European commissioner for Freedom, Security and Justice, announced that families and schools are in crisis and he appealed for a broader vision regarding policy towards children and childhood because “ a legal approach is good, but insufficient”. The hearing was mainly concerned with what had gone wrong and how it could be “repaired” rather than how these problems have arisen in the first place.
In many counties this concern has become a prominent area of debate. In France a recent edition of journal Le Point has on the cover “Education – Enquiry into a National Disaster”. Similarly in Spain, Italy, Denmark, Germany and others this concern is being made more and more vocal. However a clear sense of discernment is needed because sometimes this sensationalised attention is born out of political expediency to justify new legislation or policy, and can even be amplified on behalf of a sales pitch. Yet on other occasions these concerns are much more soundly based, yet hidden by the public clamour and then too easily be dismissed or disregarded.
In the UK the last 18 months have highlighted a plethora of such headlines with the undertone that the wellbeing of childhood is under threat in our society and the dire consequences that could ensue if urgent rectifying action is not taken. The perceptions that we imbibe through the media contain an element of exaggeration and sensationalism because of their existential need to catch our attention. Nevertheless there is also sound research that shows that the experience of childhood is changing and not always beneficially for the child. The latest being the NCH survey that found a 100% increase in the prevalence of emotional and social disorders among young people since the 1930’s and that 1 in 10 children have a mental health disorder to a “clinically significant” level. Naturally this is contested but the debate around the exact definition of “disorder” fails to diminish the generally held perception that something is going awry.
This is a cultural trend which Professor Layard, Director of the Centre of Economic Performance at the LSE, suggests needs to be countered by new teaching skills. “I am talking about something bigger than a programme: I am talking about a reversal of a major cultural trend towards increased consumerism, interpersonal competition and interest in celebrity and money.” He calls for education to be the catalyst for change. According to his research, in order to create a happier and mentally healthy generation, children should be taught: to care more for other people than themselves, not constantly compare themselves with other people, chose goals that stretch them but are attainable and challenge negative thoughts by focusing on the positive.
If we as educators wish to bring about such change, we could do worse than following through Layard’s four points ourselves, which requires us to allow our perceptions to be alerted but not dictated by the anxiety around childhood that currently prevails. The list is remorseless; children are less able than they used to be, UK children are the unhappiest in the western world, they are loosing the capacity to play and experience nature, food additives are creating behavioural problems, depression is becoming endemic, psychotropic medications are being increasingly used, testing stress is undermining well-being, violent videos are enhancing aggressive reactions, computers are changing brains and destroying imagination, excessive television viewing has measurable health repercussions, ADHD and autism are on the rise and much more. In the face of such an onslaught the healthy response and key to effective action to bring about positive change is in the Gandhian mode of “being the change we wish to see”, which is what teaching is about in the first place.
The future of the European Constitution. Request by the European Parliament Working Group on the Quality of Childhood to add two sentences to Article II-84.
Dear Mrs. Merkel, dear Mrs. von der Leyen,
On behalf of the European Parliament Working Group on the Quality of Childhood, we would like to thank you for all your efforts aiming at improving the quality of life of children in the European Union.
Our Working Group, which consists of several political parties, works in co-operation with NGO’s and scientists. We meet five times a year in the European Parliament in order to exchange opinions with experts in the Quality of Childhood and education.
At the next European summit, you have stated that you will take further steps for the future of the European Constitution.
In this context, we would like to ask you to strengthen the rights of children, which are laid down in article II-84, as follows:
Preamble to be added:
This article is based on the vision that children are fellow human beings who have the right to their own individuality and the right to develop their own inner potential.
Argument to support this request:
Our Working Group attaches great importance to the addition of this sentence to Article II-84, because the starting point for the healthy development of children begins with this new perspective on the child. This approach is fully in line with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Point 4 to be added:
The Union shall regularly evaluate the quality of childhood and the well-being of children in the Union.
Arguments to support this request:
Our Working Group is of the opinion that we should look at the topic of children and the Quality of their Childhood in an integral way, because many problems facing children and society at large are the result of shortcomings in the Quality of Childhood. At this moment, governments mainly focus on the ‘repair side’ when things go wrong instead of really thinking through how to take away the real causes of the problems in the first place.
