Play energises us. It enlivens us, eases our burdens and opens us up to new possibilities. It is the essence of being a child and fundamental to our development from infancy through to adolescence and beyond.

This week marks 25 years since the United Nations passed the Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC)—a convention that changed the way children are viewed and treated. A convention that now sees children of the world as human beings with a distinct set of rights rather than passive objects of care and charity.

But as wonderful as it all sounds, for some children it has not yet become their reality.

In a creative collaboration between the Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House, its supporters at UNICEF Australia and local Canberra children, Play Up celebrates the rights of a child and turns the traditional idea of what goes on in a museum completely on its head.

Poised and calm, 12 year old Telopea Park School student Adele Louchart-Fletcher stood before a hall filled with school children, toddlers and proud parents to launch the exhibition earlier this week with a heartfelt message to all.

[pe2-image src=”http://lh5.ggpht.com/-LwkI_4F5dj8/VG5xhdsNg_I/AAAAAAAAMkg/Kv6wd0fz27s/s144-c-o/IMG_1808.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/108454826374315674707/PlayUpAtMuseumOfAustralianDemocracy#6083924966343803890″ caption=”Teleopea Park School’s Adele Louchart-Fletcher launches the Play Up exhibition at Old Parliament House.” type=”image” alt=”IMG_1808.jpg” pe2_single_image_size=”w400″ pe2_img_align=”center” pe2_caption=”1″ ]

“Every child has the right to shelter; the right to a family; the right to an education; the right to have their own beliefs; the right to play; and the right to be loved,” she says.

[pe2-image src=”http://lh4.ggpht.com/-LT6B94icnHM/VG5xng-rk7I/AAAAAAAAMlA/yI2hgGY83nw/s144-c-o/IMG_1827.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/108454826374315674707/PlayUpAtMuseumOfAustralianDemocracy#6083925070305792946″ caption=”Do you know the rights of the child? Does your child know their rights?” type=”image” alt=”IMG_1827.jpg” pe2_single_image_size=”w614″ pe2_img_align=”center” pe2_caption=”1″ ]

A playful space with a serious message, UNICEF CEO, Norman Gillespie says play is a child’s right we take for granted in Australia, but its power for all children throughout the world cannot be underestimated particularly with a document such as the CRC.

“The CRC enshrines the fundamental rights of life and it’s aimed very much at children,” he says.

“It starts with the right to survive; the right to life (and what more important thing than that). It goes on to numerate all those things we may take for granted but are not available to all the children of the world.”

[pe2-image src=”http://lh4.ggpht.com/-Lnk8TxKMTgQ/VG5xv7xiEzI/AAAAAAAAMlc/UwZS7MP4oXQ/s144-c-o/IMG_1848.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/108454826374315674707/PlayUpAtMuseumOfAustralianDemocracy#6083925214937355058″ caption=”The fundamental right of being a child.” type=”image” alt=”IMG_1848.JPG” pe2_single_image_size=”w614″ pe2_img_align=”center” pe2_caption=”1″ ]

But there are children the world over (including Australia) that have no idea that they, like you or I, have these rights.

“The more the children here that can become aware of those [rights] and the power of their own voice then the better the quality of democracy we’ll have going forward,” says Norman.

Curated by local children for the children and through its exploration of the UNCRC, Play Up places children’s voices at the heart of the experience in a fun and creative way that resonates strongly with its younger visitors.

