Children's Initiatives
Kids’ Rights eCard Program
Children are people too. As such, they are entitled to human rights – those things that allow us to live in dignity as human beings. But children cannot assure their own welfare. They depend on adults for their survival. They need adults to provide for them, to protect them from harm and to guide them. They need adults to love and care for them, and to respect and listen to them.
To enshrine the conviction that all children everywhere deserve to live in dignity and to be treated according to their best interests, the United Nations developed Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) in 1989. It outlines the rights of the child, and the responsibilities of families, caregivers and governments to uphold these rights. It is the most ratified human rights document in the world.
November 20th is a special day set aside each year to honour and respect children – National Child Day. In 1993, the Canadian Government chose this date to commemorate the adoption by the United Nations of two human rights documents on that date: the Declaration of the Rights of the Child in 1959 and the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989.
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With this in mind PACE Canada created the e-Card Kids Rights Program.
Toys, Books, Educational Materials PACE has as one of its mandates to provide culturally appropriate toys, books and educational materials to children in selected child care facilities in both Canada and Jamaica. Consequently, each December PACE conducts a toy drive.
The materials that PACE sends must not promote violence and must be able to stimulate the imagination. PACE also encourages teachers and parents to use the ideas presented in the materials in their interaction with the children, e.g. using story books to stimulate storytelling or drawing.
Recipients of educational materials from PACE have included the Jane/Finch Concerned Citizens Group, the Tropicana Community Agency and the Mornell Court Community Centre.
MOBILE COMPUTER BUS - “Tech de bus”
This new PACE initiative, a Mobile Computer Bus – “Tech de bus,” with 10 personal computers, a server, air-conditioning and a self-contained diesel power generator is the “brainchild” of our past President, Ms. Diana Burke.
The used school bus was donated by Laidlaw Corporation; RBC Financial Group donated the computers, and Microsoft Canada and their Caribbean offices provided the children’s software, operating systems and funding to complete the project.
For advertising space on the exterior of the bus or, if you know of a company interested in supporting this worthy cause, please contact Ms. Diana Burke, the Past President of PACE.
To see the positive impact PACE is making for these children.
MOBILE COMPUTER BUS - “Tech de Bus 2”
This PACE initiative was so successful that a new Bus has been developed “Tech de Bus 2” it is due to be launched in April 2008 for rural Jamaican Basic Schools.
“Tech de Bus 2,” is similar to this first initiative with 10 personal computers, a server, air-conditioning and a self-contained diesel power generator and the project has been shepherded through the mine fields of raising the money, finding a suitable bus, obtaining many donations, large and small all to make it happen. The tireless work of our past President, Ms. Diana Burke has paid off as the bus is soon to arrive in Jamaica.
This small project is one that all Canadians should be very proud of. It was Canadians that made it happen.
This was made possible thanks to the generosity of Microsoft, Air Canada and the Royal Bank of Canada who supplied the personnel expertise and used equipment and the time for an employee to teach the teachers who will be using it. Click here to see more on this special project.
Music and Movement In Basic Schools - 2009-04-19
Music and movement should be an integral part of any basic school curriculum. Music develops listening and language skills. Music develops fine motor skills. It develops spatial awareness and self-confidence in the young child. These are but few of the benefits that young children get from a well-planned music and movement program.
A few years ago, Dr. Conville, on behalf of P.A.C.E. Canada provided the Ocho Rios Methodist Basic School with fifty soprano recorders to bolster a fledgling music program that was being taught by a young teacher who was volunteering her time once a week from the Ocho Rios Secondary School. I worked with this teacher for short period of time and encouraged her to make different kind of percussion instruments to enrich her music program.
In 2008, Dr. Conville introduced a modified Orff Music Program to a cluster of three Basic Schools in the Montego Bay area. The schools are Cornwall Gardens Basic School, St. Francis Basic School and Hopewell Basic School. The goal was to teach the teachers to play the soprano recorder and they in turn would teach their students.
Mrs. Ava Gooden, chairperson of the Board for St. Francis Basic School arranged space at the St. James Anglican Church Hall for the music workshop for fifteen teachers from the three schools. The workshop was a real success. A month after the workshop, I was invited to see and hear what the teachers were doing with their classes. It was a sense of great joy to see what was accomplished in such short a time. My wife Fay, and I provided sixty recorders on behalf of P.A.C.E. for the three schools. Many thanks must be given to the staff of Waterloo Music Company of Waterloo that provided the schools with music workbooks, and many listening materials.
In 2009, two other schools were added to this cluster of schools, they are: Bamboo Missionary Basic School and Albion Basic School. An additional thirty recorders were given to the new schools, and Dr. Conville held two music workshops, one at the St. James Anglican Church Hall in Montego Bay and the other at Bamboo Missionary Basic School in Hanover.
Once again, Waterloo Music Company Provide these schools with sixty music books and many other music materials. It should be noted that the music program involved recorder playing, vocal, listening and movements such as visual fantasy and mirroring.
Dr. Conville is seeking a sponsor or sponsors to provide this cluster of five schools with a basic set of Orff Instrument at an approximate cost of $3 500.00. The instruments would be kept at a central location under the supervision of the Superintendent of Basic Schools
for the area. A rotation schedule will be made.
Dr. Conville would arrange workshops to teach the teachers, and to do enrichment work with students.
Prepared by: Dr. Vincent G. Conville
XO Laptop Launch at Providence Methodist Basic School. LIME donated J$1mm at the event towards the project
To see how much the children like their new computers click on the YouTube video to the right >>>>
