Child Advocacy
An argument arose among them as to which one of them was the greatest. But
Jesus, aware of their inner thoughts, took a little child and put it by his
side, and said to them, "Whoever welcomes this child in my name welcomes
me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me; for the least among
all of you is the greatest."-- Luke 9:46-48 NRSV.
What Is Child Advocacy?
Child advocacy is doing what Jesus did. It's intentionally putting
children's needs first and calling others to do the same. Child advocacy can
include a neighborhood club, a coat drive, an educational campaign, a
demonstration event, and/or letters to Congress/Parliament. It is the radical
act of "welcoming the child."
Why Child Advocacy? - A Personal Story
I taught school in inner-city Kansas City, Kansas, for three years.
During that time I witnessed many children struggling both academically and
socially. At one point the children had an assignment to write about "the
Kindest Kansan," someone they could depend on and who had helped them in
some way. The selected person could not be a relative. Several children in the
class had a difficult time thinking of a person to write about and a few just
couldn't. I suggested pastors, youth ministers, neighbors; the children still
looked at me with blank faces. I realized that they honestly didn't have people
outside their family who were active in their lives. Most children wrote about a
teacher at school.
My students often struggled with issues beyond their control. One young boy
was consistently late to school by at least an hour. He would arrive hungry and
so would be fed, making him even later to class. He was always behind in his
work by five to seven assignments and would have to stay in at recess to finish.
If he took the work home, it didn't come back. His parents rarely appeared for
conferences due to job and transportation conflicts.
Another of my students was removed from class one day because she had
suspicious marks on her arms and legs. The social worker deemed it necessary to
take her and her siblings into protective custody. The mother spent the night in
prison with no idea where her children were. She arrived at the school the next
day, frantic. Neither the social worker nor the school personnel had compassion
for the single mother living below the poverty line with five children and no
support.
Children cannot advocate politically and socially for themselves. They do not
vote, pay taxes, or hold elected offices. Despite our best intentions, children
inherit the world we give them.
Moments of Children in the USA
Every 1 second a public school student is suspended.*
Every 9 seconds a high school student drops out.*
Every 10 seconds a public school student is corporally punished.*
Every 20 seconds a child is arrested.
Every 24 seconds a baby is born to an unmarried mother.
Every 37 seconds a baby is born to a mother who is not a high school
graduate.
Every 44 seconds a baby is born into poverty.
Every 1 minute a baby is born without health insurance.
Every 1 minute a baby is born to a teen mother.
Every 2 minutes a baby is born at low birthweight (less than 5 lbs. 8 oz.).
Every 4 minutes a baby is born to a mother who had late or no prenatal care.
Every 4 minutes a child is arrested for drug abuse.
Every 8 minutes a child is arrested for a violent crime.
Every 9 minutes a baby is born at very low birthweight (less than 3 lbs. 4
oz.).
Every 9 minutes a baby dies.
Every 42 minutes a child or youth under 20 dies from an accident.
Every 2 hours, 20 minutes a child or youth under 20 is killed by a firearm.
Every 3 hours a child or youth under 20 is a homicide victim.
Every 4 hours a child or youth under 20 commits suicide
Every day a young person under 25 dies from HIV infection.
*Based on calculations per school day (180 days of seven hours each)
Children's Defense Fund, The State of America's Children Yearbook 2001,
Washington D.C.; Children's Defense Fund, 2001. Reprinted with permission of the
Children's Defense Fund.
Statistics are a way of measuring how we're doing, but they don't tell us
everything. They can be used to support and deny allegations at the same time.
The importance of these statistics isn't to prove that enough children suffer
but to state that if one child suffers any of these struggles, we as a faith
community are called to action.
What are the 40 developmental assets?
The 40 developmental assets
describe the different kinds of support children and youth need for healthy
development. Each of the assets falls under one of the following categories: Support,
Empowerment,
Boundaries
and Expectations, Constructive
Use of Time, or Commitment
to Learning, Positive
Values, Social
Competencies, and Positive
Identity. For young people who have less than 20 assets, the chance of them using alcohol
and illegal drugs, committing violent acts, or becoming sexually active too
early is greatly increased. The average child/youth only has 18 of these assets.
|
Number of Developmental Assets in a Child's Life |
Problem Use of Alcohol |
Illicit Drug Use |
Sexual Activity |
Violence |
|
0-10
11-20
21-30
31-40 |
53%
30%
11%
3% |
42%
19%
6%
1% |
33%
21%
10%
3% |
61%
35%
16%
6% |
Roehlkepartian, Eugene C., Compiled from information found in Build Assets
in Congregations ( Minneapolis: Search Institute), 7. Reprinted with
permission.