[pe2-image src=”http://lh5.ggpht.com/-ZEtpd56XEt0/VG5xwGGKCaI/AAAAAAAAMlg/R_IbclLoork/s144-c-o/IMG_1847.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/108454826374315674707/PlayUpAtMuseumOfAustralianDemocracy#6083925217708214690″ caption=”Every child should be free to relax, play and believe what they will.” type=”image” alt=”IMG_1847.jpg” pe2_single_image_size=”w614″ pe2_img_align=”center” pe2_caption=”1″ ]

[pe2-image src=”http://lh4.ggpht.com/-kVXFRUrRdlI/VG5xl8A-DPI/AAAAAAAAMks/iHWdhT8mVLs/s144-c-o/IMG_1821.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/108454826374315674707/PlayUpAtMuseumOfAustralianDemocracy#6083925043203411186″ caption=”Play Up’s ‘Occupy Small Street’ collection, toy figurines with political placards created by visitors during Enlighten 2014.” type=”image” alt=”IMG_1821.JPG” pe2_single_image_size=”w614″ pe2_img_align=”center” pe2_caption=”1″ ]

What makes this exhibition truly unique is that children and their families were engaged from the very outset of the exhibition’s conception—a crucial key in reflecting what the exhibition is all about, because let’s face it who knows better than children to create an exhibition that is fun, educational and all about them?

[pe2-image src=”http://lh4.ggpht.com/-DvnSdi5jc3M/VG5xskLX91I/AAAAAAAAMlQ/xcuBYhwKkjw/s144-c-o/IMG_1840.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/108454826374315674707/PlayUpAtMuseumOfAustralianDemocracy#6083925157063685970″ caption=”Every child has rights.” type=”image” alt=”IMG_1840.JPG” pe2_single_image_size=”w614″ pe2_img_align=”center” pe2_caption=”1″ ]

During school holiday programs throughout the year, children explored the idea that mischief can be a powerful form of protest and created photographic, video and graffiti works to make their voices heard.

“Children were involved from the very beginning,” says Nanette Louchart-Fletcher, Community Learning Officer for the Museum of Australian Democracy of Old Parliament House.

“We talked with children about the whole idea of curating an exhibition all around children’s rights, potential ideas from a theme perspective, and what they would want to go with it.

“The right to play was something that resonated really strongly with them in the way that it would with a whole lot of people.”

From these key conversations, Nanette then sourced experts in their field to partner with the exhibition and develop experiences around play including graffiti artist Geoff Filmer, photography artist Christine Pobke and video artist Kirsty Macafee.

“The great thing about the programs is that the children’s content is incorporated into the exhibition itself,” says Nanette.

“What we’ve found, from the July school holiday program, is that all of the children are coming back because they are immensely proud of their work being a part of the exhibition.”

[pe2-image src=”http://lh4.ggpht.com/-DZ7ARVNgo-M/VG5xprq3y5I/AAAAAAAAMlI/CnSevCnoQN8/s144-c-o/IMG_1830.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/108454826374315674707/PlayUpAtMuseumOfAustralianDemocracy#6083925107535235986″ caption=”All hands on deck for play time!” type=”image” alt=”IMG_1830.JPG” pe2_single_image_size=”w614″ pe2_img_align=”center” pe2_caption=”1″ ]

It is an exhibition that will continue to grow, change and develop with content from future school holiday programs set to also be incorporated and added into the Play Up exhibition, ensuring that is inclusive of all children regardless of where they come from.

Christine Pobke runs the children’s photography workshop during the school holidays where she teaches different concepts of photography using Fuji and Sax cameras while giving creativity freedom to the task at hand. While it may seem obvious the vividness of a child’s imagination, for Christine says it was still a surprise to witness it firsthand.

“The thing that I was most surprised about what their [the children’s] ability to think outside the box,” she says. “It’s different seeing it in the flesh, but being able to say ‘Today we’re going to talk about the concept of abstract‘  and then see them take such incredible photographs that even I couldn’t brainstorm really me and I was inspired by that.”

Play is our brain’s favourite way of learning and video workshop facilitator Kirstie Macafee agrees.

“We underestimate they’re grasp of concepts such as design and space; they just interpret things differently but they are able to create their own narratives.”

Says Adele, “Playtime is important for us [children]; you don’t want to work too much but you don’t want to play all the time either—you just need to balance it.”

The essentials
What: Play Up
Where: Museum of Australian Democracy of Old Parliament House
When: Open daily from 9am to 5pm with the current theme The Right to Play on display until June 2015.

