The author’s thinking: Gianfranco Zavalloni and the Manifesto
The author’s remarkable use of to rob is used to stress what children opportunities, experiences, abilities and occasions lost if they do not meet the world through their owns way. “If they do not live these experiences when they are children, it is forever gone.”
When he talks about his “Manifesto”, he want to see it as complementary way to improve the childhood condition as the “United Nation Convention of the children’s rights” tries to do.
In the Gianfranco’s use of “his” adjective, he thanks all people who gave him the inspiration to design these ten principles, making Children’s Natural Rights accessible to everyone.
To do this, he recognises the value of 20 years of working with children as a teacher and as school director, meeting parents and teachers, listening to everybody and finding encouragement, supporting the positive results of his work with them.
To discover the starting point, Gianfranco tell us how he has built the Manifesto: “At this point in time, I found myself thinking about and discussing on children’s rights issues. First of all, I have tried to wear their clothes, looking at my childhood past memories.
To do this, I questioned myself through this simple list:
- When I was a child, what did I love to do?
- What did I like to play with?
- Where did my friends and me go to play?
- Which were ours preferred toys and games?
- Which were our rights?
- And were we aware of these rights?
- Who was the person who ensured our rights?
Through these answers that I discovered, adding what people told me during my professional and volunteering experiences, I clarify myself on children’s basic needs, arriving to call them as Natural Rights.”
About his childhood positive experiences, he remembers that the Natural Rights were taken for granted. They were everyday experiences of the world. But no more it is not the same for today children, in our region as well as in all Italy, or in the richest European countries. For this reason he really add these ten rights to the UN Children’s Convention.
Gianfranco has launched a project to collect and print 100 different translation of Manifesto, looking for volunteers capable to translate the Italian version into other nationals and locally versions.
And what is his position regarding toys? His simple answer is: “The best present to offer to a child is to go with him in a tool shop and buy some simple hand-tools to make together traditional toys, using natural or recyclable materials.”
Click here if you wish copy of the Manifesto in Italian language - I diritti naturali dei bambini e delle bambine.
Introducing the Author of the Children's Natural Rights: Gianfranco Zavalloni
To view the Children's Natural Rights in other different languages see the School and Region website