Sometimes, as our own childhood steadily recedes into the past, and we see childhoods being cut way too short in a tragic and violent manner as we sadly saw happening this past week with Elianne Andam and the 17 year-old boy who has been charged with her senseless murder, we want to ask what has been happening to children and our society. Where can we look for objective trends to reflect and take action?
The Good Childhood report has been published annually over several years, providing benchmarks for estimating how children are feeling and what changes can be discerned in their experience.
In 2020-21, 10 to 15 year-old children’s ratings of their happiness with their life as a whole, their friends, appearance, school, and schoolwork were all significantly lower than in 2009-10 when the survey began.
Family was the only aspect of life where no significant change in children’s happiness had occurred since the survey started.
In 2023, no less than 10% of children and young people (aged 10 to 17) surveyed had low wellbeing.
The Children’s Society has called for serious government action to reverse these worrying trends which demonstrate yet again the importance of eradicating the blight of unhappy and insecure childhoods.
We believe, in the London ACEs Hub, that we are all important in this collective effort. The challenges faced by our children go beyond individual and familial factors; they reflect societal, systemic, and structural dynamics and adversities that can be remediated with greater awareness and continued and tenacious determination.
Members taking action!
In this commitment to making positive change, the Hub is organising a large ACEs conference for autumn 2024. Look out for notice of its progress in the months to come, and join our upcoming webinars to get involved in key conversations!
Support our work!
Check the Hub membership scheme and become a member to join our Network Meetings and projects!
As we plan more events and prepare for the 2024 conference, there are fresh opportunities to work with the Hub, especially in fundraising and media.
- With our conference plans looking bright, we wish to ensure that it provides a good experience for trauma survivors and our diverse communities, regardless of means. We welcome your donations and expert advice from fundraisers who share our values.
- If you wish to volunteer to help build our social media profile or compile this newsletter, you are also welcome to get in touch!
Send us a hello if any of these opportunities appeal to you!
