T h e N o r d i c Te a c h e r s ’ C o u n s i l
CHILDREN’S LEARNING AND THEIR RIGHT
TO MEANINGFUL LEISURE TIME
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I N T R O D U C T I O N National and international bodies, groups of professionals and intellectuals work to establish good
conditions for children and youth, to improve their daily
environment and to make the conditions for their
growth more visible in public discussion.
The Nordic Teachers’ Council (NLS) would like to emphasise the importance of a generous supply of pedagogical leisure time activities in society.
We would like this brochure to inspire and create a
viewpoint in favour of developing an holistic view of
the environment where children grow up, to support the
development of their personalities and to stimulate a
debate about children’s right to good learning and
meaningful leisure time.
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T h e N o r d i c s o c i e t y The basic values of the Nordic countries are embodied
in welfare states whose objective is to create general welfare for all
citizens.
The value of childhood per se and the idea of high quality in education and care, guided by professionals, have been the task and
ambition of the public sector for many years.
L e i s u r e t i m e a c t i v i t i e s i n t h e N o r d i c c o u n t r i e s All children and
young people from 6 year up to the early teenage years have the
right to free education in the Nordic countries.
Many of the younger schoolchildren participate in some type of leisure time activities, after school hours. The supply of such activities varies between the Nordic countries, but the trend is to increase
the types of institutions as a framework for children’s leisure time
and to create a supplement and an addition to the activities offered in early childhood education institutions and schools.
The welfare society of today and the conditions of children
In the Nordic countries, equity between women and men has been
developed during recent decades. These efforts to create equity
have gradually leaded to a situation in which a majority of parents
are active on the labour market, even when their children are very
young.
Today’s welfare systems are based on a shared responsibility by the
home and society for providing a qualitatively good environment in
which children can grow up. A Responsibility rests with society
where society is the most important provider of good care, learning
opportunities and leisure time activities
C h i l d r e n a s c i t i z e n s Development in society permanently changes the
living conditions of children. Children are an important part of the
family, but also the group which represents the next generation of
citizens.
Children are active in society and are also affected by the changes
and trends in society. Children are influenced by various media
and consumption cultures and exposed to new trends in lifestyle,
which affect the physical development of the body and psychological development.
Entertainment and experience-based industry is one of the most
rapidly growing industries in the world. It is the responsibility of
families and society to support children’s ability for critical thin-
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king and to strengthen their ability to develop an ethical approach
to their environment
Children’s position in society has been strengthened through various judicial measures, but their total situation demands in the present situation a stronger engagement from society. From this perspective, the surrounding society has to take a greater responsibility
to provide children with good role models and views, which give
them the strength to choose what is good for their development.
N L S b e l i e v e s that a well developed supply of leisure time activities, with
public sector institutions as the main provider and where privately
run institutions, organisations and other providers can offer alternatives, can help children develop their sense for quality and a
sustainable life style
R e s p o n s i b i l i t y a n d p a r t i c i p a t i o n Society needs the work of the parents
and the parents need child care of high quality. This symbiosis
must be further developed. Parents today rightly put forward
demands on the content, environment and quality of early childhood education, after-school centres and schools.
Social coherence is of great importance for all children. It is in the
contact with others that the individual develops his/her personality,
identity and competencies as a citizen.
N L S b e l i e v e s that in a society, where the individual has to be prepared for
flexibility and change and must have the capacity to take responsibility for his/her development, the demands for quality and good
conditions for children’s learning and leisure time increase for this
important part of the life development. Demands for quality must
be on a high level and be met through an engaged political commitment
T h e c r e a t i v e p l u r a l i t y Care and learning in harmony are factors, which
relate development of knowledge and life skills to each other.
Children’s right to meaningful leisure time, with a content of experiences, play, solidarity and fellowship, has to be given increased
importance in the political agenda. To learn how to make leisure
time meaningful is an important part of children’s social and creative development. In this context leisure time centres have a great
value.
Leisure time centres are an asset for society where children’s
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curiosity, willingness to explore and create, complement and support the educational activities offered in early childhood education
institutions and in schools.
N L S b e l i e v e s that leisure time centres should meet children’s need for security, coherence and learning in a holistic perspective, together with
early childhood education institutions and schools, the homes and
the surrounding society.
Leisure time activity of high quality creates the requirements for
childrens´activities, space for their fantasy and social ability and
develops their sense for participation, solidarity and responsibility.
Our Nordic societies are at present experiencing huge changes.
Through increased immigration from other cultures, children and
youth meet new traditions and approaches.
A good supply of leisure time activities, organised by pedagogically
educated professionals, contributes to preventing exclusion, xenophobia and bullying. It is in the contact with children from different
social sectors that the individual learns solidarity, tolerance and
fellowship - all important competencies in a multicultural society.
