20th Anniversary of the CRC in Geneva FUN, FUN, FUN!

Hello from The Land of Chocolates!! :P
 
Today we have been preparing for the 2 day conference at the UN building in Geneva at the cottage that we have all been staying at.  The conference will be taking place tomorrow and Friday.  It was the most perfect day today!  The sky was blue, the sun was bright and it was neither too hot nor too cold.  We spent the morning discussing the 3 D's, Dignity, Development and Dialogue.  Dignity is being treated with respect and being acknowledged as an equal amongst all.  Development is about growing as a person in an environment that is safe and supportive.  And finally, Dialogue is about the communication and understanding between children and adults, the government and the world; as well as having the opportunity to communicate.
 
Once we finished discussing the 3 D's, we all got to decide which one we wanted to participate in at the UN conference.  I chose Dialogue because I feel that communication is so important in avoiding conflicts and finding solutions.  When I got together with the rest of my group we decided that one of the biggest difficulties that we face is that adults do not listen to us, even is they allow us to have our own ideas and opinions.  The support of adults is essential in ensuring that children's rights are being respected.  In order to gain support, we need to raise awareness.  We need to raise awareness in children so we can improve our quality of life and defend ourselves, and it is just as important to raise awareness in adults.  And although adults may be aware of child rights, it does not mean that they will resect them, and that is why we need legal measures to be implemented.  Finally, we came to the conclusion that adults need to believe and have faith in children.  Those were the main ideas that we came up with during our discussion.
 
We accomplished a lot of work, and rewarded ouselves by having an extra long lunch and enjoying each other's company and the sun.  Some of us went for walks in the forest and fields, and others played games in the grass or just sat around talking.  What was extra special was that there were so many different languages being translated at once when we would all come together to do an activity.  The languages spoken include Spanish, French, Hindi, Tamil, Norwegeian, Dutch and Arabic.  My friend from Lebanon was telling a joke in Arabic, and friend from Senegal would translate it into French and I would then translate it into English.  It was awesome!!
 
And I MUST make a comment on the food being served.  The cooks at the cottage are phenominal, and they try to incorporate foods from different countries so that everyone feel comfortable and at home.  For example, they made tabouli and hummus for the youth from Lebanon :)   And at every meal there is cheese, and I am a huge fan of cheese!  I feel like I'm eating so much at every meal because it's so delicious!
 
We had a very full day today, and I'm gonna get ready for bed now since we need to wake up at 6:15am tomorrow morning.  Check out planyouth.org tomorrow for an update on the UN in Geneva!! :D  Goodnight!
 
- Cara