My son was born on November 20, 1989 and he is 21 this year. The first National Child Day established to mark the passing of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child was on his birthday 21 years ago. I note this because in my work as an advocate and then as the Director, Parent and Youth Engagement, I find I have used his life and the lives of his peers as the story by which I measure our success at improving the lives of young people in Ontario.

I find it both sweet and sad when I think that my son’s birthday landed on this day when the U.N. adopted this resolution to make life better for children in the world. It is sweet to think his birth coincided with the creation of the Convention and the laws, policies and activities that have proceeded from that. I find it makes me feel personally attached to the work because his birth was such a milestone for me. He brought me into a type of love I had never imagined and the creation of a bond that has shaped my life in profound ways since then. He, and his two sisters that were born in 1994 and 1997, filled me with an energy and drive for social justice for our young people. They have given me love, unfailing energy, strength and patience. I think this is the motivation behind the great work of the Convention as well.

But I find it sad that vision of the Convention and all the work that countless thousands have put in on behalf of children and youth has left us with a long way to go. While countries around the globe struggle to meet the most basic needs and rights of children and youth, we can look around Ontario and think that we have met those goals of the Convention and can be proud. But if we examine the Articles in the Convention, we can see that we have failed to live up the standards set if we consider the emotional wellbeing of young people.

Here is a link to the “child friendly” version of the Convention -
http://www.unicef.org/rightsite/files/uncrcchilldfriendlylanguage.pdf

Article 23 says children and youth have the right to special education and care if they have a disability so that they can live a full life. Article 26 says that they have the right to help from the government if they are poor or in need. We know that children and youth in Ontario do not have access to the help they need to deal with mental illness. Only a fraction of those living with mental illness (20%) can get in to treatment. We know that funding has not been available to provide this help and that mental illness is a huge barrier to children and youth becoming productive, successful members of their family, their school and their community.

I think we need to share this information with children and youth and support them in accessing their right to care, their right to help from the government. One way to do this is to help them exercise their right under Article 12 – children and youth have the right to give their opinion and for adults to listen and take it seriously! And that is the point of engaging children and youth. It is our obligation to help them find their voice, to direct them in appropriate and relevant ways of expression in order to shape  their world.

I think we should all celebrate National Child Day by committing ourselves to supporting the voice of children and youth and find in them the allies we need to make the Convention a reality in their lives. And then the next birthday will one to truly celebrate for Daniel and all children in Ontario.