The various scientific disciplines represented in our Working Group, such as pedagogy, psychology, the science of learning processes and the science of the development of the brain, have gained a deep understanding of cause and effect in their respective fields. For this reason, these scientists and NGO’s are urging our governments and the EU institutions to first address the causes of the difficulties being experienced by children. The regular evaluation of the Quality of Childhood and the well-being of children will encourage all stakeholders concerned to do their part in realising the general improvement of the Quality of Childhood. The UNICEF Report Card 7 (An overview of child well-being in rich countries) shows the way how this respect can be achieved and the Report Card should be followed by more in depth studies.
We wish you success in your work in relation to the future of the European Constitution.
We trust we have your understanding and support.
Sincerely yours,
EP Working Group on the Quality of Childhood
Karin Resetarits, Chair
European Forum on the Rights of the Child created to look to the future
Reference: IP/07/746 Date: 04/06/2007
IP/07/746
Brussels, 4 June 2007
European Forum on the Rights of the Child created to look to the future
The European Commission, today, is launching, in cooperation with the German Presidency of the European Union, a Forum on the Rights of the Child. This Forum, the first of its kind, will involve children and bring together stakeholders to exchange information and practice and take positive action for children and young people. 'Towards and EU strategy on the rights of the child,' adopted by the Commission on 4 July 2006, was the first step in the Commission's work on Children's rights. Today's Forum, in Berlin, is a further step.
Vice-President Franco Frattini, Commissioner responsible for Justice, Freedom and Security, said: 'I welcome today's Forum. Children and the future are interlinked. Children make us face up to the future and tackle the issues facing our society from demographic challenges to crime and climate change. This first forum will focus on child pornography and paedophilia. These require urgent attention. The number of internet sites with child sexual abuse material, increased 1500 percent from 1997-2005. New technology brings new challenges including how we guide and protect our children when they often are more knowledgeable, certainly IT literate, than parents.'
The Forum brings together key players – Member States, the German Presidency, the UN, the European Parliament, the Council of Europe, Interpol, Unicef, national observatories on childhood, Ombudspersons for children, civil society and other stakeholders. How to ensure children's effective participation, as they will come to future forums, will be discussed.
Placing children at the heart of decision making and the positive opportunities this brings, for example, in education, integration and external relations will be a key theme. Children make up a third of the population in Europe - this is a lot of voices to exclude. This Forum aims to develop and implement strategies to promote the rights of children at national and international levels. Especially for the effective implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the European Union Strategy on the Rights of the Child.
The Forum will include an opening address and Declaration from Vice President Frattini, research by the German Presidency on violent video games, and the high level discussion on child pornography and paedophilia. This will include tracing credit cards used to access pornographic material, something discussed at the recent G8 of Justice and Interior Ministers in Munich.
For further information on the activities of Vice-President Frattini, please visit his website at: http://www.ec.europa.eu/commission_barroso/frattini/index_en.htm <http://www.ec.europa.eu/commission_barroso/frattini/index_en.htm>
New Alliance for Childhood partnership in the EU
As part of the advocacy work in Brussels, the European Council for Steiner Waldorf education (ECSWE), together with the Austrian MEP Karin Resetarits, has founded a working group on the Quality of Childhood in the European Parliament. This group will meet every two months to discuss issues related to its remit, starting in the 5th December with the Toxic Childhood Syndrome that has been so prominent in the UK media of late. Two university representatives from Spain and the Netherlands and six other NGOs and from Denmark, Italy, Germany, Netherlands and Belgium have joined ECSWE to support this initiative on a new platform called the Alliance for Childhood – European Network Group.
Christopher Clouder
(and here some more about Christopher Clouder - in Spanish)
Towards an EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child - a report from the Commission of the European Communities - 04/07/2006 (pdf file)
Annex Paper to the "EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child" (pdf file)
SUMMARY OF THE REPORT OF THE THIRD SESSION IN BRUSSELS ON 6 MARCH 2007 OF THE WORKING GROUP ON THE QUALITY OF CHILDHOOD IN THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT.
