The Future of Childhood (Early Years)

Articles from the Alliance for Childhood Brussels Conference (Oct. 11–14, 2000)

Children create our future with their gifts and talents, yet what is the significance of childhood for us today? Is childhood vanishing under the weight of poverty, commercialism, stress, and social breakdown? With such threats to childhood, how can we create a healthy world for bringing up children?

The Alliance for Childhood is a forum where individuals and organisations can work together out of respect for childhood, in a world-wide effort to improve children's lives.

The Alliance has convened this Brussels conference to explore the following questions:

What is childhood for today's children?
What rights do children have?
How are parents, professionals and policy makers shaping children's lives?
How are commercialism and the media affecting children?
What is the impact of hunger, violence, discrimination and abuse?
Child labour and prostitution?
What guidelines will help form a new environment for children?

This lively collection of articles by Conference presenters offers stimulating insight for dialogue about how we can give due respect to children. Here are Cathy Nutbrown's Twenty Questions for Childhoods in the 21st Century, a shortened UN Charter of Children's Rights and Childhood by the Alliance. There are useful references, contacts and resources for networking.

Contributors include:

Dr. Cathy Nutbrown, University of Sheffield
Joan Almon, Alliance for Childhood
Dr. Helen Prochazka
Dr. O. Fred Donaldson
Wendy Scott, British Association for Early Childhood Education
Mary Jane Drummond, University of Cambridge
Sally Jenkinson, Alliance and UK Steiner Waldorf Kindergarten Advisor
Christopher Clouder, Alliance and UK Steiner Waldorf Schools Fellowship
Jane Lane, Early Years Trainers Anti-racist Network
Martin Large
Marilyn Benoit, MD

This book is part of the Hawthorn Press "Early Years" series.

Sally Jenkinson is a lecturer, mother and kindergarten teacher. She works for the Alliance for Childhood, having advised Waldorf kindergartens for many years. She is a respected contributor to British and European research conferences on early childhood. She is a tireless advocate of children's holistic developmental needs, particularly to the Department for Employment and Education during their consultation on early years education for the national curriculum.

Martin Largeis a facilitator, lecturer, activist and social business enabler, chairing the Community Land Trust National Demonstration Project , 2005-9 and Stroud Common Wealth. Author of Social,Ecology (1981) andCommon Wealth (2010).