We started our journey to the Eurochild Conference in Opatija, Croatia in the 11th issue of Migratory Birds with stories from Hungary, Germany, and Ireland. In the letters that follow, written by young participants of the Conference, we read about education, religion and horses, and we continue our struggle for a world free of injustice and stereotypes.
Name: Jessika Lima
Age: 13
Country: Ireland
Topic: Horse Riding
Title: Horses
Who do you want to read your article: Greek people
I think that it is something that everyone should at least try because horses are very calm, gentle and cute, very good with people. This is a good sport to do if you have special needs or if your child has special needs. There are so many different ways to work with horses. I do it myself and have been doing it for three years. I tried to do it when I was about 5 but it didn’t turn out to be my sport but then I went and tried again and I love it. I share a horse and we work so well together. I hope to be successful in the future. Thanks.
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Name: Hana, Dominic, Matea, Rafael
Age: 13-15
Country: Croatia
Topic: Religion
Title: Religion Nowadays
Who do you want to read your article: Everyone
These days we have been seeing a lot of arguments online related to religion and people’s beliefs, mostly about the LGBT community, and also a lot of people being hated and bullied because of their religion. With think that in the case of LGBT religion should not be the reason for hatred. Opinions, such as God saying homosexuality is a sin and forbidden were imposed by the church. The church became somewhat hateful over the years and it isn’t what it used to be. In God’s words everyone is accepted no matter how different they are.
The second thing is people being hated and their rights violated because of their religious beliefs. Like I said before, religion shouldn’t be someone’s reason to hate. Just because someone is Jewish and another is Muslim, it doesn’t mean they should hate each other. Religion is one person’s free choice and it is their right to choose their religion. As for terrorists, just because some are Muslims, it doesn’t mean all Muslims are terrorists.
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Name: Dylan, Sharon
Age: 16, 14
Country: Ireland, Malta
Topic: The education system
Title: The education System: Does it really work?
Who do you want to read your article: People in power who can reform the system
What is education for at its core-and why does it matter?
Ultimately, education is the means through which children are taught to navigate the modern world; to find their passions, careers, friends and happiness.
On the surface, education seems to be working- children go through school, graduate and find their way into jobs- however under closer focus one finds that we can do much better.
Think of any government service, like for example, transport. Think of how far it has come over the years, evolving in due course to accommodate the modern world. But, education? The system is exactly the same as it was a century ago and this definitely shows.
Let’s look back at what we said earlier. Children go through school yes, but often after enduring years of stress from having to sit exams. They graduate, sure, but usually without any real plan for the future. They just about find their way into a job, but usually not one they are truly passionate about.
So, what can we do to improve things? This will not be easy, but it is necessary if we want the best for our children, and it is important to include children in the process of change and implementation. We need to lessen our focus on repetition and memorization and instead, teach children more practical and varied life skills. Instead of single tests that judge who you are with a grade, we need to assess the holistic development of the child whilst guiding them towards their ideal career. And, above all, we need to create an environment that facilitates real learning and development, not a machine that churns out good grades; an environment in which children learn for the love of learning, not because they are forced to.
So how do we go about doing this? We need to dramatically reform the current systems and we should do this with children, for children. Most importantly, we need to start now!
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