T h e N o r d i c n a t u r e – a l e a r n i n g e n v i r o n m e n t Lifelong learning is an
international concept well developed in the conclusions of the EU
summit in Lisbon. Also, UNESCO provides a description of learning and knowledge from a holistic perspective where all senses
are contributing to this process. You have to learn to know, to learn
to do, to learn to be and to learn to live together.
One important aim of welfare is to create a good relationship to the
surrounding society and nature. A well-established activity in leisure time centres gives children and youth an opportunity to discover
the variation of nature and stimulates a richer life.
NLS believes
that leisure time activities of high quality, lead by pedagogical-
ly educated professionals, may, through outdoor activities, stimulate children’s and youth’s feelings for and awareness of the need to
protect the Nordic nature and through different types of nature
experience also strengthen their concern for the environment.
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Societies’ responsibility for the framework and the conditions The conditions under
which children grow up are created by good circumstances in the
homes and in society. Also children have a right to express their
needs and to put forward demands relating to their living environment.
N L S b e l i e v e s that it is the responsibility of the relevant authorities to secure
good, healthy and appropriate space (indoors and outdoors) which
will facilitate and support the objectives of leisure time centres. It
is the responsibility of society to provide all children who so wish a
place in leisure time centres designed to meet their needs and to
make the financial arrangements which will make it possible for
children from all sectors of society to get this opportunity.
P r o f e s s i o n a l s To guarantee high quality and pedagogical work in the afterschool centres, the staff must have a comprehensive educational
background and a professional pedagogical competence.
Through supporting the opportunities of the staff to undertake
research and to expand their professional knowledge within this
area the pedagogical knowledge will be strengthened. A developmental work around the learning of children and leisure time based
on applied research, will give the staff access to scientific methods, which will improve the daily work.
A Nordic professorship should be established within in this field.
This would support the total environment in which children grow
up and would strengthen the pedagogical professionalism of the
staff.
N L S b e l i e v e s that the activities in the leisure time centres should be led by
professionals who, with competence and knowledge, take the responsibility for pedagogical and social development.
The staff must be given the possibility to participate in continuous
professional development and should be given time for planning
and evaluation of their individual work and the work of the team.
More opportunities should be given to research and post-graduate
studies of relevance for children’s learning and living conditions for
staff working in this area.
Good working conditions and good salaries must be secured.
MEMBERS ORGANISATIONS OF NLS:
BUPL - Forbundet for pædagoger og
klubfolk, Denmark
DLF - Danmarks Lærerforening, Denmark
DTL - Dansk Teknisk Lærerforbund,
Denmark
GL - Gymnasieskolernes Lærerforening,
Denmark
HL - Handelsskolernes Lærerforening,
Denmark
LVU - Landsforbundet af Voksen- og
Ungdomsundervisere, Denmark
Speciallærerforeningen af 1981,
Denmark
FSL - Finlands Svenska Lärarförbund,
Finland
OAJ - Opetusalan Ammattijärjestö,
Finland
Lärarförbundet, Sweden
LR - Lärarnas Riksförbund, Sweden
SFHL - Svenska Folkhögskolans
Lärarförbund, Sweden
Utdanningsforbundet, Norway
SL - Skolenes Landsforbund, Norway
FL - Føroya Lærarafelag, Faroe Islands
FP - Føroya Pedagogfelag, Faroe Islands
Nordiske Lærerorganisationers Samråd - NLS (The Nordic
Teachers´Council) is a body providing for co-operation
between teacher organisations in the Nordic countries
(Denmark, Faroe Islands, Finland, Greenland, Iceland,
Norway and Sweden).
It is a forum for exchange of information and experience
YF - Yrkisfelag studentaskúl- og
HF-lærara, Faroe Islands
KI - Kennarasamband Islands, Iceland
IMAK-Ilinniartsisut Meeqqat
Atuarfianneersut Kattuffiat, Greenland
PIP - Perorsaasut Ilinniarsimasut
Peqatigiiffiat, Greenland
and a body where joint strategies for both Nordic and
International work are discussed and elaborated.
NLS represents teachers and head-teachers in all parts
of the education sector from early childhood education
primary education and secondary education to tertiary
education.
Together the NLS member organisations represent about
600.000 teachers.
A main task of NLS is to promote educational development
and to work for an improvement in the status of teachers.
NLS - NORDIC TEACHERS’ COUNCIL,
Vandkunsten 3, DK - 1467 Copenhagen K, DENMARK
Tel + 45 33 14 11 14, Fax + 45 33 14 22 05, E-mail: [email protected], www.n-l-s.org
LAYOUT: GEIRA BJØRN OLSEN, PHOTO: FRONTPAGE: ERIK HOLMSTEDT/PAGE 2: NANA REIMERS, PRINT: BUPL