Four examples of successful self-governance by children
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Topic
Four examples of successful self-governance by children
Description
As our society inches closer toward recognizing the autonomy and political rights of children, it becomes important to question our basic assumptions about them, such as the assumption baked into William Goldman's "The Lord of the Flies", that children left to themselves become barbaric. Children can self-govern, and the governance failures they demonstrate are probably on par with those of adults. In this session we will introduce four cases from around the world of children falsifying the findings of the Lord of the Flies. These include cases from a Maori shipwreck, a Rajastani school district, a Polish orphanage, and the videogame Minecraft. We will conclude the session by trying to keep the general open discussion from spiraling into the subject of consent in child-rearing.
Hopes & dreams
Create the ideal conditions for child participants to impress adults with their mature yet radical ideas
Core facilitators
Seth Frey
Main contact (email)
Space Requirements
- [] Electricity
- [] Monitor
- [] Whiteboard or pad
- [] Table and chairs
- [] Seating in circle
- [] Open space outdoors
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Either indoors or outdoors is fine - [] Other (Specify)
Time Requirements
- [] 1 hour
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2 hours - [] Multiple sessions across 1 day
- [] Multiple sessions across 2 days
- [] Multiple sessions across 3 days
- [] Pre breakfast session
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Evening session - [] Other (Specify)
Who should participate
- [] Coders
- [] Creatives
- [] Policymakers
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Children under 12 -
Teens 12 - 18 -
Anyone and everyone - [] Other (Specify)
What will participants take away?
- A more general understanding of who can be engaged and what that can look like
- Organizers hope to take away more examples of great cases
Keywords
Self-governance, Children, Teens, Lord of the flies
Session rundown (tell us a rough outline of your plan)
- 0.5-1 hour presentation by Frey of four cases (some A/V needs: from laptop is fine is group is small, if larger will need monitor). Cases: Polish orphanage, Maori castaways, Rajastani school district, self-hosted Minecraft
- 1-1.5 hour Open lightly moderated discussion
Relevant links
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDYQqymdC2Y
Relevant Experience -- share why you'll be great!
Seth Frey is a scholar and long-time practitioner of small-scale self-governance, bringing together theory, case, and quantitative approaches.
Graphic or video link
Optional graphic or video to pitch your exciting project!