CHILD AND YOUTH ENGAGEMENT - FACILITATOR

Child and Youth Engagement: 2018 UNCRC Reporting/National Child Day 2017

1. Introduction

   Adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on November 20th, 1989, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) delineates the civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights of children (persons under 18 years of age). Canada ratified the UNCRC in 1991, and is required to report periodically (approximately every five years) to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child on measures taken to implement the UNCRC and subsequently to appear before the UN Committee to discuss Canada’s implementation. Canada is scheduled to submit its 5th/6th report on the UNCRC to the UN Committee in July 2018. The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), the Department of Canadian Heritage (Heritage) and the Department of Justice (Justice) will jointly lead the preparation of the report. Canada’s UNCRC reporting process will by informed by input from federal, provincial and territorial governments and civil society, including children and youth^[1].

   1.3 Background

   By ratifying the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), Canada made a commitment to ensure that the rights of all children are respected. Notably, the UNCRC obliges States Parties to assure that children have the right to express their views in matters that affect them. As such, the envisioned engagement has two main elements: 1) an awareness-raising element of the UNCRC; and 2) a consultation element to acquire the views of children and youth in Canada.

   Together with the Department of Justice, PHAC co-leads federal implementation of the UNCRC in Canada, and supports Heritage’s leadership role on reporting periodically to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child on Canada’s implementation of the UNCRC. PHAC’s mission is to promote and protect the health of all Canadians, including youth, through leadership, partnership, innovation and action in public health. While supporting child and youth engagement reinforces Canada’s obligations under the UNCRC, it also aligns with PHAC’s strategic priorities and deliverables in the area of health promotion and improving the health and well-being of Canadian children and youth. PHAC’s leadership efforts to engage children and youth also reflect support for a renewed federal focus on youth, including the appointment of the Prime Minister as Minister of Youth, and the creation of a Prime Minister’s Youth Advisory Council^[2].

2. Objectives of the Requirement

The objective of the requirement is to support child and youth engagement activities to inform Canada’s 2018 UNCRC reporting process, including an aspect centered around National Child Day (November 20, 2017). PHAC is coordinating funding contributions from the Departments of Justice and Heritage and leading a competitive process on behalf of the three departments in order to contract an external organization/group of organizations with expertise in child and youth engagement and/or children’s rights to plan and implement a package of child and youth engagement activities with the following three objectives:

1. Provide children and youth with the opportunity to increase their awareness on the UNCRC;
2. Provide children and youth with the opportunity to share their perspectives/voices on children’s rights and on important issues facing children in Canada; and
3. Inform Canada’s 5^th/6^th periodic report on the UNCRC in July 2018.

Canada is seeking to contract with a service provider who:

1. Is an expert in children’s rights and/or youth engagement – having extensive experience using techniques to raise awareness of children’s rights and/or engage children and youth on their terms through a variety of appropriate channels (e.g., in-person, social media);
2. Acts as a gateway – having existing networks and access to a group/s of children and youth who can be readily engaged;

1. Is an interpreter – having the ability to translate the UNCRC reporting process into a child and youth friendly process; identify existing child and youth friendly background materials to help provide participating children and youth with appropriate background about the UNCRC and children’s rights, which in turn will raise their awareness of the UNCRC; and help youth express their views and perspectives on children’s rights and/or important issues facing children and youth in Canada.

Under the UNCRC, children are persons under 18 years of age. For the purposes of this requirement, engagement activities should include dialogue with children and youth within this age range (to the extent possible), with a focus on ages 10-18 years.

[1] For the purposes of this SOW the term ‘youth’ is used to describe a sub-category of children who are between the ages of 12 and 18.

[2] For the purposes of this SOW the term ‘youth’ is used to describe a sub-category of children who are between the ages of 12 and 18.