Through her role, Erin facilitates two-way learning environments where people know their voice and presence are valued and is committed to child-centered and child-led ways of working.
Erin works to ensure children and young people realise their right to participate and enjoy lives where they are seen, heard and valued. Erin joined 54 reasons in 2016 as a Regional Coordinator and is a Co-lead for Save the Children International's Child Participation Technical Working Group. She has 20 years of sector experience with key roles including working alongside children and young people; settlement support; and child, youth, and family services coordination. Erin’s qualifications include International Aid and Community Development and Community Services Coordination, and she is committed to lifelong learning.
We recognise that if we are going to make a difference in the lives of children and young people – we need to create and prioritise space to listen to, learn from and work alongside them.
ERIN: child i view is 54 reasons’ Child Rights Framework. It speaks to why we do what we do, and how we do it – and the importance of considering our practice from the viewpoint of children. Through child i view we explore the values, principles, standards and practice skills that help our program teams take our child rights approach from theory into practice! We recognise that if we are going to make a difference in the lives of children and young people – we need to create and prioritise space to listen to, learn from and work alongside them. We are working hard to strengthen the ways we already engage with children and young people, invest in new ways of two-way learning (like the Young Advisors we are recruiting!), and ensuring the views of children and young people genuinely influence our ways of working at 54 reasons.
ERIN: We know that if children are going to enjoy their rights in real and meaningful ways, they need to first understand what their rights are and how they are relevant to their individual context. We also know that there are rights of children, like children’s right to participate in decisions that impact them, that when actioned, can set all other rights of children up for success! Ultimately, children’s rights education and advocacy is a vehicle we can use to ensure children are seen, heard, and feel valued. There is a real power in children’s rights to help children realise they matter, and their quality-of-life matters.
ERIN: We have a genuine commitment to ensuring we create space in our organisation for listening to, learning from and growing alongside children and young people. Part of this is creating formal pathways through which children and young people strengthen the way we work alongside them, consult on our ways of working – and play an active role in championing children’s rights. Another part of this is designing internal communication and qualitative data collection pathways that ensure children’s views are given due consideration, that what we learn from children is shared with relevant decision makers, and that we maintain effective and child-friendly feedback processes. All of this is about strengthening our accountability to children, and how we work alongside them – knowing we will be stronger for it.
54 reasons acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the Traditional Owners and custodians of the land on which we work, and their continuing connection to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their lore, and to their Elders past, present and emerging.
54 reasons is a proudly inclusive organisation and an ally of the LGBTIQ+ community.