Play energises us. It enlivens us, eases our burdens and opens us up to new possibilities. It is the essence of being a child and fundamental to our development from infancy through to adolescence and beyond.

This week marks 25 years since the United Nations passed the Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC)—a convention that changed the way children are viewed and treated. A convention that now sees children of the world as human beings with a distinct set of rights rather than passive objects of care and charity.

But as wonderful as it all sounds, for some children it has not yet become their reality.

In a creative collaboration between the Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House, its supporters at UNICEF Australia and local Canberra children, Play Up celebrates the rights of a child and turns the traditional idea of what goes on in a museum completely on its head.

Poised and calm, 12 year old Telopea Park School student Adele Louchart-Fletcher stood before a hall filled with school children, toddlers and proud parents to launch the exhibition earlier this week with a heartfelt message to all.

[pe2-image src=”http://lh5.ggpht.com/-LwkI_4F5dj8/VG5xhdsNg_I/AAAAAAAAMkg/Kv6wd0fz27s/s144-c-o/IMG_1808.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/108454826374315674707/PlayUpAtMuseumOfAustralianDemocracy#6083924966343803890″ caption=”Teleopea Park School’s Adele Louchart-Fletcher launches the Play Up exhibition at Old Parliament House.” type=”image” alt=”IMG_1808.jpg” pe2_single_image_size=”w400″ pe2_img_align=”center” pe2_caption=”1″ ]

“Every child has the right to shelter; the right to a family; the right to an education; the right to have their own beliefs; the right to play; and the right to be loved,” she says.

[pe2-image src=”http://lh4.ggpht.com/-LT6B94icnHM/VG5xng-rk7I/AAAAAAAAMlA/yI2hgGY83nw/s144-c-o/IMG_1827.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/108454826374315674707/PlayUpAtMuseumOfAustralianDemocracy#6083925070305792946″ caption=”Do you know the rights of the child? Does your child know their rights?” type=”image” alt=”IMG_1827.jpg” pe2_single_image_size=”w614″ pe2_img_align=”center” pe2_caption=”1″ ]

A playful space with a serious message, UNICEF CEO, Norman Gillespie says play is a child’s right we take for granted in Australia, but its power for all children throughout the world cannot be underestimated particularly with a document such as the CRC.

“The CRC enshrines the fundamental rights of life and it’s aimed very much at children,” he says.

“It starts with the right to survive; the right to life (and what more important thing than that). It goes on to numerate all those things we may take for granted but are not available to all the children of the world.”

[pe2-image src=”http://lh4.ggpht.com/-Lnk8TxKMTgQ/VG5xv7xiEzI/AAAAAAAAMlc/UwZS7MP4oXQ/s144-c-o/IMG_1848.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/108454826374315674707/PlayUpAtMuseumOfAustralianDemocracy#6083925214937355058″ caption=”The fundamental right of being a child.” type=”image” alt=”IMG_1848.JPG” pe2_single_image_size=”w614″ pe2_img_align=”center” pe2_caption=”1″ ]

But there are children the world over (including Australia) that have no idea that they, like you or I, have these rights.

“The more the children here that can become aware of those [rights] and the power of their own voice then the better the quality of democracy we’ll have going forward,” says Norman.

Curated by local children for the children and through its exploration of the UNCRC, Play Up places children’s voices at the heart of the experience in a fun and creative way that resonates strongly with its younger visitors.

