CHANGING YOUR WORLD

Authority and Power

People who are empowered are able

to make choices about their lives.

- Authority gives a person the right to make decisions.

When people have authority, they have power over others.

People in authority can sometimes abuse the power they have.

The Charter of Rights and Freedoms protects people from the abuse of power.

As you get older, you get more power over your life and have more responsibility to make appropriate choices.

Personal empowerment is about having some control over your own life.

There are 5 main kinds of empowerment:

1. Economic Empowerment- comes from having enough wealth to take care of your needs.

2. Political Empowerment- comes from having a say in how things are organized and how decisions are made.

3. Cultural Empowerment- comes from being free to practice your culture.

4. Societal Empowerment- comes from all members of society being treated fairly and equally.

5. National Empowerment- comes from a nation having the power to make decisions for itself.

All of these kinds of empowerment work together and influence each other.

-People who are disempowered feel they have little control over their lives because they are not able to make choices about things that matter to them.

-Children are easily disempowered because adults have the authority in almost all situations. Example: Home Children

-human rights rights of every person to be empowered economically, politically, culturally, and socially

Sources

primary sources are records of events in the past made by people who were there at the time. Examples: diary, newspaper, photographs

secondary sources: a secondary source of information is one that was created later by someone who did not experience first-hand or participate in the events or conditions you’re researching. Examples: text books, encyclopedias

1860’s-1930’s About 100,000 children from England came to Canada.

These children were in homes in England because they were orphans or their families couldn’t afford to look after them.

Trying to Solve a ProblemThe homes had too many children to care for so

they decided it would be a good idea to send as many of these children as possible to Canada.

In Canada, the children would have a good life, be able to work for farmers and others who needed help, and have a better chance of getting a job when they became adults.

The Canadian and British governments thought this was a great idea.

Some children chose to go to Canada.

Some parents made the decision for the children.

Some children were sent without being asked and without their parents knowing.

What Was Supposed to Happen

Home Children were usually between 7 and 15 years old. Some were as young as 4.

The youngest were supposed to be adopted, while the older children were expected to go to families as workers. Many were around 12 years old.

The working children were indentured- stay and work for a family until they were 18 years old- then they would be paid a small wage for their work.

The family was supposed to supply the following things:

a) good foodb) shelterc) clothingd) fair treatmente) the opportunity to attend school for at

least a few years.

What Really Happened

Some children had wonderful experiences becoming members of their new family.

Others had horrible experiences- beaten, not given proper food or clothing, and some even died from their poor treatment.

Most were treated neither good, nor bad.

They had the basics they needed to survive, but were not loved like a family member.

They worked long hours- early morning to late at night.

They usually didn’t get the wages they had earned.

They didn’t get to go to school or make friends.

Brothers and sisters were sent to different families and never found out where each other was going.

Why Couldn’t the Home Children Do More to Help Themselves?

At that time, most people believed that children did not have the right to have a say in what would happen in their lives.

Children were often on farms and never saw anyone that might help them.

If they complained to the organization that sent them to their families, they were not believed and considered to be lazy liars.

Sometimes the organization would find a new place for a badly treated child and some went to as many as 10 different homes.

Ideas Change

In the mid-1920s, many people began to realize how bad the conditions were for some Home Children when there was a famous case of a Home Child who died from cruel treatment.

The governments of Great Britain and Canada began an investigation interviewing workers from the program and the Home Children.

Afterwards, the government of Canada made it illegal for children under 14 to be sent to Canada without their families.

The Home Children program ended in 1939.

Reasons the program ended:

a) Tough economic times in Canada resulted in farmers not being able to afford to take in Home Children as workers.

b) Many people started to believe it was WRONG to take children from their families.

c) Many people started to believe that children needed a chance to grow up before they started doing hard work.

Additional Notes for PERSONAL EMPOWERMENT

Personal Empowerment comes from having the ability to do something about your needs, wants, opinions, beliefs, and feelings.

Ways I Can Become Personally Empowered

1. Get a job2. Make friends3. Volunteer4. Know my rights and responsibilities5. Being proud of my heritage6. Know where to go for help7. Learn all I can