For the full report click here
Chairman: Karin Resetarits, MEP for Alde
Third meeting: ‘The Quality of Child-Adult Relationships in Families and Schools’ with the famous Danish family therapist , author and speaker Jesper Juul.
2. PERSPECTIVES FROM THE ALLIANCE FOR CHILDHOOD
Mr Christopher Clouder brings forth the following:
- The world of the school and the world of the parents should be connected. Teachers live in their own world and don’t enter into the world of the parents. However for children to thrive both these worlds should be connected. Presently there are developments to bring these two worlds closer together. So what is needed is a greater empowerment of parents’ competencies by a deeper understanding of the child and their own role.
- At school: don’t focus purely on the future career of the child, but instead look at the child as he or she is. This should be a common basis in the link between the home and the school.
THE QUALITY OF CHILD-ADULT RELATIONSHIPS IN FAMILIES AND SCHOOLS
Mr Jesper Juul mentions that all pedagogues ask themselves nowadays the same question:
What to do about the social / personal development of children?
In this connection he remarks that the young parents should reinvent marriage, because our society has changed in a fundamental way during the past 50 years.
Next Jesper Juul looks at the various characteristics that have an impact on the quality of the adult-child relationship:
- Migrate from an object-subject to an subject-subject relationship
- Start to think in terms of relationships
- What does the child bring?
- Be relationally competent
Relational competence is the ability to ‘see’ the child on its own terms and adjust behaviour in accordance therewith, without giving up the leadership. - Ethics: with this Jesper Juul means the ‘ability and willingness of the adult to take full responsibility for the quality of the relationship’.
- The values:
- Equal dignity
- Personal integrity
- Responsibility
- Authenticity
- Cooperation versus integrity (if there is a conflict between the two children will give up their integrity and cooperate, and damage themselves in the process);
- Self-confidence and self-esteem. The self-esteem is a basis for a healthy mental development and for self-confidence to grow.
- Social responsibility and personal responsibility. Mr. Juul: personal responsibility comes first. When acquired there is a good basis to attain social responsibility.
In the questions and answers session Jesper Juul raises the following issues:
- It is in the interest of the child when the parents first take care of their own marriage;
- Babies and young toddlers need at least twice 25 minutes per day one-to-one contact with the same adult for a healthy development of their brain;
- At one of the last shooting incidents in Germany the adolescent who had just killed a whole group of teachers and students stated, before he killed himself: ‘the message that this school ever gave me was that I am a loser’. Jesper Juul remarks, that we should take the last words of this adolescent very seriously, because it gives us a powerful message about our school system.
- He advocates the introduction of some guidance for all parents regarding their parenting role, and not to limit this to the 5% of the parents that do worst.
THE WORKING GROUP ON THE QUALITY OF CHILDHOOD IS INVITED TO TAKE ACTION
Next Karin Resetarits, the chairman of the meeting, remarks that as Working Group on the Quality of Childhood we can undertake some steps regarding the following:
- Keep an eye on what the European Commission is doing and give an input in this respect;
- The German Presidency is breathing new life into the Constitutional Treaty. Can we give an input to this regarding the Quality of Childhood and present it to the German Presidency?
- On November 20 2007 there will be an International Day of the Child. Can we draft a Charter for this event on the Quality of Childhood?
- Various Committees of the European Parliament have been invited to give an input at a hearing on 17 April 2007 within the European Parliament on the subject of Children’s Rights. Mrs Resetarits invites the Working Group on the Quality of Childhood to prepare also an input in this respect.
WHAT CAN BE DONE AT THE EUROPEAN LEVEL
Michiel Matthes states that the European Parliament works on the basis of certain values.
The subject ‘Quality of Childhood’ fits in very well into this context. If the European Parliament would decide to start to pay attention to the subject ‘Quality of Childhood’, this would already be a major step forward and it would set in motion a gradual process of improvement throughout the European Union and beyond.
