Global Summit on Childhood

March 28-31, 2012 • Washington, D.C., USA

A “Global Summit on Childhood” conference was held in Washington, DC, presented by the Association of Childhood Education International, with the goal of raising public awareness about challenges facing childhood today.

Keynote Speaker:
Elaine Hindal, Director, Campaign for Childhood Division, The Children's Society, United Kingdom, provided the keynote address on Wednesday, March 28th.  For more information about Elaine Hindal, click here.

Delegates at the Global Summit on Childhood had the opportunity to explore a variety of key issues affecting children around the world.  The following individuals presented at this unique event:

• Susan Linn, co-founder and director of the coalition Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood and Instructor in Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School
• Christopher Clouder, author of several discussion papers and books on childhood, including The Future of Childhood
• Meg Gardinier, Chair of the U.S. Campaign to Ratify the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child
• Marcy Guddemi, Executive Director of the Gessell Institute

• Lea Pulkkinen, Professor Emerita, University of Jyväskylä, Finland.

• Enola G. Aird, founder and director of Mothers for a Human Future.

The goals of the Global Summit are to:

1. Provide a platform for interdisciplinary dialogue about the experience of childhood.
2. Explore the current state of childhood, including issues affecting education and mental and physical well-being, from international, cross-cultural, and cross-disciplinary perspectives.
3. Examine specific issues impacting the lives of children today.
4. Consider best policies and practices to promote the opportunities that support a positive childhood experience and to address the challenges that threaten childhood.

Visit the Global Summit on Childhood page periodically for more information as it becomes available.

Delegates - All participants attending the Global Summit on Childhood are viewed as delegates to the Summit. Each participant brings with them ideas, information, attitudes, and knowledge about the condition of childhood from their particular global region, nation, city, village, or community. Each participant is, therefore, a representative of a certain geographic location and culture. When delegates return home, they are expected to share what they learned at the Summit with others. Delegates serve an important role in disseninating knowledge and supporting continuity in the global conversation about childhood.