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Giving Children a Voice
It was April 2023 and Rotarian Eddie McGarvey was aware that one of Rotary’s key areas of focus is Peace and Conflict Prevention/Resolution. He saw an opportunity for the global reach of Rotary to be used to send a message from children to the adults of the world.
Eddie said ‘When grow- ups fall out big time, it is time to stop what they are doing by listening to our young people. If you want to get in touch with the past they say touch a stone, if you want to get in touch with the present touch a flower but if you want to get in touch with the future then touch a life.’
Children in war zones have plenty of stones, few flowers and their lives are hanging by a thread. Wars eventually end, but if they end even slightly earlier there will be less orphans and less children and young people carrying a life sentence of physical and emotional damage, for which they were not responsible.
Eddie researched how a message of peace could be created and sent around the world. Music is close to Eddie’s heart and he discovered that RotaKids do not have a song. Creating an anthem using children’s words and voices was the way forward. Through connections with the charity Lost Chord UK we were able to work with two musicians, Luke Carver Goss and Gary Hammond who are experienced with working with both the Dementia charity and with young people.
Using the chorus, written as a basis by poet Ian McMillan, Luke and Gary worked with twenty five children representing seven of our local RotaKids Schools. Over the day the children experimented with rhythms, tempo and pitch, using a fantastic array of percussion instruments from different cultures that Gary had brought to the workshop.
Mixed in with the music sessions were discussions between everyone on the feelings of peace; what did the word mean, what affect does it have on our relationship with others, how can peace be created?
Members of the Rotary Club and the teaching staff were surprised at the answers. For those young people their feelings of peace related to their own experiences, peer group friendships, family arguments and sad life events. They did also talk about war and the violence and the suffering that comes from it. The children were far more perceptive and aware than the adults had realised. This is reflected in the words of ‘Peace Like a Flower’ which relate to every walk of life, in every corner of the world, now and throughout history.
It was a productive, thought provoking, noisy and enjoyable day for all involved! Children’s voices, children working in collaboration with each other, what could be better…