SUMMARY OF THE REPORT OF THE SECOND SESSION IN BRUSSELS ON 9 JANUARY 2007 OF THE WORKING GROUP ON THE QUALITY OF CHILDHOOD IN THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
Chairman: Karin Resetarits, MEP for Alde
Title of the session: ‘Really Improving the Education in the European Union requires Systemic Changes’
1. How can we bring about systemic change and the possible role in this respect of the European Parliament
Mr Matthes points out that if we want to improve the Quality of Childhood then we should look at the whole environment of a child, i.e. all age categories (even before birth) until 24 years old, and the different spheres: at home, at school and the spare time situation.
At this moment many governmental organisations work for the sake of children, but often their activities go against each other, because they have a different perception of what is a child, and they have different goals of what they want to attain with the child. The Working Group on the Quality of Childhood can be helpful in finding the right direction for the EU Member States and the EU Institutions with regards to:
· the formulation of a new perception of what is a child.
· the formulation of goals, that we want to strive for and an exploration of what we mean by ‘Quality of Childhood.’
2. Perspectives from the Alliance for Childhood: PISA Study spreads a stressful testing culture
Mr Clouder draws the attention to the PISA Study of the OECD. He points out that the PISA Study provides many interesting statistics about the performance of children of 15 years old. However the statistics are shown in the form of league tables. Because of this a competitive element is brought into the exercise and countries and schools start to compete with each other for a higher place in the PISA League Table. The result: a narrowing of the curriculum and overemphasis on three subjects (mathematics, native language, science) and a spreading of a stressful testing culture. These side effects of the PISA Study could be harmful for children and deteriorate the Quality of Childhood. His conclusion: we should learn to handle participation in the PISA Study in a better and more thoughtful way.
3. How to create a pedagogical climate in schools that give full scope to the children to develop and to blossom
Emeritus Professor Dr. Luc Stevens, University of Utrecht and currently Director of the Netherlands Institute for Education and Childhood (NIVOZ), reports about a research project which his institute undertook regarding the mismatch between supply and demand in 5 primary and 9 secondary schools in the Netherlands. The conclusion of the survey: students and schools suffer from an ‘under-achievement syndrome’, because of the following:
- There are permanent problems in the match between the curriculum and the demands of the students;
- Regarding autonomy and responsibility there is a great discrepancy between what the students could be expected to desire on the one hand, and on the other hand what the teachers think that the students are able to handle and consequently the room for manoeuvre that the teachers dare to give to the students. This is a main point of conflict.
- teachers find it difficult in the work situation to really grasp the perspective of the student; students experience that it is difficult to reach their teachers in the work situation.
Recommendation: If we only would abandon the strict time schedule in our schools and give the students more freedom in this respect, it would already mean a major change.
The closing words of Luc Stevens are: there is not one reason to keep this current school system as it is today.
5. The Experiential Education Project and its approach to improve the quality in the educational setting: quality at the level of context and outcome: what it is and how to get it?
Professor Ferre Laevers, Catholic University of Leuven and Director of the Experiential Education Project, explains, that when we talk about the Quality of Education we distinguish three elements:
- The context, in which the education takes place
- The output of the education (objectives, outcome)
- The Process to bring us from (1) to (2).
The Experiential Education Project has a consistent approach to enhance the context. With regards to the Output Mr Laevers pleads for a paradigm shift: it is not important what the child learns, but how he or she uses what was learnt. Furthermore he advocates deep-level learning, including intuitive intelligence.
With regards to the Process Mr Laevers explains that we should not look whether students have learned something, but we should look instead at their well-being and their level of involvement.
Report of the First Session on 5 December 2006 in Brussels of the Working Group of the European Parliament on the Quality of Childhood
PRESENT
Mrs Karin Resetarits, Mrs Michéla Pfeifer, Mr Philip Sydenham, Mrs Kristina Szaraz, Professor Hans van Crombrugge, Mr. Christopher Clouder, Mr. Michiel Matthes
1. OPENING BY MRS RESETARITS
Mrs Resetarits is Member of the European Parliament for Alde. She took the initiative with Christopher Clouder to create this Working Group on the Quality of Childhood and she chaired the meeting.
Mrs Resetarits opened the meeting with the following:
‘I would like to welcome everybody who has come today to join the first session of a new working group. The group’s name is Working Group on the Quality Of Childhood. The aim of this group is to mainstream children’s needs in the European legal framework.
