We can make a difference to our world by ensuring CHILDren have opportunities to have a better life.
FORM: What are children’s rights? What opportunities should children have? (everyone)
FUNCTION: How are children in need supported in Singapore? Is this different or similar to other parts of the world? (Tanisha)
CAUSATION: What are the different reasons children have unequal opportunities in Singapore?
Why do families choose to live in Singapore? (Olivia)
CHANGE: How are different people helping children to have a better life in Singapore? (Yukti)
CONNECTION: How does being educated connect to children’s opportunities in Singapore?
How does poverty connect to children's rights? (Santi)
REFLECTION: How do we feel about our learning? (Santiago and Tanisha)
RESPONSIBILITY: What can we do to help children in need in Singapore? (Olivia and Yukti)
FORM: What are children’s rights?
Children have the rights to freedom, health, a quality standard of living, education and many more.
Freedom because if they are not free and working all day they wont be able to do the things that they like to do.
All children should have good health and access to medicine and medical treatments.
Every child should have shelter food and water.
Every child has the right to education and the right to go to school.
What opportunities should children have?
Causation:What are the different reasons children have unequal opportunities in Singapore?
Time: For some people TIME is the main issue. Parents work and work and don't spend enough TIME with their children. The children need time from their parents to help them develop mentally, socially and phisically.
Money: For many people in Singapore money is a barrier for not having opportunities. A lot of programmes and education in Singapore that helps to enhance children cost a lot of money. This can be a barrier to children gaining new opportunities.
Experience: If a parent's experiences are limited they will not be able to pass this on to their own children to provide them with valuable experiences.
Why do families choose to live in Singapore? From this survey we have found out that most people live in Singapore because of work, safety and lifestyle. Everyone thought that Singapore was a good place to live in because of the multicultural environment, good education and safety.
The children of the people I surveyed went to school and the schools provided good opportunities. Most people surveyed said that Singapore provided good opportunities and that it did not have to be improved. But some said that there could be more public parks and playgrounds.
Most people said that all people in Singapore have equal opportunities.
But some responses to people who thought that the opportunities were NOT EQUAL are:
If you have access to these opportunities then they are equal.
Education and extra curricular activities are expensive.
It depends on their lifestyle.
Most programs cost money and are designed for high-functioning children.
Children with disabilities or from poor families have less opportunities.
Example of my questionnaire and analysis of results:
CHILDREN’S OPPORTUNITIES - QUESTIONNAIRE
Hello, we are a group of students from Overseas Family School completing our Grade 5 Exhibition. We are inquiring into how children’s opportunities can help to make a better world. Can you please help us by answering the questions below:
What country do you come from?
How long have you lived in Singapore?
How many children do you have and how old are they?
What are the reasons you live in Singapore? (please tick appropriate)
- work - safety - children’s education - lifestyle - home country - sport opportunities - cultural opportunities -travel opportunities (Mostly people live in Singapore for work, safety, lifestyle and children's education)
Do you think Singapore is good place to live with a family? Why or Why not?
(All involved said YES - all replied safe as a main reason, multicultural environment and better education and opportunities than their home countries)
What activities do your children do?
Do your children go to school? Does the school provide good opportunities for your child(ren)?
(Yes and all schools surveyed provided good opportunities for children)
Is there anything you think Singapore could do to provide better opportunities for children?
(Most surveyed thought No - Singapore provided great opportunities. Some commented on the emphasis of education and that children need more time to play and explore the environment. Some suggested more parks and playgrounds.)
Do you think that all children in Singapore have equal opportunities? Please explain.
(most said yes. But some other answers were. If you have access to these opportunities then they are equal. No education and extra curricular activities are expensive. No it depends on their lifestyle. No most programs cost money and are designed for high-functioning children. Children with disabilities nor from poor families have less opportunities.
FUNCTION: How are children in need supported in Singapore?
A lot of people are unaware that there are many children in Singapore that do not have homes and are uncared for. Sadly, there are many children for different reasons that do not have the opportunities that others have. In Singapore there are some organisations that have been set up to support and help these children in need. Some of the organisations we have found are: Save the Children, Children's Society, Jamiyah, Lakeside Family Centre and Red Cross.
