葫芦影业

ECE department celebrates National Child Day

By College Relations | November 19, 2021
   

Two Early Childhood Education students showcase their presentation during National Child Day
ECE students Michelle L'heureux and Kiara Sandrelli during National Child's Day at the Kelowna campus.

Education is a powerful tool to advocate for those who can't advocate for themselves, which was why Early Childhood Education (ECE) students spent National Child Day talking to peers about the difficulties children face in Canada and around the world.

National Child Day is officially observed on Nov. 20, but ECE Instructor Rebecca Ayotte said she and her students wanted to do something this week to bring awareness not just in the ECE department, but throughout the College as well. The class set up presentations in the CFL Atrium in Kelowna Tuesday, engaging students and employees who passed by. 

Ayotte said the feedback was good, with many students interacting with the ECE department and the presentations they had and being open to learning more about children鈥檚 rights.

鈥淪ome 葫芦影业 community members were shocked from the research that ECE students presented. The information isn鈥檛 just about Canada, they also put it into context around the world,鈥 she said.

She said some statistics were alarming to other students.

鈥淚 think some of the statistics are shocking about the percentages of children that are getting abused,鈥 Ayotte said. 鈥60,000 children are reported a year in B.C. with suspicion of abuse or neglect involving a child.鈥

Canada signed onto the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1991, committing that Canadian children will be treated with dignity and respect, and given protection from harm and abuse. But despite this, many children still get hurt in various ways, which is why Ayotte said it鈥檚 important to spread the word about the situation.

ECE students Kiara Sandrelli and Michelle L'heureux said they recognize that education is the first step to change. 

鈥淲e want the public to know about the struggles children face and how much they need to be successful in this world. We wanted to give ways to help and we wanted to give others a new perspective of the world around them,鈥 Sandrelli said.

She added that children's rights often get sidelined by bigger news items. "Really, we just want to open people's eyes."

L'heureux and Sandrelli both said being aware of children's rights is an important aspect of what they both want to do in the future.

鈥淚f you鈥檙e working at a child care facility, you have to make sure you鈥檙e treating the children with respect because you don鈥檛 know what鈥檚 going on at home or what they鈥檙e going through, unless that鈥檚 told to you,鈥 Sandrelli said.

鈥淲e hope that people get a deeper understanding of children and can understand that there鈥檚 so much going on around them that they don鈥檛 see.鈥

Ayotte hopes that once people are more aware of children's rights, that they acknowledge those rights and normalize advocating for children. 

鈥淭here are Indigenous areas in our communities that don鈥檛 have fresh water for their children, and that鈥檚 happening just under our noses. The ECE students came together with passion to bring awareness to the Rights of the Child, and I believe they did that with the engagement and conversations I saw at the Kelowna campus,鈥 she said.

鈥淲e need to fight for our children regardless of who they are and where they come from. We are the only advocates they have.鈥



Tags: Early Childhood Education, Kelowna, Vernon, Continuing Studies, Inside 葫芦影业

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