NAPCAN promotes the Toowoomba CAN as a (CAN). CANs are groups of ordinary people: service providers and local community members who are pooling their talents and resources to create local child friendly communities. In a child friendly community, children are free from harm, live well, will reach their potential, and play a part in decisions that will affect them. Research shows that such communities have less child abuse and neglect.
By developing achievable and sustainable initiatives aimed at making Toowoomba child friendly, the Toowoomba.CAN is supporting NAPCAN's vision for a child friendly Australia . Their work is a great example of primary prevention of child abuse and neglect.
The theme for National Child Protection Week is: A critical factor in breaking the cycle of abuse and neglect is through positive behavioural change at the individual level …..all Australians accepting their personal responsibility to be positive role models for children. We are asking the children to use their voice via a poster competition and a writing competition to tell us what behaviour they believe we should model.
There is a CPW committee which is made up of representatives from various organisations in Toowoomba. It has been organised by the NAPCAN facilitator Ann Alcock. The meetings are held once a month, usually on a Friday at 10.00am.
The Pyjama Foundation organise for volunteer Angels to read to foster children on a regular basis. They were looking for Angels in Toowoomba. TCAN offered to help start a volunteer's library to be housed at the Kath Dickson Centre. Our contact list received an email with a request for assistance.
The campaign was very successful and over 600 books were donated. We reckon the value of the books to be between $7,500 and $10,000!
The email has generated a great deal of interest and press – and the Pyjama Foundation received coverage in the Chronicle and in the next edition of Toowoomba's child. Plus it yielded a number of ‘Angels' volunteering.
Last year, one of the entrants to the poster competition submitted a board game. A seven year old had constructed a board game, complete with playing cards, quiz cards and dice. We were fortunate enough the then Mayor, Dianne Thorley, believed it should be replicated and donated to every school in Toowoomba. Via the Japan sister city, Takatsuki , we received a donation of 10,000 yen ($1000) which made this possible.
One hundred copies of the board game were produced and distributed to all schools in the Toowoomba District!
The poster competition was again offered to all school children, in two categories, under five and over five. This is the third year the competition has been held.
The children's posters will be exhibited either at Grand Central or along shop fronts in Ruthven Street. The exhibition in the shop fronts will run like a ‘poster walk' with all the posters between fifty and one hundred centimetres from the ground. The walk will lead to Bank of Queensland where the windows will be wallpapered with the images.
The short story / poetry competition is open to all school children, upper primary and secondary. The word limit is 500. Entries may also include black and white illustrations and there is a possibility of entering a book cover design “Children See, Children Do”. The schools were informed as per the poster competition.
Prizes include:
- An electric guitar and amplifier
- Midnight feast from Mackenzie Row Spar Supermarket
- Hamburgers from Phat Burgers – 10 vouchers
- Publication in a book produced by Boogie Books
The poster competition could somehow reflect the reverse of the child protection week theme. For example, the positive things kids see adults doing. The calendar again will be available in September and will be officially launched by the Mayor. It will be distributed via the maternity wards at the Toowoomba Base Hospital and St Vincents Hospital.
This now annual ceremony of welcome is hosted by the Mayor of Toowoomba as significant awareness -raisning event in Child Protection Week. A certificate of welcome on behalf of the city is presented to the first baby born in Child Protection Week. This year, the Mayor, Peter Taylor will welcome the lucky baby on behalf of the city, at a time to be advised.
The Children's Champion Tree is in our grand plan! We would love to construct a 5 metre tree in a public garden here in Toowooomba, with each leaf on the tree being representative of a Children's Champion. Watch this space!
Find out more about the Toowoomba CAN HERE
Check out who supports the Toowoomba CAN HERE
