What if children could vote?

Louise Phillips will present a seminar on Children's Citizenship at USQ Springfield

A seminar held at USQ Springfield on Thursday April 8 will examine the notion of children’s citizenship.

Educators, community workers, parents and anyone interested in discovering more about this fascinating topic are invited to attend the seminar from 1pm to 3pm.

Presenter Louise Philips said the notions of children’s citizenship had been highly contested for centuries.

'Children do not have the vote, and unlike other marginalised groups it is not children claiming citizenship rights for themselves, but adults claiming rights for children on their behalf.'

Ms Phillips, a storyteller and early childhood teacher said she has examined the topic through her PhD study titled Young children’s active citizenship: Storytelling, stories and social actions.

'I explored the possibilities for active citizenship with a Prep class through a program of sharing stories that made visible, social justice issues.

'The children talked about the stories and suggested and acted on what they wanted to do to redress unfair treatment.

'My study found that although adults may want to actively support children’s community participation there were many factors that influence the possibilities of young children’s active citizenship, such as how young children are perceived and young children’s access to resources.'

The seminar - Reconceptualising young children’s active citizenship will take place as in room A3LR3 on Level 3 of the USQ Springfield campus, Sinnathamby Blvd, Springfield Central from 1pm to 3pm.

For further information contact Jon Austin on (07) 4631 2341.

Contact Details:
Jo-Ann Sparrow, USQ Media, +61 7 3470 4119 or 0438 309 096