Listen to be Heard

Toronto Public Health has a Child Friendly Policy Framework with a notable acknowledgement of the importance of culture in its set of vision statements

Vision

Children in Toronto are valued, listened to and treated with respect.

Children in Toronto thrive because they live in safe, accessible, well-designed, healthy and nurturing communities.

Children in Toronto are acknowledged for cultural ways of knowing and are able to live their culture.

Parents, caregivers and communities feel included and supported to prepare for, take care of, and equip children for the best start in life continued into the middle years.

On of the goals of the Child Friendly Policy Framework is Child Engagement and commits Toronto Public Health to a set of actions to empower children.

TPH and its partners will ensure a greater voice for Toronto’s
children and improve opportunities for their meaningful
participation to build awareness and champion
improvements by:

Encouraging the participation of children to inform
decision making

Engaging with children on issues related to child health,
development and wellbeing

Collaboration across city divisions, their partners and
communities on issues related to child health, development
and wellbeing

Developing capacity to effectively engage children in
decision making

Reminded me of some relationship-building pointers from the 1969 classic The Little Red Schoolbook.

Maria Popova offers some selections from the book and observations about their relevance to older persons too …
https://www.brainpickings.org/2014/09/08/the-little-red-schoolbook/

To have influence it’s important to remember

• That it’s easier to influence someone if you like them and they like you.
• That the most influential thing you can do is to be honest (and tactful).
• That you need to know the person you want to influence — and to understand why he does what he does.
• That a person who’s frightened is hard to influence: he often gets angry so as to hide his fear.
• That it’s best to bring disagreements out into the open if everybody knows they exist. That discussing and sorting out disagreements is a good way of learning more about each other. It also helps clear the air.
• That if words fail, you can try positive action.

What you get out of your education will largely decide what you get out of your whole life. So you have a right, and a duty to yourself, to insist on getting the best possible education. You should know how the present system works and what its limitations are. But you must not let this stop you demanding a proper education.

And so for day 2582
07.01.2014