A Transdisciplinary Approach to Child and Youth Human Rights

Behavioural Sciences︱Richard Mitchell A transdisciplinary approach to child and September 2019 climate strikes in youth human rights Toronto. The event was part of the school strike for climate movement, inspired by Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg. Since its adoption in 1989, the he United Nations adopted the Ms Thunberg had spoken previously at United Nations Convention Convention on the Rights of the the United Nations telling world leaders: on the Rights of the Child TChild (UNCRC) in 1989. Since “People are suffering. People are dying. The youngest panel in the Forum’s 50- has become the most widely ratified by 197 countries world-wide, Entire ecosystems are collapsing. We are year history, they appeared alongside ratified treaty in history. One the Convention’s 54 articles cover in the beginning of a mass extinction, and child and women’s rights activist, 18-year- of the underlying principles every aspect of child and youth human all you can talk about is money and fairy old Natasha Mwansa from Zambia, and enshrined throughout the rights - civic, political, economic, social tales of eternal economic growth. How 17-year-old Salvador Gómez-Colón from Convention is adult respect and cultural. The treaty obliges policy dare you!” Puerto Rico who campaigns to help local for children’s views. This makers, professionals, researchers, and communities hit by natural disasters. is particularly relevant in governments to work together to ensure Although perhaps best-known in the context of the current that young people are able to know and media, Ms Thunberg is only one of Ms Thunberg told the audience: “Start school-based climate strikes enjoy these rights wherever they live. many young women activists who listening to the science and start treating rights-based phenomena. He explains: why are politicians, corporate leaders movement ongoing throughout have become positive forces for the climate crisis like the crisis it is. “These articulate and powerful young and others in authority not urgently the world. Dr Richard Mitchell, The treaty has provided the context for systemic change. Canadian Indigenous Until we do this, we won’t solve the people are acting far more intelligently, addressing the issues they are raising? from Brock University in the research, teaching and publishing of teen Autumn Peltier comes from problem.” She added: “The eyes of decisively and maturely than many adult Canada, argues these strikes childhood and youth studies educator unceded Wiikwemkoong First Nation future generations are upon you, and authorities.” He adds: “Mainstream TRANSDISCIPLINARITY represent an unprecedented Richard Mitchell for more than 25 on Manitoulin Island in Ontario and if you choose to fail us, I say we will understanding of what it means to be a If our societies are to overcome this human rights-based years. Professor Mitchell is currently advocates for the universal right to clean never forgive you.” Autumn Peltier also child or youth appear to be inadequate failure, Dr Mitchell argues that we need phenomenon, and one that focused on the key principle of Article drinking water. In 2016 at the age of 12, spoke with urgency, and while she too emphasises millions of young 12 and its interdependent relationship she attended a First Nations’ meeting has received numerous awards for her women in leadership roles. with health-related Article 6 (healthy in Ottawa telling Prime Minister Justin campaigning, she declared: “I want to Mainstream psychological and development) and Article 24 (healthy Trudeau that she was “unhappy with move on from protest to action. I don’t clean environments). Taken together, the choices” he had made regarding want awards – I want you to help me find pedagogical understandings of what these three Articles enshrine children’s water protection. solutions and make change.” rights to have their views considered and it means to be a child or youth are taken seriously, according to their age and Like Greta Thunberg, Autumn Peltier Salvador Gómez-Colón argued that the inadequate to understand what these maturity, and he argues this is all the more has also addressed the United Nations. climate crises and natural disasters are timely given the global impact of youth- In 2018 she spoke at the launch of its neither political, nor socio-economic, young people are accomplishing. led environmental protest movements. International Decade for Action on Water nor racial issues: “Climate change and for Sustainable Development. “There are climate crisis just is. Until we address to understand what these young people a new approach to solving the critical YOUNG WOMEN ACTIVISTS people living in third-world conditions that fact, we won’t be getting to many are doing or what they are about.” problems of our age. In particular, to It was in August 2018 that Swedish teen in our first-world country,” she said. “It’s places.” The way forward, according to help more young people to engage Greta Thunberg chose to miss school one insane. Canada is wealthy. There shouldn’t Natasha Mwansa, is “partnership”, and Dr Mitchell believes that Ms