In this episode, Tracey Docherty (on secondment with Children's Parliament from Early Years Scotland) speaks with practitioners from Early Years Scotland who work on Early Years Scotland's Young Children Affected by Parental Imprisonment Programme, namely their Fathers' Programme.

he Early Years Scotland Young Children Affected by Parental Imprisonment Programme takes place in six prisons across the country. This includes HMP Castle Huntly, HMP Low Moss, HMP Greenock and HMP Barlinnie, HMP Edinburgh and HMP Cornton Vale. The programme has two components which includes the Early Years Scotland Fathers’ Programme and Learning Together Through Play sessions. The Fathers’ Programme covers topics such as brain development, attachment and bonding, child development, health and wellbeing, childrens’ rights, home safety, the importance of play and Getting it Right for Every Child (GIRFEC). The play sessions provide opportunities for prisoners and their young children and families to interact, improve attachment and confidence and play and learn together.

For more information, please visit: https://bit.ly/3nhKiVT

This episode was recorded as part of our Rights-Based Practice in Early Years project, a legacy from our Year of Childhood 2021 campaigning.

Designed by and with the children and young people of the local area, with the support of local police officers, supermarket boss and community organisations, Mastrick Youth Club (the first outdoor youth club of it's kind in Scotland!) has offered many groups of young people somewhere safe to go and hang out with their friends.

In this episode, PC Derek Bain, Hannah Clews and Sarah Dunn share the impact of unfeart wider community partnership relations and the opportunities they have developed together to support the children and young people in their local community. Listen to hear more!

More information about Mastrick Youth Club can be found here:

1. Press and Journal: https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/news/aberdeen-aberdeenshire/3183154/the-benefits-are-huge-police-and-supermarket-team-up-to-create-youth-hub-to-combat-anti-social-behaviour/

2. Press and Journal: https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/news/aberdeen-aberdeenshire/3424192/supermarket-youth-hub-sees-90-reduction-in-anti-social-behaviour/

(This article holds the video and photo of the mural!)

3. Denis Law Legacy Trust StreetSport: https://www.denislawlegacytrust.org/streetsport

Kate Cuddihy, Children's Parliament's National Programmes Programme Manager, and Dr Andrew Williams of St Andrews University introduce their new project to us today: "Food and Fairness".

Working with two schools in Glenrothes, Children's Parliament and St Andrews University are investigating children's views on food, fairness and access. You can find out more about this work through Ranim's introductory blog here: https://www.childrensparliament.org.uk/reflections-a-new-project-begins/

Follow along as this project progresses on Twitter: @Creative_Voices and @AndrewJWilliam3

Sophia Georgescu, Project Worker at Children's Parliament, interviews Lucy Power, Co-Director of Rowanbank Environmental Arts & Education to discover more about their Positive Imagining's Project.

Positive Imaginings is a Creative Climate Education Project, which artistically presents children's imaginings of a positive future in the face of climate change, and includes: an outdoor performance; woodland workshops; outdoor teacher training; education resources.

The aim of this project is to create opportunities for young people who encounter barriers to participating in climate action, to get involved, and feel inspired & empowered.

Positive Imaginings was co-created by professional theatre makers, environmental educators and children in the run-up to COP26 to address the climate emergency for a young audience in an informative, meaningful, and positive way.

You can find their beautiful Soundscape here, along with a short 2mins film and 9mins documentary of how they brought the project together: https://www.rowanbank.org.uk/positive-imaginings

As a sister, follow-up episode to our conversation with Omima and Arden, Cathy and Rona share their reflections on our recent trip to Geneva as Children's Parliament staff members. 

In February 2023, we were delighted to support MCPs Arden and Omima to join Team Scotland on a visit the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child, in Geneva to share what key issues they’d like the Scottish Government to address. Today, in honour of the second anniversary of the UNCRC Scotland Bill, we invited Cathy and Rona to share what they learned most as adults on this trip, and the key children's rights-based approach takeaways they would like other adults to benefit from.

You can listen to Arden and Omima's reflections here: https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/Zi8PQw1Ueyb

You can find the report Arden and Omima shared with the UN Committee here: https://t.co/26cfggvjVC

You can also catch up on more of their adventures here: https://twitter.com/Creative_Voices/status/1622505378905829376?s=20

In February 2023, we were delighted to support MCPs Arden and Omima to join Team Scotland on a visit the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child, in Geneva to share what key issues they’d like the Scottish Government to address. Today, in honour of the second anniversary of the UNCRC Scotland Bill, we invited them to share their experiences of their trip and what they’d like all adults in Scotland to do next.

You can find the report Arden and Omima shared with the UN Committee here: https://t.co/26cfggvjVC

You can also catch up on more of their adventures here: https://twitter.com/Creative_Voices/status/1622505378905829376?s=20

"But, won't my discipline be undermined if I take a children's rights-based approach? What happens to my authority?"

Jill and Linnea from our Dignity in School programme join us today to help us myth bust some common questions we hear about the impact a children's right-based approach can have, and what it can look and feel like, to leave you feeling more confident in your own style.

For more information on our Dignity in School programme, and to find the resources Jill and Linnea share, check out our Dignity in School Hub here: https://dignityinschool.childrensparliament.org.uk/

In conversation with Gerry Flanagan of Shifting Sands Theatre, and our own Katie Logie, we explore the lifelong benefits and impact of Article 31 of the UNCRC (The right to play, rest and leisure). 

Gerry's recommendations for further reading/interest:

- Shifting Sands Theatre (https://shiftingsandstheatre.co.uk/)

- Impro by Keith Johnstone (https://bit.ly/3HfVR6U)

- Joseph Chiltern Pearce (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Chilton_Pearce)

- Friedrich Frobel (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_Fr%C3%B6bel)

- Bertolt Brecht (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bertolt_Brecht)

- Augusto Boal (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augusto_Boal)

- Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire (https://bit.ly/3GMpU4K)

- Forum Theatre (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forum_theatre)

Katie's recommendations for further reading/interest:

- Children's Parliament's Children's Human Rights Defenders' Toolkit (https://bit.ly/3D1UHto)

- Licketyspit (https://www.licketyspit.com/)

- Find your own local theatre groups!

In this episode we discuss our current partnership with Scottish AI Alliance and The Alan Turing Institute on our "Exploring Artificial Intelligence and Children’s Rights" programme. To find out more about this work, you can check out our launch blog here: https://t.co/iZxMw2FKv9 and follow #ChildrenShapingAI.

Cathy McCulloch, Co-Director at Children’s Parliament and Claire Lightowler, former Director of Children and Young People’s Centre for Justice (CYCJ), discuss how the CYCJ have moved over the past seven years from working from a strategic approach, to working from a children’s rights-based approach and the learning they have developed through this.   NB: This was filmed in Spring 2021, during Claire’s last week at CYCJ.