Tell My Leader to Save Our Education

At the beginning of September, Save the Children hosted Tell My Leader, a digital hangout event where children from around the world had the opportunity to tell leaders their demands, concerns and dreams for education amidst the global pandemic.

Canada’s Minister of International Development, Karina Gould, attended the digital hangout to hear first-hand from children. She said:

“I am committed to making sure the voices of children and youth are heard and influence the way we respond to the education crisis caused by COVID-19.”

All children have the right to participate in the decisions that shape their lives. Julia, 16, from Halifax and Zoé, 16, from Montreal joined children from Norway, the UK, Nigeria, Colombia, and refugee camps in Jordan.

“Sometimes I look at the news and it is scary because I think of the girls who will never be able to go back to school or the schools that won’t be able to start because they don’t have the money for PPE, and they need help. Canada is in a position of privilege, and Canada can help,” said Julia. “And, we should help because education is a basic right.”

“We need a plan. We understand it’s hard and we understand that you don’t know what the answer is, but you need to try because it is our educational futures at stake.”

Words from Julia after the event:

I had a great time at the Save the Children Tell My Leader Global Digital Hangout. When I first found out I was selected for this event, I was a little bit nervous because I had never been given the opportunity to advocate for my opinions to people this powerful. However, Save the Children was great in helping me solidify my thoughts and create a cohesive speech I was confident in delivering.

On the day of the Hangout I was definitely nervous despite all the practicing I was doing. I was suddenly connecting with people in positions of power in four different countries and meeting other youth like me from across the world. Once the Hangout got underway, I became more relaxed as I listened to the other children’s speeches and realized that if they can summon the courage to stand up to our world leaders, so can I! When it came time to give my speech, all of my nerves fell away as I became invested in each word I was saying. I felt more comfortable in my skin as I realized how powerful some of my words were. After our speeches, we got to do a question and answer period with the decision makers. I really enjoyed being able to drive the point of my speech home through a direct question to Minister Gould. I would like to thank Save the Children for this opportunity and I hope it has aided a few politicians in realizing how important education is to children around the globe.

Save Our Education

For the first time in history, an entire generation has had their education disrupted. Earlier this month, Save the Children launched a global report which brings together the voices of nearly 25,000 children and caregivers from across the world.

The report revealed that the pandemic has had a devastating impact on the education of children from poorer backgrounds and is widening the gap between rich and poor and boys and girls. As a result of being stuck at home, two-thirds of girls are doing more chores around the house and over half reported spending more time caring for siblings.

Around 99% of the world’s children have been impacted by disruptions like school closures, stretched health systems, lost livelihoods, increased risk of violence and restricted access to nutritious food. These disruptions to society are having a devastating impact on children’s right to survive, learn and stay safe.

Let’s Protect A Generation

We’ve launched our #ProtectAGeneration campaign to mitigate the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and ensure all children in Canada and around the world, including the most marginalized and deprived, are kept safe and thriving throughout the pandemic and beyond.

Together, we must wake the world up to Protect a Generation. All of our futures depend on it. Sign and stand with all the world’s children here.