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Shona Hammond Boys

Shona Hammond Boys QSM

Member of International Child Art Foundation and founder of NZ Children's Art House Foundation

Art is not a competition, art invites contemplation, co-operation, and both organizations recognize that children are our supreme innovators, our best force forward and they are in advance of us.

Given the alarming consequences of war, starvation, climate change and global tensions, the desire to set up projects introducing children to the richness and rewards of working collaborativly and learning to trust the process of consultation and decision making in art practice, has become an aim of both ICAF and NZCAHF.

Entering a children’s art club and arthouse is like entering a wide space with a broad horizon, beyond which members are never quite sure what they are doing to find. By engaging in IAE and group arts experiences, a transformation occurs which can stabilize isolated frustrated children leading to appreciation of life and growing of hope in being. As the first children's art house grew from 7 secret members to 70, so the club moved out to work in the community and mural work by children began in restaurants, shopping centres, halls and on commisioned walls, this way the children funded the relocation of an old shed and restored it to become a landmark Children's Art House

Children mobilized by their own dreams and visions collectively have a great opportunity to change their environment.

Shona Hammond Boys worked in Opitiki creating 30 murals with youth.

The crime rate dropped from 80% to 20% and police heralded the children’s efforts.

Council did not herald the children's efforts or celebrate, congratulate or thank one of them. 

Vision

From Youth Human Rights International

Freedom of Self Expression

youthforhumanrights.org

Protect the freedom of expression for all people

To say, to think to share ideas, freedom of thought

the right to believe what we  want to believe or to change it if we want.

Right to make up our own minds

meet our friends and work together, we have the right to take part in the government of our country.

The right to play

The right to education

The right ot enjoy oour rights and freedoms in our own country and all over the world.

No one can take away our human rights,

Our modern world is harming children. 

We all have the right to live in freedom and safety, nobody has any right to torture us, or hurt us, 

We are all born free

We all should have our own thoughts and ideas

We all should be treated in the same way

These rights belong to everybody,  whatever our differences

Everybody has the right to enjoy the Arts.

To participate freely in the cultural life of the community.

Right to assemble publicly, in an Art Club, if they want

The right to democracy is the right to own things or share them

Nobody should take our own things from us without good reason.

Share, get educated, live together  in peace and harmony

Including the right to be creative,

Dream

Invent

Explore

Discoover

Our future depends on protecting these rights for children

We need all the original ideas children can muster for us.

Art education has been marginalised and minimalised.

Teachers have not been shown how

When children have their own ideas

We need to engage with the ideas of children to extend and celebrate them

Childrens ideas are extensions of us.

These are the ideas that we need for the future

The voice of children have to be seen, heard and shared. We need to celebrate them.

Power and control over children is still a very big issue, globally and nationally. It is very disappointing that smacking children is considered a good solution, ie boot-camping, torturing. We have no human right to touch another person violently either physically or mentally. No person has any right to hurt us or to torture us.

Learning how to get on with others and how to use our own talents, creations, writing is protected under copyright law as we all have the right to our own way of life and to enjoy the good things that art and learning bring to life.

Power and control over children is a big issue in New Zealand because being patted on the head, wanting to control a student who isn't actually being listened to .

Being told work is 'beautiful' all the time drives a kid crazy.

Our future depends on our children and their talents and their abilities to dream the future differently.

Right to live together in Peace and Harmony, which includes the right to be creative, to dream, explore  etc.

This generation is advanced.....

Boys work with colour now, without complaint, no complaints about painting flowers, 

Gender spacing, no complaints..... 

The first thing to learn is that every child, person,  every artist is different

The power of the peer group is paramount. The leading force forward. 

Children are mobilized by their own Individual artistic experience.

Art is long.

Sport is short.

Art endures.

It is a signpost, a messenger, a time-keeper, it actually deals with the immeasurable and the deeply personal.

Whereas sport is a quick game, easily over, forget the score. Quick fix. physical fix, 

Art is engagement.

Hands

Head

Heart. 

Shona can not go to every community to help them set up a Children's Art House any more. Communities have to take the leadership and the paradigm shift to build this for their youth.

It's a proven model and it is more important than ever.

Government announced this week (June 25) that we will need 36% more room in prisons in the next 10 years. The probability is measurable. We know what probably will happen to our children today. We also know what can interrupt that probability, by giving children the space to dream of a new possibility for themselves and their country and their planet, through access to The Arts.