SAVE THE CHILDREN organization is a local organisation in Singapore, they are trying very hard to educate all the children that come into their care. They educate more than 402 orphans in a year.
Some orphans do get educated and some don't . Some kids that don't get educated because the organizations that they live in don't have enough money to educate all children.
Some children get supported in different ways: donate money, stationary, clothes, books etc.; give them food or water; some people support the orphanage by going and meeting the kids in the orphanage so they feel good.
Children also get supported by the Singapore Government by making more orphanages and place for kids where they can play and have alot of fun. They are also trying get all children in orphanages educated. The Government takes a high prioritity on education and making more schools for all kids to get educated.
Many orphanages get supported by the us. People who come regularly to talk to the kids to donate and to help them in certain stuff.
Is this different or similar to other parts of the world? Yes, Singapore is different and unique to many other countries. SIngapore has a high ecomony and the government provides many resources for the people in the community. Most families are well cared for and children are well educated and have lots of opportunities. However, some are not so lucky and there are families in need. The Singapore children in need require the support from orphanages and centres that are supported by the government. These people are not seen in Singapore like some other countries, you do not see homeless children or people begging for money or food. In other countries and even close neighbouring countries many children and families are suffering from poverty. In almost all parts of the world, there are pockets of poverty. Poverty can affect the child's opportunities as they are focused on survival rather than education and development. CHANGE:How are different people helping children to have a better life in Singapore? Many organisations help the children in need, UNICEF is an example of a world wide organization which has set up CHILDREN'S RIGHTS as one of their main goals. They work with more than 190 countries to put things right. UNICEF has more than 60 years of experience working with children. With the help of UNICEF, more children are able to perform their rights and opportunities Children's Society is one of the organizations that help the children in need in Singapore. Their goal is to "BRING RELIEF AND HAPPINESS TO CHILDREN IN NEED". Singapore's Children Society helps children and youth of all races and religions. The Society reached out to about 72,000 children, youth and families in need during the year of 2013. This Society was established in 1952 and since then has been helping the children in need. Today, Children’s Society operates 10 service centres islandwide, offering services in the six categories of: Caregiving, Community, Developmental, Preventive and Public Education. These are the categories of activities the Children's Society conduct for the children there:
In the Children's Society there are some facilities that are specially for children and youth, some of these are, Sunbeam Place, Student Care Centre (Henderson) and Vulnerable Witness Support Programme. The Sunbeam Place is a place of safety for the children who were abused, and their parents were not able to take care of the situation. They provide a caring and loving environment for children aged between 2 to 18 years old. At the Sunbeam Place they conduct enrichment classes, character building education and counselling for the children.
.The Student Care Centre (Henderson) provides before-and-after school for children aged between 7 to 12 years old. The children of this school are from low income families, distressed or single-parented families and are sometimes left at home without any adult supervision. When the child/children reach The Student Care Center, they will learn skills and positive family values to see them through their mid-childhood years. They also provide the necessary supervision in a conductive environment to help their physical, intellectual, emotional and social development. The Vulnerable Witness Support Programme's goal is to provide sufficient support to vulnerable child witnesses who have to testify in criminal cases. Vulnerable children are those who are below 16 years of age and are victims or witnesses of crime. Trained Volunteers are assigned to help each child to deal with stress management and familiarise them with legal procedures. There are many organizations in this world that help children. Some of these organizations are worldwide like the UNICEF but some organizations are set up to support children in need here in Singapore. Responsibility:What can we do to help the children in need in Singapore?
We are responsible to:
Understanding the issue.
Educating yourself and others about the issue
Developing an empathy for what others don't have and what we do have.-Support organizations who help children in Singapore
Supporting organizations that help children in need
Donate things like clothes, books, money, etc.
