1. 1 Conference HEART AND SOUL OF LEARNING Woudschoten, 31 May - 2 June 2002 THE ENVIRONMENTAL MOVEMENT SAYS NO TO THE POLLUTION OF OUR PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT THE CHILD MOVEMENT SAYS NO TO THE POLLUTION OF THE LIVING ENVIRONMENT OF THE CHILD Presentation by Michiel Matthes of Ecology of the Child

2. An environmental movement for the child is = A child movement

3. 3 I speak at this meeting as a father of three children, as an (ex) partner of a woman and as founder of Ecology of the child I discovered that ‘good fatherhood’ goes further than my own family.

4. 4 Each day we read in the paper: Drug abuse Suicide among youth Smaller classrooms Child prostitution Foster Parents; Youth Care TV and the Internet in relation to children School programs Homeless Children School careers Child abuse The spending of free time by children …Etc.

5. 5 I asked myself: Which science covers all aspects of the life of a child? Which organization in our society is monitoring/ looking after all aspects of the life of our children?

6. 6 Answer to the first question: There is not such a science, but it is a whole bunch of scientific disciplines, that study the various aspects of the life of a child. These different disciplines hardly communicate with each other. Answer to the second question: There are dozens of organizations (governmental, semi-governmental, private, companies) that work with / for children. These organizations hardly communicate with each other. They have no common perceptions, goals, etc.

7. 7 I was wondering: Is there a model, which brings together all aspects of the life of a a child? A model, in which we can give a place to the various scientific disciplines focusing on children? A model, in which we can fit all organizations that work with / for children?

8. 8 Schema Ecology of the Child: ‘The Whole System’

9. 9 In the life of a child everything is connected with everything else; ‘mistakes’ tend to amplify

10. 10 The Schema can also be used to map the various organizations

11. 11 Two conclusions: There should be a science, that focuses on all aspects of the child and its environment and the interaction between the two (Ecology of the Child) There should be an organization that focuses on/ takes care of the child and its living environment. Its task: –Monitoring the quality of the living environment –Developing an approach for the whole system and the sub-systems –Best practice / benchmarking –Leading role in relation to main actors and stakeholders

12. 12

13. 13 First conclusion: There are big differences between some indicators, when comparing the Netherlands and the US. There are indicators that differ by a factor of 13 to 350. Note: Per head, the US is 50% richer than the Netherlands

14. Why are some indicators in the US so much higher than in the Netherlands?

15. 15 Reply: The American system apparently produces a higher output of certain events than the Dutch system. System = the social system, i.e. the whole of persons, organizations, roles, goals, attitudes, behavior, knowledge, perceptions and activities concerning the child.

16. 16 Conclusions: An easy conclusion: The Americans can learn from the Dutch. A level deeper: We can define the living environment of the child in a country as a system. The comparing of different systems is a powerful tool to discover opportunities for improvement. In this way, blind spots, taboos and fundamental shortcomings can more easily be found.

17. 17 The Strategy of Ecology of the Child in a nutshell

18. 18 Strategy: How to change a whole system? 1.By starting to talk about the entire system 2.By building networks at the most important places in that system; Ecology of the Child focuses on the organizations of citizens; 3.By building a learning organization

19. 19 Old approach: There is something wrong with the child, and we have to repair it (‘deficit model’) New Systems approach: In what way does the system produce problems concerning children? How can we adjust the system?

20. 20 Dialogue concerning goals Carnegie Corporation Fatherhood, motherhood, partnership Goals concerning parenthood: how to empower parents On Becoming a Person (Carl Rogers) Nussbaum (10 capabilities) linkage between the schooling and work situation (OECD Rapport) Citizenship, community, democracy Delors report goals: Learning Learning to learn Learning to live together Learning to be UN Treaty of the rights of Children Reggio Emilia approach, the benchmark for raising and educating children aged 0 tot 7

21. 21 Essential Requirements for Healthy Adolescent Development, as Formulated by the Carnegie Corporation Find a valued place in a constructive group. Learn how to form close, durable human relationships. Feel a sense of worth as a person. Achieve a reliable basis for making informed choices. Know how to use the support systems available to them. Express constructive curiosity and exploratory behavior. Find ways of being useful to others. Believe in a promising future with real opportunities. Master social skills, including the ability to manage conflict peacefully.

22. 22 Cultivate the inquiring and problem-solving habits of mind for lifelong learning. Acquire the technical and analytic capabilities to participate in a world- class economy. Become ethical persons. Learn the requirements of responsible citizenship. Respect diversity in our pluralistic society. Essential Requirements Carnegie Corporation continued:

23. 23 Concrete Activities of Ecology of the Child It defines the system in a new way (the earth is round instead of flat). It provides a positive perspective It provides information concerning the system (monitoring of indicators, best practice, bench marking) It creates a social system of actors, who work together towards a common goal (learning organization) It is an Action Group within the Child Movement

24. 24 Heart’s Wish of Ecology of the Child To incorporate in the new Governmental Agreement, valid for the period 2002- 2006: To hold a conference between the main ‘Child Ministries’ and other important stakeholders on: objectives concerning education and pedagogy in the Dutch society; roles of the various stakeholders and actors. Methodology how to start a continuous way of innovation in this domain.