We’ve just spotted this charity through Twitter and we are not ashamed to admit it was love at first tweet. Youth Can Achieve was set up by solicitor Nikki Sharpe to help vulnerable young people engage with experienced mentors from similar walks of life to help them with things like careers and to offer support and guidance.

The charity was set up in 2008 and has now created a petition to call upon the government to recognise International Children’s Day, which takes place annually on November 20th and is currently celebrated by over 70 countries. Even Google celebrates it (see our image below), so the UK government is really lagging behind…

The petition page tells us what the background to the petition is all about:

The UK currently does not recognise Children’s Day, despite International Children’s Day taking place on November 20th each year. 

Youth Can Achieve is a non-profit organisation currently campaigning for a Children’s Day to be recognised in the UK.  

Children’s Day would underline the message of a child’s right to be free from exploitation and harm, to his or her own opinion and the right to education, health care, and economic opportunity. This would be a day to support children by voicing concerns about children’s rights violations, and to educate our children about their rights and responsibilities. 

It would be a day to listen to and celebrate children and to marvel at their uniqueness and all they have to offer. It would also be a day for youth/children’s organisations and charities to broadcast their message and raise awareness.

1.6 million UK children (12 per cent) were in absolute poverty in 2008/09(1) and 1.9 million children live in workless households in the UK(2). Children’s Day will demonstrate the United Kingdom’s commitment to reducing child poverty and raising life aspirations.

The proposal is that Children’s Day would take place on the 20th of November each year as recommended by the United Nations in 1954. The 20th of November marks the day when the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989. This Convention spells out the basic human rights to which children everywhere are entitled.

At the moment, a Children’s Day (either national or in line with the internationally recognised date) is celebrated by: Albania, Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Central Africa, Chile, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Finland, Germany, Guatemala, Hungary, Haiti, Indonesia, India, Iran, Israel, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea (North and South), Laos, Malaysia, Mexico, Mongolia, Nigeria, Palestine, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Sweden, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, America, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
References

1 Department for Work and Pensions (2010) Households Below Average Income: An analysis of the income distribution. 1994/95 – 2008/0
2 Office for National Statistics (2011) ‘Work and Worklessness among Households 2010’, ONS Statistical Bulletin 

We love this idea and we will be signing as soon as we’ve written this post. But as usual, our enthusiasm got the better of us and we had to share the petition with you, first.

Can you sign it before we get there? Race you…..