The Special Envoy for Women and Children with support from UNICEF Belize launched the publication, “Having Fun with Rights: A Children’s Rights Activity Book”, at the Bliss Center for Performing Arts on Thursday, February 25, 2016.
The book targets children aged 8-11 years old and is designed to make the teaching of children’s rights more interactive and enjoyable. Activities based on situations that may occur within homes, at school or in social settings are used to make the material relatable while encouraging the children to think, rather than simply memorizing information. The book also places significant focus on the responsibilities that accompany each of the rights to foster positive behavioral habits and promote child-appropriate responsibilities, particularly within households.
Significant to the development of Having Fun with Rights, were workshops held with students of Hummingbird Elementary School and All Saints Primary School in May, 2015 to gather feedback on the content and appearance of the book. Those workshops also resulted in the name being selected by participating students.
This is the second children’s book published by the Special Envoy for Women and Children with an aim to empower children with information. This book gives children the knowledge to determine whether their rights are being respected, which can help to protect them mistreatment.
“Having Fun With Rights: A Children’s Rights Activity Book” was illustrated by Belizean, Lindbergh Joseph and printed by local publisher, McNab Design Ltd. Following the launch, the books was distributed to schools and via the National Library System.