From 18 – 26 October 2025, coinciding with the fourth Wednesday in October, Australia celebrates Children’s Week – a national event that invites us all to recognise, honour and give voice to the rights of children. This year the theme is drawn from Article 42 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC):
“Everyone should know about children’s rights!”
At MAMA, this theme resonates deeply with everything we believe: that education is more than access – it’s respect, voice and dignity. It’s also about connection – children learning with children, across cultures, supporting one another.
What does it mean to say children’s rights matter? A few thoughts:
- Every child has the right to learn, grow and thrive – no matter where they live.
- Every child has the right to speak, be heard and be treated with respect – in their family, school, community.
- Every child has the right to feel safe, valued and supported – so their childhood becomes a springboard for their future.
- And across all this, we all have the responsibility to make those rights real: not just in words, but in action.
When we work on education projects, we see these rights in action. Students connecting, sharing ideas, learning from each other. When a child has the chance to attend school, or raise their hand in class, or confidently say “this is who I am”, that is rights being lived.
Over the past 16 years, Make A Mark Australia has helped empower more than 80,000 students across seven countries through sustainable education-focused projects. In this work, we constantly return to the idea: education is empowerment. Through education children claim their rights. They claim their voice.
In places like the Solomon Islands – where our partner schools such as Amoana Christian Academy and Mercy School operate – we see young people not only receiving an education but engaging with their communities, forging leadership, sharing their learning with Australian visitors, and showing what the future can look like.
Children’s rights are not just “nice to have” – they are foundational. When we acknowledge and act on them:
- Children go to school, complete their studies and create pathways for their lives.
- Communities become stronger, more inclusive and more just.
- We create hope, because we say: “You matter. Your future matters. Your voice matters.”
- And we build the kind of world where learning, connection and mutual respect are the norm, not the exception.
As we mark Children’s Week 2025, let us shine a light on children’s rights, and help ensure that every child feels them, lives them and owns them. Because when children’s rights are known, and acted on, wonderful things happen. Learning deepens, possibilities open, futures brighten.
Make A Mark Australia 