A new charter has been produced which compels local organisations, including the council, to uphold the rights of children and young people. Ian Read spoke to young people who were involved in shaping a document which will have benefits for generations to come. Putting their world to rights I was happy the poster is going to go up in schools so students can say ‘these are the rights we have, we do have some power’.” Tia Night, aged 17 their opinion and have it taken into account when adults are making decisions that affect them.” Mayor Lutfur Rahman spoke to the camera at the end of the film, pledging the council’s commitment to upholding the rights of young people and to promote the charter. At the launch event, the mayor became the first person to formally sign the charter, doing so on behalf of the council. He was followed by representatives from key organisations including the Met Police, schools, NHS trusts, the voluntary sector and the housing forum, all of which was witnessed by a director from UNICEF UK. Each of the organisations which signed the Tower Hamlets charter will be given copies to display in their buildings, to publicly demonstrate their commitment to upholding the rights of children and young people. As Tia pointed out, these posters will also serve to inform young people what their rights are – an important step in ensuring young people are engaged with the community. “It’s not just a piece of paper, it’s quite important,” she said. “I was happy it is going to go up in schools so students can learn about it and say ‘these are the rights we have, we do have some power’. “I hope it does make a difference. Sometimes children think they are not getting the rights they deserve so this is a good chance to say ‘you are supposed to have rights and here they are’.” Juber Ahmed, 17, from Shadwell, was involved with the video and was part of the group that decided which rights should be included on the Tower Hamlets charter. He suggested including the right to a quality education and of being encouraged to reach their potential, which eventually featured as the fifth article on the charter. Juber, who is studying a BTEC in science at Tower Hamlets College, said: “I picked the one that was relevant to me and hopefully that helps children in the future. People think that because you are kids you are not mature.” For Juber, seeing the representatives of local organisations queuing to sign the charter that he had been partly responsible for creating, demonstrated how significant a role young people can play locally. He said: “To have the mayor and the police signing it, was pretty cool. “It makes you realise young people can actually make a difference. At first it was just a small idea and now it’s that poster we made that is going to be everywhere. “It does give kids a voice. Whatever they have going on, I think kids don’t like saying ‘I think this or that’ so I hope these rights and the charter make them get their voices across.” At the launch the Deputy Young Mayor, Tanvir Raza, was widely praised for a stirring speech, which he closed with the words: “I am proud to have supported the work of the group of young people who helped in its creation; and I am proud to come from a borough that wants to put our rights at the centre of everything it does.” Tanvir’s words were not rhetoric – they refer to a real drive within the council and its partners to ensure young people are involved in decisions that affect them. The Tower Hamlets charter is the latest development in the council’s partnership with UNICEF UK. It is one of six local authorities from across the UK involved in its Child Rights Partners programme, an ini- LAST week the council launched the Mayor of Tower Hamlets’ Charter of Child Rights – a document which lists ten rights, drawn from the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which local young people decided were most relevant to them. The council’s ambition is that every organisation working with the borough’s children and young people will sign the charter. Although they are already bound by the UN Convention, by signing the Tower Hamlets charter they are publicly pledging to pay particular regard to the rights it lists. The charter itself is a poster designed to be publicly displayed, which was designed in eyecatching colours by young people. The ten articles featured include rights around voicing their opinions, meeting together, having a decent quality of education, special care for children with disability and the right to relax. At the launch of the charter at the Town Hall in Poplar, the biggest round of applause of the afternoon greeted a four-minute video, in which young people explained the ten rights they had chosen to be used on the charter. Filmed during the February half-term, it was shot at various locations across the borough, including St Matthias Church, London Muslim Centre, Idea Store Whitechapel, Bethnal Green police station and even on the Thames. The dozen or so young people involved had a great time making it, but as they watched it being played to so many influential people, it hit home how important a message it conveys. “It felt we hadn’t just made a movie for the sake of making a movie, it was actually going somewhere,” said Tia Night, 17. “It shows it does mean something.” Tia, who is studying at City of Westminster College to become a broadcast journalist, appeared on screen in the video, explaining to the viewer: “Children have the right to voice (Centre, clockwise, top to bottom) Tia Night filmed outside St Matthias Church; Iqbal Hasan uses sign language in the film; some of the young people in the video with Young Mayor Mahdi Alam and Deputy Young Mayor Tanvir Raza (front, left & right); part of the video was filmed at Idea Store Whitechapel; Tania Begum on the Ocean Estate. Cath Smith, head teacher at Bow School, signs the Charter of Child Rights at the Town Hall 16 NEWS FROM TOWER HAMLETS COUNCIL AND YOUR COMMUNITY 24 – 30 MARCH 2014
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