‘WHAT should a good childhood look like?’ That was the question asked yesterday, March 3, by The Berry Street Childhood Institute as their Imaginate national multimedia competition launches for young people.
Imaginate invites young people aged 13-25 to answer the competition question using a creative format that falls under one of the four creative categories, visual art, performance, digital art and writing. All Australian young people are encouraged to enter. Entries will be open until May 26.
Voting for People’s Choice Awards will commence as soon as the first entries have been received and great prizes, including $20,000 of generously donated Canon photography gear, will be awarded from the beginning of April onwards.
Why Imaginate? The 21st Century is undoubtedly an exciting time to be a child. Fast-paced technology and a global community mean that children and young people have access to greater opportunity, information and experience than ever before.
However, as Berry Street Childhood Institute Director, Marg Hamley notes: “Despite our economic prosperity and technological advancement, many key indicators of children’s health, wellbeing and development are not improving and some are worsening.
“The number of children entering the child protection system is increasing each year and countless children’s lives continue to be torn apart by family violence. There is also still a gap between outcomes for Indigenous children and their non-indigenous peers.
“For an unacceptable number of children, childhood is not a good experience.”
Berry Street, Victoria’s largest independent child and family services organisation, and The Berry Street Childhood Institute are pursuing the vision that all children should have a good childhood.
The Berry Street Childhood Institute wants to inspire public dialogue, mobilise leadership and build & share knowledge about what works when it comes to ensuring children have a good childhood.
Imaginate will place the voices of young Australians at the forefront of an emerging national conversation about child wellbeing. Their input, through Imaginate, will inform a national campaign strategy towards positive change for childhood in Australia.
For more information and to enter or vote register at www.imaginate.org.au. Join the conversation with Imaginate on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, using the hashtags #imaginateaus, #goodchildhoodaus, #goodchildhood.
Source: Berry Street
Ryan Fritz
Ryan Fritz started The Advocate in 2014 to provide not-for-profits and charities another media platform to tell their worthwhile hard news stories and opinion pieces effortlessly. In 2020, Ryan formed a team of volunteer journalists to help spread even more high-quality stories from the third sector. He also has over 10 years experience as a media and communications professional for not-for-profits and charities and currently works at Redkite, a childhood cancer charity.
