National Child Day Art Exhibition

November 20th is National Child Day.  Each year, this day is celebrated in Canada and around the world to commemorate the United Nations’ adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) in 1989.    

The UNCRC spells out a full list of human rights to which all children under the age of 18 are entitled, including the right to health, the right to play and the right to practice your own culture, language and religion.  The Convention says that these rights should be met for you to grow up to reach your full potential and to give you the best start in life. This means that all children and young people under the age of 18 are to be treated with dignity and respect, protected from harm, given a voice on issues of concern to them and provided with basic needs such as food, water and shelter.

This year, we celebrate 25 years since Canada adopted the UNCRC – an important anniversary!

Anyone who was born after 1991 is a “Convention Baby” – you have lived your whole life under the UNCRC.  

To celebrate this important milestone, we want to hear from you!

If you are under the age of 18, here’s your chance, through drawing or painting, to tell us what you know about the UNCRC and children’s rights, and what relationship they have to your life and experiences.

Questions to explore:  

What article, or specific right, in the UNCRC, speaks to you?

How does the expression of this right look in your life?

What do children’s rights mean to you?

What do you think other children and youth need to know about their rights?

Is there a certain right that speaks to you, or has particular meaning in your life?

See UNICEF Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada's National Child Day site for more information about the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and National Child Day.

There is a chance that your drawing could be used in promoting National Child Day across Canada.

Happy National Child Day!