Why is this necessary? Changes which benefit adults are not always so good for children.
Experts warn: An increasing number of children are suffering, the side-effects of modern living that are damaging their social, emotional and cognitive development with a knock-on effects on their behaviour.
Let me point out, this is not a conservative circle blaming modern lifestyle or wishing back to good old times. The opposite is true.
I am a working mother of four children, divorced. I know what is going on also in practical terms.
I noticed that we politicians do care about a lot of different interest groups but children are not our main concern, only if we deal with demographic questions.
This working group will invite experts on different topics, discussing important children related problems. And at the end of every meeting we ask members of the parliament or their assistants to suggest further action points, elements that he or she finds important to be addressed by the Working Group on the Quality of Childhood.
This working group is open for all parties. It is supported by the Alliance for Childhood European Network Group. In many countries in the world grass root organisations have been set up in the past 25 years to work in their own environment on the topic of the quality of childhood. This year different NGO’s from member states of the European Union decided to join forces at the European level. More about this will be explained to you by Michiel Matthes, secretary of the network group’.
For ease of reference the objectives of the meetings of the Working Group on the Quality of Childhood are cited below:
- To get a better understanding of the Quality of Childhood in the EU member states;
- To think about the role that the European Parliament could play to improve the situation;
- To get to grips with the principles and approaches that could lead to a betterment for children;
- To form a group and to get a sense how to move on.
2. THE ALLIANCE FOR CHILDHOOD EUROPEAN NETWORK GROUP:
Michiel Matthes, Secretary of this Group, informed the audience about this initiative.
Eleven organisations in seven EU member states decided on 4 October 2006 to set up the Alliance for ChildhoodEuropean Network Group. The members are:
Belgium The Linkedness Project
Experiential Education Project
Denmark The Kempler Institute
Germany Verein mit Kindern Wachsen
Italy Legambiente
Netherlands Universal Education Foundation
Professor Rene Diekstra
Janusz Korczak Foundation
Spain Professor Rosario Ortega Ruiz
Brussels European Council for Steiner Waldorf Education
Ecology of the Child
The Alliance for Childhood European Network Group, as a partner in the worldwide Alliance> for Childhood www.allianceforchildhood.org.uk, decided to work on:
- The Quality of Childhood in the European Union.
The Alliance for Childhood European Network Group formulated in its first meeting on 4 October 2006 the following declaration:
Declaration of 4 October 2006
The participants of the meeting declare that they share a deep concern about the quality of childhood in the member states of the European Union. For this reason they have come together and have decided to start to work together on the improvement of the ‘Quality of Childhood’ in the member states of the European Union.
The participants have the understanding that a poor quality of childhood is harmful for children. When society would improve this quality it will be beneficial for the children and adolescents concerned and for the societies in which they grow up.
The participants furthermore believe that a good quality of childhood is, among others, based on the following principles and attitudes:
- The child is respected as a fellow human being, who wants to be who he or she is and to develop his / her inner potential;
- The quality of the relationships of the child with important adults and others is a key element of the quality of his / her childhood and for his / her growth as a human being.
3. TOXIC CHILDHOOD SYNDROME
In 2006 Sue Palmer, a well known author in the UK on the subject of children and their upbringing published the book entitled ‘Toxic Childhood, How the Modern World is Damaging our Children and What We Can Do About It’. For this reason Sue Palmer was invited to present this book in the meeting. However, since she was not able to come because of other engagements Mr Christopher Clouder, a long time ally of Sue Palmer, presented the subject in her place.
Mr Clouder started with the remark that he recently read in the Le Monde that Britain is now in football terms in the post-hooligan phase, having had tragic experiences in this area and having to learn from mistakes, Whereas in some other European countries the phenomenon of hooliganism is just picking up. So the UK can serve as warning to others about negative developments in society and this is also true for questions around childhood.
2006 was a remarkable year for the subject of childhood in the British media. The subject has been given a lot of attention. Until to recently the subject was mentioned occasionally when an emergency situation emerged or when a scandal came out, but this year it is different. This year the media continued to write on it and it has really become a hot topic.
