By Scott Foster
More than 1,800 schools across the country will participate in UNICEF Canada’s National Election for the Rights of Youth next week, but most students in Centretown schools will never see the ballot.
Many schools in the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board aren’t participating in the vote because the board says teachers just don’t have the time to administer it.
The Ottawa-Carleton Catholic School Board, its parent councils and supporting lobby groups say the project undermines the rights and responsibilities of the parent.
“If it’s a tool to teach democracy and to find out what’s important to our children, a lot of these values are already being taught in our school system and in the home,” says Lynn Norris, council chair for St Mary’s elementary school.
The election asks students between six and 18 years old to review the 10 rights included in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and choose the one which is most important to them. The list includes rights to education, food and shelter, protection from harm, and shared opinions.
With the assistance of Elections Canada, UNICEF is promoting the event as a way to generate in-class discussion and to familiarize students with the electoral process.
“The age group between 18 and 24 as a population has the poorest turnout in terms of voting,” says Tim Sen, regional director for UNICEF Canada. “This might give kids an opportunity to know what the process is all about.”
The Catholic school board has sent a memo to all their school principals saying the board does not endorse the project but is leaving it up to individual schools to make their own decision.
Pro-life lobby group Campaign Life Coalition has played a major role in sending letters to Catholic schools and making presentations that oppose UNICEF’s project.
“Don’t you think we were taught about the electoral process in history class?” asks Karen Murawsky, the coalition’s director of public affairs. “You can teach that without this . . . The discussion of rights could be effective . . . but what I don’t like is the voting.”
But Election Canada’s Pierre Blaine says people do not understand the project’s goals.
“We don’t see why there is so much controversy,” he says. “This is part of our education program and it is in our mandate.”
While the Ottawa-Carleton School Board is remaining neutral on the issue, it’s also leaving the choice up to the individual schools. Both boards require participating schools to consult with their parent councils.
Unlike the Catholic schools, though, most public schools in the area say the timing of the election is the real reason why schools have not adopted it.
“Things are moving quickly and we haven’t been involved. It’s not a political statement by any means,” says Immaculata high school principal Bernie Swords. “I think (the voting process) is an incredibly important aspect . . . It’s just a time issue right now.”
Lisgar Collegiate may adapt the project to a smaller group of students.
“If it’s done, it may be on a smaller level within the social science classes where there might be a better way of prepping the students,” says principal Angela Spence. Like other schools, Lisgar only recently received the project information from UNICEF and has had no time to use it, and no time to consult its parent council.
The results of the election will be available Nov. 19 on UNICEF’s Web site www.itsyourvoice.com