The children’s movement is conducted in Pudukottai, Trichy and Kancheepuram and Thiruvallur district covering 45 villages. The children movement units are formed at village level. Children in the age group of 8 to 18 are enrolled. This platform provides opportunities for children to participate and discuss on various issue on child rights. The children are capacitated and empowered to take decision regarding their life. The office bearers are elected from the members of the unit level children’s movement, representatives from unit level are elected for the zonal, district and state level children’s movement as a federation in the name of “Verakal Children’s movement”
This platform provides children opportunities to discuss various issues like Environment, Education, Health, Herbal medicine, tobacco control issues etc. The children are also involved in planning and monitoring of the project.
The children are capacitated on the need and importance of taking care of the environment, such as to avoid the use of plastic and also to bring awareness among the people on ill effects of plastic usage through campaign and street play. Important days like Anti child labour day, World no tobacco day, Environment day, farmers day (Pongal festival) are commemorated by the children movement every year.
The children through the movement are also involved in conducting campaigns and rally on Tobacco control, Pictorial warning, Climate Action – 350 ppm, 100 tree plantation program where children take the initiative and responsibility to identify place and ensure the growth of the tree as assigned to them.
The children’s movement through the network CFTFW (Children for Tobacco free worls) published a book on people’s manifesto on tobacco control and presented it to the political leadership as part of their campaign against tobacco use. It is an advocacy material on tobacco control to sensitize the Members of parliament.
Annual leadership camps at the state level are conducted once in a year, where the office bearers are elected and prepare a plan of action on various activities through the children’s movement for one whole year. The process of the election of office bearers at different levels are:
Unit level general Body: Children who have registered in the children movement’s at the unit level are members of the unit level general Body.
Unit level executive committee: 7 selected members from each unit level movement will from the Unit level executive team. Either the President or the secretary, one of them should be female. This is to ensure gender equality. Among the vice president, vice secretary and treasurer, among them one member should be female.
Zonal level executive committee: 5 selected members from the unit level executive committee to form the zonal level executive team.
District level general body: 5 members from each zonal level executive committee will be selected to be representatives of the district level general body. .
District level executive members: Again 5 members from the district level general body will be selected as District level executive members.
State level general body: District level executive members will be the representatives of the state level general body.
Criteria for selection process:
- He or she should have been members of the children movement for at least a year.
- Children studying in the 10th and 12th standard children, who are appearing for public exams are not eligible to stand for election.
- He or she should have the interest to participate in all events, meetings and trainings conducted for and by the children movement and federation.
- The candidate should have good communication skill.
- Ability to identify problems prevailing in the community with regard to child rights and child participation and be able to initiate discussions to resolve issues.
The children’s movement also has a editorial committee through which they publish a newsletter named “Verkalin Kural” once every 3 months, which carries articles on child rights and other social issues. The articles are written by children themselves. About 1000 copies of the newsletter is printed and distributed to various NGOs, schools, etc. The editorial team would discuss the topics that will be covered in each issue. About 12 children are part of the editorial team. About 8 issues have been published so far. The first newsletter released on 11th Jan 2009 in Pongal festival at Rajalipatty village. Topics covered these issue were: Method of conducting children movement meetings, 100 trees plantation, details of leadership camp, awareness against plastic bags and tobacco control activities, Child rights :history about child rights, four basic rights of the children, information on activities about . Information on world No -tobacco Day, global warming etc.
As an impact of the children’s movement, there had been decrease in school drop outs, child marriage. The children are now able to speak confidently and fight for their rights.
Structure of the Children’s movement
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All the children registered are members of the unit level children's movement.
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Seven selected members from each unit level children movement will form as unit level executive committee. 1 female representative in preseident and secretary position and 1 female represenative among the vice - president, treasurer and deputy secreatary is ensured.
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All the members in the unit level executive committee are members of the zonal General body.
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5 representatives selected from the zonal executive committee will form the zonal executive committe.
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5 members from each zonal executive committe will form the district general body.
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5 representatives from each district Executive committe will be members of the District Executive members.
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All members in the District Executive committee are members of the state General body.
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5 members from the state general body will be elected as the state executive committe members.
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Children's Movement