The same is true for the above mentioned book of Sue Palmer. The media paid attention and politicians likewise
Academically 2 to 3 years behind
Prof.Michael Shayer, of the Economic and Social Research Institute in the UK, recently remarked that research shows that children of 11-12 years old are academically some 2 to 3 years behind in comparison with children of the same age some 20 years ago. Children are not any more the same as 20 years ago. He speculated about the reasons:
- Is it the lack of play, that causes the changes?
- Is it because children play more with video and computer games?
Movement
It is presently known, that when children have learnt to move their bodies this has a positive effect on their academic achievements. Nowadays there are children that are not any more able to play. This is harmful for children because it will hamper the development of their personality.
Stress
Research has also found that many children in day care centres suffer from stress. In many day care centres the quality is not very high. The main parameters for the quality are:
- The level of competencies among the people working there
- The adult / child ratio.
Sue Gerhardt has written a very good book on this phenomenon entitled ‘Why Love Matters, How Affection Shapes A Baby’s Brain’. Mr Clouder concludes: you cannot replace love by playing video games or watching television. Steve Biddulph, the well known author on parenting, has recently changed his position in this respect and also expresses great concern .
OECD’s PISA Study
The UK did quite well when we look at the academic scores, but when we look at the well- being of the children, then the UK is in the 21st place. Prof.Jonathan Bradshaw has recently published a report on this also (The Well-being of Children in the UK). In this book they explain that today’s children are more often than previously unhappy, pressurized and obese.
Food
The television cook Jamie Oliver started a campaign to improve the diet in the British schools and this has raised public awareness. In Britain they are now discussing a measure to ban advertisements on television for junk food before 21.00 hours.
Children are Pressurized
The American author Dr. Madeline Levine has just published a book about the damage done to children, that have been given a tight schedule for the entire week - hothousing. If they are not in school they have to exercise a certain sport, or go to dance lessons or play a musical instrument etc. In this way they have no time for themselves and do not learn how it is not to have such a schedule. They do not learn to play or to think about what to play with their brothers and sisters or friends etc. They get stressed. The title of the book ‘The Price Of Privilege, How Parental Pressure And Material Advantage Are Creating A Generation Of Disconnected And Unhappy Kids’.
Our technical world is changing the brains of children
Professor Susan Greenfield of YorkUniversity</st1:placetype></st1:place> has just published a book entitled ‘The Private Life Of The Brain’, in which she explains that our technical world is changing the brains of children. Their brains are less able:
- To recount stories
- To use words as they are more focused on pictures;
- They are less able to control their impulses and emotions.
Mr Clouder also refers to the book of Jane Healy ‘Endangered Minds: Why Children Don’t Think, And What We Can Do About It’. She explains that with the modern life style children lose their imagination and originality.
The US Association of Paediatricians recommends now, that children under 2 should not watch television. From 2 to 6 watching of television should be severely limited.
Christopher Clouder furthermore refers to the effects of lead on the brain of a child. This was been well researched and that has been one of the reasons to ban lead from our environment and to introduce petrol without lead. However, he remarks that research indicates that many other chemicals have a similarly negative impact as lead. An article in the Lancet mentions the number of commonly used chemicals in this respect. (Please find enclosed in the annex some more information on initiatives taken inEurope in this area.)
Next Christopher Clouder referred to the report ‘Freedom’s Orphans, Raising Youth In A Changing World’ by Julia Margo and Mike Dixon. The number of children with depression is rising and it even occurs among children younger than 6.
The business world is cynically using children to expand their sales. They have discovered that children have already brand recognition at the age of 2 and that brand loyalty with children can already be attained at the age of 4. Car manufacturers try to expand sales by focusing their advertisements at children, because they have discovered that children greatly influence their parents with decisions in this respect – pester power
Children grow up in a culture of peers, which alienates them vis-à-vis adults with concepts of cool and uncool manipulated by the media . However, when they have become adults themselves they have a problem, because they have difficulty to assume the responsibilities that go with adulthood.
