A number of concerned organisations and experts have come together to hold a forum called  Right2childhood  to examine the convergence of sex, violence, media, commerce and popular culture. It explores the impact on our children and what we can do about it. 

When:
9am-5pm, Friday, April 29, 2011

Where:
Wesley Conference Centre, Sydney CBD

Many child development experts are very concerned by the erosion of our children’s ‘childhood’.  The demands and expectations on children today mean that they are subjected to and influenced by commercialisation, sexualisation, body image dissatisfaction and violent imagery at a very young age.

Are the children of today really ready or able to deal with such complicated issues at such a young age? Or are current social and cultural trends leading to issues such as mental health which surface later in life?

A growing body of scientific evidence and expert opinion has identified important issues with major implications for mental health, public health, education and policy that arise out of these issues.

Topics & areas of concern:
• Sexualisation & adultification of children: how it impacts on development
• Social networking & cyberia: how it impacts on relationships
• Body image, dieting and eating disorders
• Role of advertising, media & Commerce on children’s behaviour
• Commerce & consumerism: how it impacts on young people’s sense of meaning
• Sex, pornography & violence as marketing tools
• Social & Cultural Explanations
• Corporate social responsibility
• Grass Roots Activism

The speakers include Australia’s leading Experts:
• Steve Biddulph, Psychologist and Family Therapist
• Joe Tucci, Psychologist and Social Worker, CEO Australian Childhood Foundation
• Maggie Hamilton, Author and Researcher
• Melinda Tankard Reist. Author and Media Commentator
• Dr Wayne Warburton, Psychologist and Researcher, Australian Council on Children and the Media
• Julie Gale, Activist, Founder, Kids Free 2 be Kids
• Nina Funnell, Journalist
• Emma Rush, Philosopher and Social Researcher
• Richard Eckersley, Social Analyst
• Dr Ramesh Manocha, Medical Practitioner and Researcher

Supported by:

Australian Childhood Foundation, Australian Council on Children and the Media, Kids Free 2b Kids, Collective Shout, Generation Next, Healthed

Who Should Attend?
The information in this seminar is essential knowledge for
• Teachers, counselors, welfare workers, health professionals, parents and all those who work with young people
• Policy makers, academics, organisational leaders and researchers
• Representatives from the advertising, media and marketing industries

To register, for more information or download a brochure:
go to www.right2childhood.com.au
or phone: 1300 797 794

Writer Helen Splarn. Editor Dr Ramesh Manocha.
Source: right2childhood