Description
Children’s Rights Assembly – based on the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child
Children’s Rights Assembly – based on the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child script was requested by a teacher for a class of refugee children so the language is deliberately simple – the message fairly direct.
Cast of 30
In this script, the Narrator’s part is taken by the class’s actual teacher.
Additional Material
I came across these two poems in The Works Volumes I & II – a compilation of poems put together by Brian Moses and Pie Corbett. The words, I think, are particularly poignant and appropriate to this subject but I leave their inclusion to the teacher – as an addition to the script.
· Let No One Steal Your Dreams – Paul Cookson (5 verses, 21 lines)
· It Hurts – John Foster (3 verses, 4 lines each – 12)
Duration 10 – 20 minutes
Around 10 minutes reading time. This does not include the two poems above, the addition of which will take assembly to around 15 minutes. Neither does this include any music (beginning and end) so total duration could be around 20 minutes.
Sample Text:
Child 17: Let’s start with, our right to live!
Narrator: (Laughing) Sounds reasonable!
(Whole cast shake their heads)
Child 17: There really is nothing to laugh about.
Narrator: Oh, I’m sorry. I meant no disrespect. It just seemed so (pauses) obvious.
Child 17: Nothing in this document is ‘obvious’ and none of it should be taken for granted.
Child 18: This document talks about how we should expect to live – and there are many children who are deprived of these rights.
Narrator: These rights being?
Child 19: Well, every child has the right to a name.
Narrator: You mean an identity, an official record of who you are?
Child 19: Correct.
Child 20: Every child has the right to a nationality
Child 21: A culture
Child 22: A language
Child 23: A religion
Narrator: And I suppose the freedom to practise all of those?
Child 24: Correct. It doesn’t matter
Child 25: Who you are
Child 26: Where you live
Child 27: What your parents do
Child 28: Whether you’re a boy or a girl
Child 29: Whether you have a disability or not
Child 30: Whether you are rich or poor
Whole cast: (Together) It doesn’t matter!
Narrator: You all have the same rights, right?
Whole cast: (Together) Right!