He concluded that the above remarks and references are not made to create a false romanticism about the past conditions or just a doom laden scenario of childhood but to serve as a wake up call about modern tendencies in the affluent world and that we should also keep in perspective how much suffering there still is among children in the developing world
4. DISCUSSION
Mrs Resetarits remarked, that children do not have an adult role model any more. We can see that also in the series ‘Desperate Housewives’. These persons do not behave as grown up women and for their daughters they are not a role model as a mature adults.
Many adults don’t know how to behave towards children:
- Should they be authoritarian?
- Should they give the children the freedom they want?
- Should they behave in an authoritative way?
How many adults are secure in their behaviour towards children? Many adults look to the politicians for easy solutions regarding the subject of children and their upbringing.
Mr Clouder pointed out that many boys get fully involved in computer and video games and live partly in a virtual world. We see that many girls are getting interested in sexuality earlier and earlier, but their social and emotional development lacks behind. How to handle this phenomenon as parent or educator is a shared and complex task Technological time is going faster than human biological time. I n this respect to the book of Sue Gerhardt ‘Why Love Matters, How Affection Shapes A Baby’s Brain’ brings us to a the discussion on the subject of childcare and its quality. There are quality differences between the various EU member states. The following is mentioned in this respect:
- It is important to pay the person working in childcare sufficiently and the job should also have a good status;
- The people working in childcare should have sufficient professional quality;
- The group size should never exceed 16 and the ratio between children and adults should be 2 adults per 16 children. If the group is bigger and the number of adults less, then the child may have difficulties with the attachment to the adults in question. Under two’s actually need a one to one relationship.
- We should be promoting an authoritative approach to upbringing as a balance between laissez-faire or authoritarian methods.
4. THE QUALITY OF CHILDHOOD: EXPLORING A PEDAGOGICAL VIEW. WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT IT?
Professor Hans van Crombrugge of the Higher Institute of Family Sciences, Brussels addressed this subject.
Preliminary remarks:
Professor Van Crombrugge stated, that he is happy that he is invited to contribute to this meeting, because the subject of the Quality of Childhood is a very important subject and it is good to think and to work on this subject on a European level. However, it is a new area and the various scientific disciplines, e.g. psychology, pedagogy, education etc. have not or hardly worked on the subject from this angle. Moreover, the various scientific disciplines in the different EU member states have evolved in manifold ways. At present they are not on the same par regarding their approach vis-à-vis the quality of childhood. According to Professor Van Crombrugge the quality of childhood is a practical and philosophical concept. Professor Van Crombrugge therefore states that what he will say is preliminary. What he will try to do is to develop a framework, that could form the start for further work of the Working Group on the Quality of Childhood and to which the various scientific disciplines could contribute.
Introductory remarks:
The quality of childhood is changing continuously: it is getting both ‘better’ and ‘worse’ and how we perceive this is also a matter of values.
Stress
The environment for children is often very complex and many children cannot cope with that complexity. To improve the quality of childhood will often mean to reduce the complexity in the life of a child.
Parents have much influence
When we talk about the quality of childhood it is clear that parents and educators play an important role in this respect, because they create for a big part the environment in which the child lives.
Many parents think, that the children have to find their own way. They state that we must listen to the children for guidance. Professor Van Crombrugge warns for this approach, because we do not do justice to children if we let them decide too much. In this respect Professor Van Crombrugge advocates an authoritative way of parenting. This is a way of parenting whereby the adult explains to the child why he chooses a certain approach. In this way the parent communicates to the child at the same time the values that he or she adheres to.
Next Professor Van Crombrugge presented the various elements of his framework for the Quality of Childhood
1. Responsibility of public authorities and the rights of children
Professor Van Crombrugge remarks, that all EU member states have ratified the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child. This is a major step forward, but it is a juridical instrument, which can guarantee the outer boundaries and qualities of the environment of the life of a child. It is according to Professor Van Crombrugge not a sufficient instrument to ensure that the quality of childhood is good.
The quality of childhood is namely a concept, which has to do with the quality of the relationships that the child has with the various adults in his or her life.
2. Quality of childhood
The quality of childhood is good when a child is happy and feels well.
The quality of childhood has also to do with the quality of the relationships of the child with the important adults in his life. In this context Professor Van Crombrugge mentioned the concept of empathy. It is important that the adults have empathy towards the child and at the same time that the child acquires the ability to empathise.