Thunberg, with the world, we need to re-evaluate day a week to protest outside her national be places that can’t drink their water.” she explained: “The older generation has Ms Peltier and their many peers also our teaching, researching and Parliament. Demanding action on climate With startling simplicity, she added: “We a lot of experience, but we have ideas, represent “a new kind of feminine professional practice by transforming change, her one-person “Fridays for the can’t eat money or drink oil.” we have energy and we have solutions for consciousness” who have benefited our educational institutions. In particular, Future” campaign has inspired young the now problems and the ones that are from mobilising millions of students and we should reject the prevailing people around the world to engage in WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM coming up.” supportive adults from around the globe western industrialised approaches in similar school-based climate strikes each Both Ms Thunberg and Ms Peltier again as they “communicate through traditional education that present ‘knowledge’ week. Protests held in September 2019 spoke truth to power in a youth panel Dr Mitchell argues that these activists and newer media portals.” in siloed subjects. Instead, we should attracted an estimated six million young session at the 2020 World Economic and others like them represent a teach across subject boundaries people and took place in 4,500 locations Forum in Davos, Switzerland entitled powerful, new global force and that And yet, as young people all over the and age limits in a transdisciplinary and more than 150 countries. “Forging a Path To a Common Future”. their work should be regarded as human world are calling adults out so clearly, pedagogical framework. www.researchfeatures.com www.researchfeatures.com Young activists like Thunberg, Peltier, Mwansa and Gómez-Colón have mobilised millions of their peers and Behind the Research led unprecedented demonstrations of global citizenship. Dr Richard Mitchell E: [email protected] T: 1-905-688-5550, x. 5085 W: https://brocku.ca/social-sciences/ child-and-youth-studies/people-in-our-department/richard-mitchell/ Research Objectives Richard Mitchell’s research focuses on international and transdisciplinary approaches to implementing the human rights of children and young people within institutional and community-based settings. Thousands of demonstrators gathered in December 2019 during the COP25 Detail climate talks in Madrid. Address courses within childhood and youth Research Council, the Department of Richard Mitchell, Brock University studies, social work, and qualitative Canadian Heritage, Health Canada, The concept of transdisciplinarity dates that we must collectively rethink what According to Dr Mitchell, two factors 1812 Sir Isaac Brock Way research. His most important role and UNICEF Canada. back to the 1970s and the work of Swiss we value as knowledge in education and mark these young people: “They St. Catharines, Ontario, L2S 3A1 is devoted father to son Finn and developmental psychologist Jean Piaget, teach different ways of understanding are intelligent enough in a time of Canada daughter Siobhan. Collaborators French sociologist Edgar Morin and the world. Mitchell explains: “These unprecedented complexity and Each of the thousands of young Austrian astrophysicist Erich Jantsch. complex interconnected and change to be listening to the right Bio Funding people with whom I previously worked This approach promotes the bringing interdependent knowledge systems voices in terms of the science. They Professor Mitchell is a graduate of the The majority of Dr Mitchell’s research with as a front-line counselor in British together of knowledge and skill sets from have persisted for millennia as well as are also connected, thanks to internet University of Victoria, British Columbia. program has been internally funded by Columbia youth justice, mental health, across the disciplinary continuum to look throughout the more recent, violent technology and social media, in a He completed his Ph.D. in Sociology Brock University. Additional funding education and foster-care systems at the world holistically and consider centuries. Adopting such approaches way that humans have never been and Social Policy at the University sources include Canada’s where I witnessed multiple egregious the connections between and across all will further aid in our understanding of connected before.” of Stirling, Scotland. He has taught Social Sciences and Humanities rights violations almost daily. dimensions. As Prof Mitchell explains, human rights and human relationships such “cross-pollination” helps students as simply one part of the natural world Their work is also a matter of child and to learn “not only separate packets of and are quite congruent with a century youth human rights. Emphasising the References Personal Response information, but also what matters for the of findings from within the Quantum global phenomena related to climate sake of our collective life on earth.” science literature.” demonstrations, Mitchell argues: R.C.

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