Some organizations are:
Children's society
Lakeside family center
Jamiyah
Red cross
CONNECTION:How does being educated connect to children’s opportunities in Singapore? To be educated in Singapore provides children with many opportunities:
They have many opportunities by learning at school because if they get very good grades they will get to go to a good university and when they are older they will have a good job for the future!!! EDUCATION LEADS TO MORE OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE FUTURE! Opportunities: You can be a very good drawer and sell drawings, you can become a singer that sings on the road to get money because at school you learn music, you can be very good sport player and maybe they will see you play and you might be offered a professional place for a team,they can also be a very good mathematics boy or girl and can be in competitions for maths and can become a math teacher or a teacher and they can also read books to smaller children and tell their story when they were kids and about when they lived in poverty and they can pass the message around the world about poverty in Singapore. You can do anything in the world but they have to try hard to get there goal. How does poverty connect to children's rights?
Poverty in Singapore:Children living in poverty have different needs: there life is based around survival - having enough food, water and shelter. They may need to work to help support their families or help at home. When people are living on about 3 Dollars a week, they don't have enough money to buy proper food and water for their family. ;(
Children who live in poverty have a disadvantage at school because they did not start school when they were 4 or 5, OR some do not ever get a chance to be educated
Titan Pad - Research
Mentor Meetings
Useful links and websites:
Children of Singapore
child labour
http://www.unicef.org.uk/UNICEFs-Work/Our-mission/Childrens-rights/
http://thehearttruths.com/2013/10/28/poverty-in-singapore-grew-from-16-in-2002-to-28-in-2013/
child opportunities guide
bbc
5 ways to help children in need
Child support
guide
rights facts
fun facts
We can make a difference to our world by ensuring CHILDren have opportunities to have a better life.
FORM: What are children’s rights? What opportunities should children have? (everyone)
FUNCTION: How are children in need supported in Singapore? Is this different or similar to other parts of the world? (Tanisha)
CAUSATION: What are the different reasons children have unequal opportunities in Singapore?
Why do families choose to live in Singapore? (Olivia)
CHANGE: How are different people helping children to have a better life in Singapore? (Yukti)
CONNECTION: How does being educated connect to children’s opportunities in Singapore?
How does poverty connect to children's rights? (Santi)
REFLECTION: How do we feel about our learning? (Santiago and Tanisha)
RESPONSIBILITY: What can we do to help children in need in Singapore? (Olivia and Yukti)
FORM: What are children’s rights?
Children have the rights to freedom, health, a quality standard of living, education and many more.
What opportunities should children have?
Causation:What are the different reasons children have unequal opportunities in Singapore?
Why do families choose to live in Singapore?
From this survey we have found out that most people live in Singapore because of work, safety and lifestyle. Everyone thought that Singapore was a good place to live in because of the multicultural environment, good education and safety.
The children of the people I surveyed went to school and the schools provided good opportunities. Most people surveyed said that Singapore provided good opportunities and that it did not have to be improved. But some said that there could be more public parks and playgrounds.
Most people said that all people in Singapore have equal opportunities.
But some responses to people who thought that the opportunities were NOT EQUAL are:
Example of my questionnaire and analysis of results:
CHILDREN’S OPPORTUNITIES - QUESTIONNAIRE
Hello, we are a group of students from Overseas Family School completing our Grade 5 Exhibition. We are inquiring into how children’s opportunities can help to make a better world. Can you please help us by answering the questions below:
- What are the reasons you live in Singapore? (please tick appropriate)
- work- safety
- children’s education
- lifestyle
- home country
- sport opportunities
- cultural opportunities
-travel opportunities
(Mostly people live in Singapore for work, safety, lifestyle and children's education)
- Do you think Singapore is good place to live with a family? Why or Why not?
(All involved said YES - all replied safe as a main reason, multicultural environment and better education and opportunities than their home countries)- What activities do your children do?
- Do your children go to school? Does the school provide good opportunities for your child(ren)?
(Yes and all schools surveyed provided good opportunities for children)- Is there anything you think Singapore could do to provide better opportunities for children?
(Most surveyed thought No - Singapore provided great opportunities. Some commented on the emphasis of education and that children need more time to play and explore the environment. Some suggested more parks and playgrounds.)- Do you think that all children in Singapore have equal opportunities? Please explain.
(most said yes. But some other answers were. If you have access to these opportunities then they are equal. No education and extra curricular activities are expensive. No it depends on their lifestyle. No most programs cost money and are designed for high-functioning children. Children with disabilities nor from poor families have less opportunities.FUNCTION: How are children in need supported in Singapore?
