FUTURE IFCO CONFERENCES: > 2010 EUROPEAN Regional Training Seminar > UNIVERSITY OF SUSSEX, BRIGHTON, UK 4-7 July 2010. Call for Papers from October until February 2010. brighton2010.ifco.info                           

>>> 2011 WORLD Conference >>> VICTORIA, British Columbia,CANADA >>>10-15 July 2011 - CLICK > http://www.ifco2011.com/ 

>>> IFCO's Conference Guidelines for both Regional & World Conferences are currently being revised and will be available in early 2010 in order that member organisations may prepare bids for the 2012 (Regional) & 2013 (World) IFCO Conferences.  Decisions on successful bids will be taken at the Brighton Conference in July 2010. If you are an IFCO member who may be interested in having an IFCO Conference in your country please get in touch by email anytime.

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Measurement and indicators are at the heart of improving performance in policy and practice. Unless we measure an issue or problem, chances are it will be ignored and nothing will get done.

Child well-being is notoriously difficult to measure, but there are more and more examples of where it is being done with good effect on policy development. This conference is framed within the European Union’s Social Inclusion agenda which has identified the eradication of child poverty by breaking the cycle of intergenerational inheritance as one of its key objectives. To help achieve this goal, the EU monitors income poverty and material deprivation and there are plans to develop common indicator s that better reflect child well-being. This conference should feed into that debate.

The EU social inclusion agenda also aims to bring about policy change through mutual learning and exchange of practice across Member States. This conference is an oppor tunity to share how indicators are being used: in policy development at national and regional level, in advocating for children’s rights and well-being, in improving practice and setting standards in service delivery to families and children.

A further question is how indicators are being informed by children and young people themselves. In addition to workshops on this issue, a group of young people from five member states will participate in the conference and bring some of their reflections on the issue.

Download the Flyer here. Click here to get to the online registration form.

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# FCOI / IFCO AGM - MEET THE NEW BOARD # IFCO WORLD CONFERENCE 2011 + IFCO IS 30 IN 2011 - any pictures or memories from 1981? # MESSAGE FROM IFCO PRESIDENT + THANK YOU FOR DUBLIN! # NEW IFCO Youth ENews - READ IT HERE! # CONTACT FOR 5 DAYS - FRIENDS FOR LIFE

# IFCO's 2010 EUROPEAN REGIONAL TRAINING SEMINAR IN BRIGHTON, UK JULY 4-7  >>> ONLINE CALL FOR PAPERS FROM OCTOBER 2009 - FEBRUARY 2010 + WEB SITE >>> on the right >>>

# USA's NFPA (see web item below) - CALL FOR PAPERS BY 31 AUGUST + "WALK ME HOME" + SONG ON YouTube # USA - INSPIRATION FROM GRADUATES OF FOSTER CARE # LATIN AMERICA - RELAF ENews > SPANISH & ENGLISH # UK - CARE & PREJUDICE REPORT + MORE ADOPTED CHILDREN RETURNED TO CARE # KENYA - THE PLIGHT OF THE CARE LEAVER BY ONE + FIRST AFRICAN CONFERENCE # UK - MENTORING & BEFRIENDING FOUNDATION # EUROPE - power4youth WEB SITE & quality4children PROJECT # IFCO IS ALSO ON FACEBOOK

# Contributions for the next issue to right2afamily@yahoo.co.uk by 14 September

USA NFPA 2010 Conference Call for Presenters

You are invited to submit a proposal BY AUGUST 31 to be a presenter at the 40th
Annual NFPA Conference in Baltimore, MD, USA > May 29 - June 2, 2010.  +++ Lots more on NFPA's web site > http://www.nfpainc.org/

NFPA's nationwide "Walk Me Home" sponsored event - walk right this way! 

Walk Me Home's theme song sung by Jaime Fox on YouTube > CLICK HERE

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The 52nd Session of the Committee on the Rights of the Child will take place from 14 September to 2 October at the Palais Wilson in Geneva, Switzerland.

The Committee will examine reports from Bolivia, Mozambique, Pakistan, Philippines, and Qatar on their implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. 

