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“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”
Margaret Mead

The project aims to create a collaborative Children’s Discussion Forum with primary/elementary school children in grades 5 and 6.   The project will engage the whole school and aims to empower children to reach their full potential.  The Discussion Forum will facilitate a voice and skills for children to participate as citizens in a nonviolent democracy.  

Circle Objectives 

The overall objectives of the Children’s Discussion Forum are:

• “to inspire, challenge and empower children to take responsibility for their stewardship of the earth and envisage workable futures”
• “to strengthen understanding and awareness of democratic participation”

Specific objectives:

• To foster citizenship and democratic participation;
• To promote collaboration and teamwork in a non-adversarial environment;
• To develop critical, creative and lateral thinking;
• To enhance emotional intelligence (values based education);
• To develop conflict resolution skills;
• To strengthen self-esteem, confidence and participation;
• To develop problem solving skills and development of perception of possible futures;
• To foster creative, constructive, insightful questioning, intuition and wisdom;
• To generate workable ideas and solutions for the present and future;
• To collaborate and network with State Parliament/Government, Local Councils, community groups, schools, parents and local communities;
• To develop a democratic pathway.  Young children are provided with preliminary foundations to democratic participation (Discussion Forum) and for further development of skills, guided to International Youth Parliaments (teenagers) in Australia and connected with other programs teaching about the parliamentary system and democracy;