Is this different or similar to other parts of the world?
Yes, Singapore is different and unique to many other countries. SIngapore has a high ecomony and the government provides many resources for the people in the community. Most families are well cared for and children are well educated and have lots of opportunities. However, some are not so lucky and there are families in need. The Singapore children in need require the support from orphanages and centres that are supported by the government. These people are not seen in Singapore like some other countries, you do not see homeless children or people begging for money or food.
In other countries and even close neighbouring countries many children and families are suffering from poverty. In almost all parts of the world, there are pockets of poverty. Poverty can affect the child's opportunities as they are focused on survival rather than education and development.
CHANGE:How are different people helping children to have a better life in Singapore?
Many organisations help the children in need, UNICEF is an example of a world wide organization which has set up CHILDREN'S RIGHTS as one of their main goals. They work with more than 190 countries to put things right. UNICEF has more than 60 years of experience working with children. With the help of UNICEF, more children are able to perform their rights and opportunities
Children's Society is one of the organizations that help the children in need in Singapore. Their goal is to "BRING RELIEF AND HAPPINESS TO CHILDREN IN NEED". Singapore's Children Society helps children and youth of all races and religions. The Society reached out to about 72,000 children, youth and families in need during the year of 2013. This Society was established in 1952 and since then has been helping the children in need. Today, Children’s Society operates 10 service centres islandwide, offering services in the six categories of: Caregiving, Community, Developmental, Preventive and Public Education.
These are the categories of activities the Children's Society conduct for the children there:
In the Children's Society there are some facilities that are specially for children and youth, some of these are, Sunbeam Place, Student Care Centre (Henderson) and Vulnerable Witness Support Programme.
The Sunbeam Place is a place of safety for the children who were abused, and their parents were not able to take care of the situation. They provide a caring and loving environment for children aged between 2 to 18 years old. At the Sunbeam Place they conduct enrichment classes, character building education and counselling for the children.
.The Student Care Centre (Henderson) provides before-and-after school for children aged between 7 to 12 years old. The children of this school are from low income families, distressed or single-parented families and are sometimes left at home without any adult supervision. When the child/children reach The Student Care Center, they will learn skills and positive family values to see them through their mid-childhood years. They also provide the necessary supervision in a conductive environment to help their physical, intellectual, emotional and social development.
The Vulnerable Witness Support Programme's goal is to provide sufficient support to vulnerable child witnesses who have to testify in criminal cases. Vulnerable children are those who are below 16 years of age and are victims or witnesses of crime. Trained Volunteers are assigned to help each child to deal with stress management and familiarise them with legal procedures.
There are many organizations in this world that help children. Some of these organizations are worldwide like the UNICEF but some organizations are set up to support children in need here in Singapore.
Responsibility:What can we do to help the children in need in Singapore?
We are responsible to:
Some organizations are:
CONNECTION: How does being educated connect to children’s opportunities in Singapore?
To be educated in Singapore provides children with many opportunities:
They have many opportunities by learning at school because if they get very good grades they will get to go to a good university and when they are older they will have a good job for the future!!!
EDUCATION LEADS TO MORE OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE FUTURE!
Opportunities: You can be a very good drawer and sell drawings, you can become a singer that sings on the road to get money because at school you learn music, you can be very good sport player and maybe they will see you play and you might be offered a professional place for a team,they can also be a very good mathematics boy or girl and can be in competitions for maths and can become a math teacher or a teacher and they can also read books to smaller children and tell their story when they were kids and about when they lived in poverty and they can pass the message around the world about poverty in Singapore. You can do anything in the world but they have to try hard to get there goal.
How does poverty connect to children's rights?
Poverty in Singapore: Children living in poverty have different needs: there life is based around survival - having enough food, water and shelter. They may need to work to help support their families or help at home. When people are living on about 3 Dollars a week, they don't have enough money to buy proper food and water for their family. ;(
Children who live in poverty have a disadvantage at school because they did not start school when they were 4 or 5, OR some do not ever get a chance to be educated