Celebrating the children of the world

Mariselle Stofberg
Yolanda Nel

November 20 marks World Children’s Day to promote international togetherness, awareness among children worldwide, and improving children's welfare.

Unicef, together with the non-profit organisation Six Seconds, invites interested parties from all walks of life, from schools and mothers, to government institutions and the private sector, to join in a pop-up festival. The festival is celebrated in more than 200 countries and shares free, playful, meaningful activities to help kids grow their emotional intelligence and take action on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

A variety of mini kits are available to choose from, depending on the goals you wish to achieve. According to the Six Seconds website, there are ten kits available, including growing calm, growing love, kindness and courage, as well as growing gratitude, hope and curiosity. Each kit comes with a mission, a goal and instruction to accomplish that goal.

The aim is to reach over 1.5 million people in more than 3 000 cities, with 10 000 volunteers around the world.

The pop-up festival is a free event that is in line with the UN’s objective and UN SDGs. Six Seconds is proud to be an SDG Action Partner supporting individuals and organisations to work towards SDG solutions. By engaging volunteers from around the world, the celebration fosters dialogue about essential skills for children and adults to develop self-awareness and wellbeing.

First established in 1954, 20 November is an important date because in 1959 the UN General Assembly adopted the declaration of the rights of the child. It is also the date in 1989 when the UN General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Since 1990, World Children's Day also marks the anniversary of the date that the UN General Assembly adopted both the Declaration and the Convention on children's rights.

This day provides an inspirational entry-point to advocate, promote and celebrate children's rights, translating into dialogues and actions that will build a better world for children. The Covid-19 crisis has resulted in a child rights crisis. The costs of the pandemic for children are immediate and, if unaddressed, may last a lifetime.

If you want to create a pop-up festival, follow this link to register: https://www.6seconds.org/popup/

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Namibian Sun 2025-05-17

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