The amaaazing inaugural VOICE committee
Children’s VOICE Conference
Sunday 17th November 2019
The University of Western Australia
VOICE (Voicing Our Ideas for Children Everywhere) is a FREE conference run by children, for children.
Celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and World Children’s Day, it will be a platform for children to express their thoughts, ideas and opinions about matters that are important to them in the world and in their futures.
There will be two sessions (5-8 year olds in the morning and 9-12 year olds in the afternoon), each including children’s presentions, group activities and a discussion with a panel of influential adults from various sectors.
Children will be encouraged to look at issues in their neighborhood, or in their experience, and to relate these ideas to the ‘big picture’ issues mentioned in the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Register now:
Take a look at our special Guest Presenter from the 2019 conference
Bella Burgemeister
Bella is 13 and comes from Bunbury, Western Australia. Bella is author and presenter of her book Bella’s Challenge. Bella’s Challenge is a Kids take on the 17 UN Global Goals for Sustainable Development and outlines the goals in kids speak and sets out simple challenges kids can do help their communities and the planet. Bella has presented her book to over 6000 students around Australia. All proceeds from the book sales have gone back into sustainable development projects like homeless lockers in Bunbury.
Bella is Co-President of Millennium Kids which is a kid led environmental organisation working on ways to help the planet., 2017 and 2018 Finalist in the WA Young Achiever of the Year Awards, 2018 Winner of the WA Youth Award for Sustainable Futures and 2018 CCWA Young Environmentalist of the Year.
Take a look at our VOICE News from the 2019 conference
VOICE News Master251119.pdfHow did the 2019 VOICE Conference run?
The 2019 VOICE conference
All children aged 5 to 12 are welcome to participate in the conference! (Siblings outside that age group may attend as audience members along with parents.)
Participating children are also invited to submit a creative work relating to an issue that is important to them and the wider world for display at the conference and/or inclusion on this website afterwards.
What is the theme of the conference?
Presentations and discussions will focus on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) developed by the United Nations which are a “universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity”. These SDGs will act as a guide for children as they think about issues that are important to them.
The children on the 2019 committee chose the conference theme,
Children’s Voice 4 Change: It’s Our Future.
The children on the 2020 committee will choose the theme for the 2020 conference, so stay tuned for more details!
How will the event run?
Each session will include (a) children’s presentations, (b) small group discussions about issues and potential solutions, and (c) opportunities to ask questions of the invited guests on the panel. While this sounds very serious, (and make no mistake - it is), the children on the committee are also committed to making the sessions fun, interactive, full of laughter and opportunities to make some fabulous new friends.
How much will it cost to attend?
This conference is completely free!
How can I register?
Simply register online when the registrations open as capacity is limited.
Each participating child must be accompanied by a parent/guardian. You can also bring along siblings or other family members to join the audience.
