Child clubs of Honiara will be displaying their talents and voicing their views on child rights today at the Cultural Village in Honiara.
Children from child clubs across Honiara are taking part in the event, which will include drama, speeches, singing and dance performances, all under the theme "Child rights: everyone, everywhere, every time".Child Club is an initiative by Save the Children Australia and for the past five years, Save the Children has been working with child clubs to provide children with a creative and empowering environment in which to raise awareness of child rights issues.
Kris Mana, 13, of Tuvaruhu, said he was excited about the event because it was a chance for children to share their views with the public.
"I'll be making a speech about child participation," Kris said at a dress rehearsal yesterday.
"We need to encourage the powerful people to listen to our concerns and allow us to contribute to debate."
Susie Noda, of Borderline who looks forward to raising the profile of children's concerns in a public forum will be the MC.
"Involvement in this program has given us a better understanding of our rights which we can also share with other people in our community," Susie said.
Today's public events will begin with a parade at 10.30am, followed by various performances throughout the day.
Save the Children encourages the public to attend this forum, as it is an opportunity to listen to children, hear their views and share their vision and ideas.
On Wednesday children will speak directly to government leaders and other powerbrokers at a meeting at Mendana Hotel.
Both events are supported by Save the Children through the organization's Child Advocacy project.
Source: Press Release, Save the Children Australia.