[pe2-image src=”http://lh5.ggpht.com/-ZEtpd56XEt0/VG5xwGGKCaI/AAAAAAAAMlg/R_IbclLoork/s144-c-o/IMG_1847.jpg” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/108454826374315674707/PlayUpAtMuseumOfAustralianDemocracy#6083925217708214690″ caption=”Every child should be free to relax, play and believe what they will.” type=”image” alt=”IMG_1847.jpg” pe2_single_image_size=”w614″ pe2_img_align=”center” pe2_caption=”1″ ]

[pe2-image src=”http://lh4.ggpht.com/-kVXFRUrRdlI/VG5xl8A-DPI/AAAAAAAAMks/iHWdhT8mVLs/s144-c-o/IMG_1821.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/108454826374315674707/PlayUpAtMuseumOfAustralianDemocracy#6083925043203411186″ caption=”Play Up’s ‘Occupy Small Street’ collection, toy figurines with political placards created by visitors during Enlighten 2014.” type=”image” alt=”IMG_1821.JPG” pe2_single_image_size=”w614″ pe2_img_align=”center” pe2_caption=”1″ ]

What makes this exhibition truly unique is that children and their families were engaged from the very outset of the exhibition’s conception—a crucial key in reflecting what the exhibition is all about, because let’s face it who knows better than children to create an exhibition that is fun, educational and all about them?

[pe2-image src=”http://lh4.ggpht.com/-DvnSdi5jc3M/VG5xskLX91I/AAAAAAAAMlQ/xcuBYhwKkjw/s144-c-o/IMG_1840.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/108454826374315674707/PlayUpAtMuseumOfAustralianDemocracy#6083925157063685970″ caption=”Every child has rights.” type=”image” alt=”IMG_1840.JPG” pe2_single_image_size=”w614″ pe2_img_align=”center” pe2_caption=”1″ ]

During school holiday programs throughout the year, children explored the idea that mischief can be a powerful form of protest and created photographic, video and graffiti works to make their voices heard.

“Children were involved from the very beginning,” says Nanette Louchart-Fletcher, Community Learning Officer for the Museum of Australian Democracy of Old Parliament House.

“We talked with children about the whole idea of curating an exhibition all around children’s rights, potential ideas from a theme perspective, and what they would want to go with it.

“The right to play was something that resonated really strongly with them in the way that it would with a whole lot of people.”

From these key conversations, Nanette then sourced experts in their field to partner with the exhibition and develop experiences around play including graffiti artist Geoff Filmer, photography artist Christine Pobke and video artist Kirsty Macafee.

“The great thing about the programs is that the children’s content is incorporated into the exhibition itself,” says Nanette.

“What we’ve found, from the July school holiday program, is that all of the children are coming back because they are immensely proud of their work being a part of the exhibition.”

[pe2-image src=”http://lh4.ggpht.com/-DZ7ARVNgo-M/VG5xprq3y5I/AAAAAAAAMlI/CnSevCnoQN8/s144-c-o/IMG_1830.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/108454826374315674707/PlayUpAtMuseumOfAustralianDemocracy#6083925107535235986″ caption=”All hands on deck for play time!” type=”image” alt=”IMG_1830.JPG” pe2_single_image_size=”w614″ pe2_img_align=”center” pe2_caption=”1″ ]

It is an exhibition that will continue to grow, change and develop with content from future school holiday programs set to also be incorporated and added into the Play Up exhibition, ensuring that is inclusive of all children regardless of where they come from.

Christine Pobke runs the children’s photography workshop during the school holidays where she teaches different concepts of photography using Fuji and Sax cameras while giving creativity freedom to the task at hand. While it may seem obvious the vividness of a child’s imagination, for Christine says it was still a surprise to witness it firsthand.

“The thing that I was most surprised about what their [the children’s] ability to think outside the box,” she says. “It’s different seeing it in the flesh, but being able to say ‘Today we’re going to talk about the concept of abstract‘  and then see them take such incredible photographs that even I couldn’t brainstorm really me and I was inspired by that.”

Play is our brain’s favourite way of learning and video workshop facilitator Kirstie Macafee agrees.

“We underestimate they’re grasp of concepts such as design and space; they just interpret things differently but they are able to create their own narratives.”

Says Adele, “Playtime is important for us [children]; you don’t want to work too much but you don’t want to play all the time either—you just need to balance it.”

The essentials
What: Play Up
Where: Museum of Australian Democracy of Old Parliament House
When: Open daily from 9am to 5pm with the current theme The Right to Play on display until June 2015.