What do the 40 development assets have to do with child advocacy?
Political action enables communities to develop these important building
blocks in children's lives. Many children do not have caring communities because
neighborhoods are disconnected and distrusting. Many don't feel safe. Many
children do without extracurricular programs because of a lack of funding, a
volunteer base, and other resources. Many children don't have enough support
because of systems that create continual problems the family cannot resolve
themselves. Through political action, individuals can unite with others to
change existing policies, eliminate policies that do harm, and create new
policies that empower communities to uphold their children and help them grow
into happy, healthy, contributing adults.
What can you do?
Whenever something is done for a child, their world is made better.
Christians need to be in places where they can see firsthand the
situations in which children find themselves. Statistics and secondhand stories
don't hold a candle to seeing a child without shoes in winter or hearing a child
ask for third and fourth servings of a snack because they won't have dinner that
night. Educating yourself about the issues by reading articles and
researching statistics is also important in order to understand the bigger
picture. Knowing, for instance, that, according the Bread for the World, 12
million children suffer from hunger in the United States forces you to see
beyond the children in your own neighborhood to consider the call to all
children.
When advocating for children it is important to meet with others who
feel as you do. In this way you can gain support and combine voices to
make a greater impact. There are organizations already in place that work for
the good of children from which you can gain information, support, and a
platform for your voice.
It is also appropriate to write Congress/Parliament, regarding
particular legislation. In the United States, The
Children's Defense Fund makes it easy to access information regarding recent
legislation and to send an e-mail to your particular representative.
Remember the power of prayer in making change.
What can congregations do?
Congregations can make a difference in advocacy for children. Many
congregations already do the important work of providing youth groups,
neighborhood vacation church schools, Bible clubs, and peace clubs. As a group
of people passionate about children and children's issues, a congregation can organize
an event to share information and make a statement to policymakers.
Congregations can use events mentioned above as forums to introduce information
or they can organize a community demonstration such as Stand
for Children. Congregations can
organize educational opportunities
for their members as well as for the community in order to inform people about
the issues and who to contact to influence policy. Congregations can partner
with other organizations for a project or offer ideas on how to impact the
issues. The Children's Defense
Fund offers several ideas on how congregations can influence public policy
regarding children. Finally, faith communities can plan worship events
centered on child advocacy issues. The Children's Defense Fund offers resources
to assist in planning Children's
Sabbath.
Resources for further study
Kotlowitz, Alex. There Are No Children Here. Westminster, Maryland:
Vintage Anchor Publishing, 1992. ISBN 0-385-26556-5
Kozol, Jonathan. Amazing Grace. New York: HarperCollins Publishers,
1996. ISBN 0-06-097697-7
Rachel and Her Children: Homeless Families in America.
New York: Fawcett Book Group, 1988. ISBN 0-449-90339-7
Savage Inequalities: Children in America's Schools. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1992. ISBN 0-06-097499-0
Polakow, Valerie, Suransky, ed. The Public Assault on America's Children.
Teachers College Press, Teachers College, Columbia University, 2000. ISBN
0-8077-3983-9
Links
United States focused:
Internationally focused:
Biographical Information
Margo Frizzell is a 1996 graduate of Graceland College with a degree in
elementary education. In 1997 she began a one-year employment with Community of
Christ as the Children's Outreach Consultant. During that time she worked with
both Forefront Ministries and the Children's Peace Pavilion. This experience was
the seed for her developing interest in peace and justice and how it relates to
children.
Margo left employment with the church to teach school in inner-city Kansas
City, Kansas. She taught not only the academics but also peacemaking and
conflict-resolution skills. As her experience with children in poverty grew, she
began to see how faith communities could contribute to improving the lives of
"her kids."
From September 2001 to August 2002, Margo served as an intern with Community of Christ Peace and Justice
Ministries. She explored ways in which this particular faith
community could make an impact on public policy relating to children's issues
and therefore influence the lives of all children.
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