He furthermore mentions the ethics of care and he remarks that the book of Virginia Held entitled ‘The Ethics of Care, Personal, Political and Global’ could provide a schema for further work of the Working Group in this area. In this context reference is also made to the Linkedness Project, which is a partner of the Alliance for Childhood European Network Group.
One of the leading advocates regarding the care approach is Nel Noddings, the author of various books on the subject, among others ‘The Challenge to Care in Schools, An Alternative Approach to Education’.
3. Elements of a pedagogical framework
The quality of childhood is directly related to the quality of the pedagogical framework for the child in question. For this reason Professor Van Crombrugge explored the following dimensions of a pedagogical framework;
a. Relation between human beings
The first element of a pedagogical framework is the quality of the relationships between human beings in general and between adults and the child in particular and to do justice to the child as human being.
b. People are continuously changing
The Convention of the Rights of the Child teaches us to see the child as a human being and to respect him or her as a human being and not to consider the child as a person that will be somebody in the future.
Professor Van Crombrugge agrees with this, but he remarks nevertheless that people, including children are continuously changing. In this respect he mentions that we could distinguish the concept of the quality of the change within the child.
c. Multidimensional reality
A child lives in many different worlds at the same time. We should recognise this complexity. It is necessary to develop concept in this respect and start to understand how this complexity impacts the quality of childhood.
d. Child as a changing human being
The child is a changing human being. Professor Van Crombrugge distinguishes three dimensions in this respect:
- development
- learning
- dialogue
Development:
- A child needs time and space to develop; the development should neither be too fast nor too slow. The brains of the children are changing. We should not be afraid of that, but rather treat it as given and as a challenge.
- A child should be given the opportunity of self-realisation and to use all of his or her talents. Professor Van Crombrugge remarks that at present, due to the current educational system, a lot of talent is wasted.
- When we look at the child as a developing human being it is of course important to ensure that the child is protected, but this protection should not go so far that there is no stimulation. The right balance should be found and in the course of the life of a child these two elements evolve continuously.
Learning
Professor Van Crombrugge mentioned the following catch words:
- experience and agency (what is the quality of the input, c.q. the educational institution)
- culture and creativity
- social needs and personal contribution
With the word ‘contribution’ Professor Van Crombrugge refers to the need of a child to contribute to the society and the community in which he or she lives.
Professor Van Crombrugge remarked, that he thinks that the Alliance for Childhood European Network Group does not have a sufficiently strong representation of organisations focusing on ‘learning’.
Dialogue
With this catch word Professor Van Crombrugge refers to the circumstance that the child is part of a community of people and this community is based on communication and dialogue. There is no full participation without taking up responsibility. Both elements should be addressed when thinking about the quality of childhood.
e. Complexity
The child grows up in a complex world. To get to grips with this, and with the concept ‘quality of childhood’ in this respect is an enormous challenge for the sciences concerned such as philosophy, psychology, pedagogy and learning.
However Professor Van Crombrugge stated that it should not only be a job for scientists to work on this, but at the same time the practitioners can greatly contribute to the work at hand. In this respect is mentioned that we should be aware of the social capital of families, educational institutions and childcare centres. It would be good if we could go one step further and define the elements of this social capital.
4. What action to take
Professor Van Crombrugge stated, that he very much welcomes the initiative of Mrs Resetarits and Christopher Clouder in setting up this Working Group on the Quality of Childhood within the European Parliament for the following reasons:
- Very probably it will not be the scientists who will formulate the framework for the Quality of Childhood, because the subject itself covers different sciences and the scientific cultures and traditions in the various EU member states differ from country to country. It is therefore a very good role for the Working Group of the European Parliament to begin this important task.
- The Working Group on the Quality of Childhood could function as a forum to which the various scientific disciplines could contribute.
- The Working Group on the Quality of Childhood could bring together the various stakeholders in the area concerned with the aim to explore the concept of the quality of childhood.
- Certain elements of our culture have become global, e.g. the electronic village, the pressure of work etc. and for this reason it is good to formulate a response on a European level.
The report was made by Michiel Matthes.