The Committee will also review reports on the implementation of the Optional Protocol on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography (OPSC) for Poland and Yemen and reports on the Optional Protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict (OPAC) for Poland and Turkey.

A special CRC news page devoted to the activities of the Committee on the Rights of the Child has been set up on the CRIN website in partnership with the NGO Group for the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The page provides summaries of the Committee sessions by country, UN press releases, NGO press releases, information about the Day of General Discussion, Decisions, General Comments and other activities of the Committee. >>> CLICK ON THE HEADLINE ABOVE FOR THE FULL VERSION OF THIS NEWS ITEM <<<    

According to the results of a global youth survey launched today by Standard Chartered and AIESEC International, the world’s largest student organisation, although 84 per cent of young people believe the HIV and AIDS epidemic remains one of the great challenges of our time, almost 50 per cent admit to not knowing enough about the killer virus.

In fact, over a third didn’t realise condoms are an effective method of preventing sexual transmission, and nearly a quarter admitted they would not always use a condom when having sex. This could explain why almost half of the world’s new HIV infections occur among 15 to 24 year olds (largely as a result of unprotected sexual activity, according to the latest UNAIDS statistics).

Over 1,500 members of AIESEC International responded to the survey, spanning 99 countries. Whilst two thirds of them view HIV and AIDS as a major problem in their own countries, despite concerted efforts by health agencies to educate younger generations across the world, a third feel that there is little information available to them.

However, when asked where they would turn to for information on HIV and AIDS, the internet was overwhelmingly cited as the first port of call. Over 94 per cent said they would go online ahead of talking to health professionals (61 per cent) or friends (59 per cent) or family (25 per cent).

The news comes as Standard Chartered launches www.vir.us – a first-of-its-kind animated website aimed at educating a web-savvy young audience about HIV and AIDS.  >> MORE > http://www.crin.org/resources/infoDetail.asp?ID=20675  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On 20 November 2009, the international community will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) by the United Nations General Assembly.

To mark this anniversary, the Committee of the Rights of the Child and the Office of the High Commissioner (OHCHR) and other partners will organize a two-day celebration. 

The celebration will focus on the theme “Dignity, Development and Dialogue,” and will provide an important opportunity to bring together States parties, United Nations bodies and other intergovernmental organizations, national human rights institutions,  international and national non-governmental organizations, children’s and youth groups, academics  and all others interested in the CRC.  

The celebration will take place in Geneva, Switzerland on Thursday, 8 and Friday, 9 October 2009, in the Centre International de Conférences de Genève.

FOR MORE DETAILS IN FIVE LANGUAGES CLICK BELOW > 

http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/crc/20thAnnivCRC.htm

The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child has identified Article 12 as one of the four general principles of the Convention,the others being the right to non-discrimination, the right to life and development, and the primary consideration of the child’s best interests, which highlights the fact that this article establishes not only a right in itself, but should also be considered in the interpretation and implementation of all other rights.

This new General Comment casts further light on what participation really means.

Click here to download the full General Comment 12.

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According to the latest report by Children’s Rights Director for England Dr Roger Morgan, almost 50% of children in care worry about other people knowing their background, mainly because they fear being judged, bullied or treated differently. The Care and prejudice report surveyed the views of 362 children randomly selected from children’s homes and foster care across the country. Children in care are worried most about employers, other children and young people, and possible landlords finding out they are from care. 

CLICK TO READ THE REPORT > http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/Ofsted-home/News/News-Archive/2009/August/Children-in-care-fear-being-socially-stigmatised

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The African Network for the Prevention and Protection Against Child Abuse and
Neglect (ANPPCAN) is organizing the First International Conference in
Africa on Family Based Care for Children.  The conference, Promoting Family-Based Care for Children in Africa, will be held on 28 - 30 September 2009 in Nairobi, Kenya. 

> HURRY! THE CALL FOR ABSTRACTS IS ONLY OPEN UNTIL 7 AUGUST <  

For further information visit, http://www.anppcan.org/node/45

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