Thank you Mr. Chair,
Since the launch of The Convention on the Rights of the Child, the international community has made remarkable progress with promoting states’ responsibility for the care and protection of children and their rights. It is our duty to continue advocating for these rights globally.
Mr. Chair,
It has been said that while adults follow paths, children explore. In Israel we also say that if your children are doing things in the exact same way you do – they are doing something wrong. If we want the world of tomorrow to be a better world – it cannot be the same world as the one of today.
It is those who explore who will always be at the forefront of innovation, inspiration and discovery – and it must be our commitment to champion children’s rights in order to allow such explorations.
Today, I wish to emphasize another aspect of the right to education. I wish to refer to education taking place beyond the classroom and beyond formal education, thereby providing children with the tools and ambition to break new grounds:
Israel prides itself on a long tradition of non-formal education that breeds young leadership and reinforces our children’s personal growth, social life and political participation. This non-formal education takes place through a framework of after-school youth movements which focus on leadership and team-work.
Today, approximately 30 percent of all Israeli school students are active members of one of 15 nationwide youth movements. We take great pride in these numbers and what they represent - that education does not end when the school bell rings, and is not limited to the space between teachers and their classroom.
Israeli youth movements play an essential role in our democracy because they represent the plurality of our vibrant Israeli society. By encouraging social interactions, dialogue and even political awareness, youth movements provide students with the opportunity to delve into important and relevant issues through creating a space for vocalizing opinions both freely and collectively.
Youth movement members take an important part in bettering our society through their volunteer work with some of Israel’s most vulnerable populations.
As a result, our youth movements are a greenhouse for future leaders in growing – ensuring that the leaders of tomorrow will be socially aware, as well as well educated.
Mr. Chair,
While it is imperative that we teach our children science, mathematics and geography, it is equally important that we teach them to engage in constructive dialogue, navigate their surroundings, and lead through action. Knowledge does not replace empathy, a good grade is no substitute for integrity, and finishing first does not mean finishing alone.
That is why in Israel, non-formal education is education nonetheless.
Thank you.