Universal Children's Day

Teachers: Visit the free MY HERO Lesson Plan for Universal Children's Day. Includes discussion guide and learning outcomes.

Film

Watch the following films about children's rights activists.

He Named Me Malala - Official Trailer

Produced by:Laurie MacDonald

HE NAMED ME MALALA is a portrait of Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Malala Yousafzai.

Free the Children - WE Charity

Producer: Free the Children

"WE Charity carries the power of WE globally, empowering communities to lift themselves out of poverty through our holistic, sustainable international development model, Free The Children’s WE Villages."

Right To Play [Excerpt]

Producer: Frank Marshall

Olympian Johann Olav Koss embarked on a remarkable journey to use sports to improve the lives of African children.

Vivienne

Producer: Diane Namm

Young Vivienne Harr was deeply affected by the story of children suffering from human trafficking. So she founded Make a Stand Lemon-aid to raise funds for organizations that fight child slavery.

These heroes, past and present, uplift the voices of their communities through action.

OutSwing [Trailer]

By: Samar Minallah Khan

On the outskirts of Islamabad, a committed coach teaches a team of unlikely players, their families, and a community how playing Cricket can change lives.

Interview with Youth Activist Sophie Healy-Thow

Kitty Richardson

Greta Thunberg

By: Xenia Shin

Climate Activist and Leader of the Global Youth Climate Movement

Mohamed Sidibay: Teaching Peace

Produced by:The MY HERO Project

Mohamed Sidibay is a survivor of a horrific civil war in Sierra Leone, where he was forced to fight as a child soldier. Now he advocates for better access to education worldwide.

Slater Unstoppable

Produced by:MY HERO

Director Slater Jewell Kemker is a filmmaker and environmental activist whose films document the environmental youth movement.

BYkids: Beekeeper [Trailer]

By: Keith Griffith III

15-year-old Keith Griffith III developed an interest in beekeeping at age 11 when both of his parents were incarcerated.

60 Sec Docs with Jahkil Jackson

By: 60 Sec docs

Jahkil Jackson from Chicago is the founder of Project I Am, an organization raising awareness about homelessness.

Words Have Power

Produced by:Lynne Cherry

10-year-old Jaysa rallies the community with her speeches about how the power plant causes asthma and “so much suffering.” When they succeed in shutting down the plant, Jaysa concludes that “words have power.”

Stories

Memory Banda: A Voice for Girls’ Rights and the Fight Against Child Marriage

By: Abigail Richardson

Memory Banda, a renowned activist from Malawi, has become a powerful advocate for girls' rights.

Mikaila Ulmer: The Young Bee Ambassador

By: Abigail Richardson

Mikaila Ulmer, was 4 when she started her own brand of honey lemonade, which would become Me & the Bees Lemonade, inspired by her great-grandmother’s recipe. I

Emma González

By: Nikki F.

Emma González survived the Parkland High School shooting and successfully fought for improved gun legislation in Florida.

Yolanda Renee King

By: Abigail Richardson

15-year-old Yolanda Renee King's speaks to children everywhere about her hopes for a new future in her book, "We Dream a World."

Nkosi Johnson

By: MY HERO

Nkosi Johnson was an orphan infected by HIV who spoke out on behalf of children with AIDS.

Jahkil Jackson

By: Abigail Richardson

A Young Philanthropist Making a Big Difference

Keith Griffin 111 - BEEKEEPER

By: Abigail Richardson

In his film, BEEKEEPER, Keith Griffith III, 15, shares the healing power and ecological importance of beekeeping.

Listen & Read Along

Ruby Nell Bridges

By: Madison

One of the most important heroes in the fight against segregation in America was a six-year-old girl, Ruby Nell Bridges.

Vivienne Harr

By: Sue Glader

Vivienne Harr founded Make a Stand Lemon-aid to raise funds for organizations that fight child slavery.

Ana Dodson

Ana Dodson formed Peruvian Hearts to provide Peruvian orphans an education.

Did you know?

On November 20, 1959, the UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child.

Art

Artists celebrate the activism and determination of children to lead society in the right direction.

Sadako Sasaki

By: Saint George

Sadako Sasaki was a Japanese girl who was two years old when an American atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, near her home next to the Misasa Bridge.

Iqbal Masih

By: by Sydney from Laguna Beach

Iqbal Masih was a Pakistani Christian boy who became a symbol of abusive child labour in the developing world.

Malala

By: Marilyn Huerta

Malala, the young activist who champions girls' education worldwide, is painted here by Marilyn Huerta.

Samantha Smith

By: by Robert Shetterly

Samantha Reed Smith was an American girl who became known as "America's Youngest Ambassador" in the United States and the "Goodwill Ambassador" in the Soviet Union during her short lifetime.

She wrote : "If we could be friends by just getting to know each other better, then what are our countries really arguing about? Nothing could be more important than not having a war if a war could kill everything."

Grade school student and peace activist, (1972 - 1985) Samantha was just 10 years old when she wrote the premier of the Soviet Union to ask him about his intentions for waging war. Yuri Andropov invited her to visit the Soviet Union and the success of her trip launched a 3 year odyssey of traveling the world, advocating for peace. Tragically, she and her father were killed in a plane wreck while returning home after one of their numerous peace missions.

Stories from the Christian Science Monitor

External Links

Universal Children's Day | Official Website

Learn more about the history of Universal Children's Day on the United Nations website

Learn about a New Hero Every Day of the Year: Visit the MY HERO Calendar

Students: Share Your Hero Essays, Films and Art through our Create Program

Outstanding essays submitted to MY HERO will be considered for a certificate/t-shirt prize or be featured on the Story Homepage.

Submit your artwork to be entered in the MY HERO art contest or to be exhibited on our Gallery Homepage.

Students can submit their films for free with a waiver to the MY HERO International Film Festival.

Our Curators

Short films curated by MY HERO International Film Festival director Wendy Milette.

OutSwing [Trailer]

By: Samar Minallah Khan

On the outskirts of Islamabad, a committed coach teaches a team of unlikely players, their families, and a community how playing Cricket can change lives.

Samar Minallah Khan

By: Abigail Richardson

Samar is a filmmaker, anthropologist and activist. In the media, she has been referred to as ‘The Savior of Souls,’ one of the ‘Women who rock the world,’ ‘The Crusader with the Camera’ and the ‘Women that changed Pakistan.’

Hero Stories curated by MY HERO General Editors Deborah Neff and Abigail Richardson.

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Universal Children's Day