COMPETITION GUIDELINES
Judging Criteria:
Part 1: The Challenge
Write what you believe are the greatest challenges facing Australian children today (in a 150 words or less)
Part 2: The Solution
Write what you believe would be the best solution and way to help Aussie children through these challenges (in a 300 words or less).
Part 3: The Fund Raising
Write how you believe we could run a national fund raising event or program to support and implement your ideas (in a 150 words or less).
Competition Results
Dads4Kids Competition Winners: Cash Prize $1,000 + Book + Trophy
Lyle Sims, Gunnedah NSW
Stuart Milne, Townsville QLD
Darryl Seip, Ipswich QLD
Dads4Kids Competition Finalists: Book Prize + Recognition Award
Bozena Warzecha, Ballina NSW
Kim Ross, Bendigo VIC
Tim Shambrook, Narre Warren VIC
Warren Fenwick, McKellar ACT
Fiona Ford, Collombatti NSW
Mathew Nostro, Sth Morang VIC
Glen Govett, Osborne SA
Melinda Fletcher, Kellyville NSW
Dean Cottier, Ferntree Gully, VIC
Dads4Kids Competition Recognition Awards
Kerri Muldoon, Birdwood SA
Paul Graham, Mayfield NSW
Alison Gill, Craigburn Farm SA
Jenn Carroll, Toowoomba QLD
James Davidson, Mt Barker SA
Paul John, Macquarie Hills NSW
Paul Klapper, Nambour QLD
Most Outstanding Child Entry: Cash Prize $250 + Book + Trophy
Braden Pitcher, Camberwell VIC
Competition Entries of Winners
Lyle Sims, Gunnedah NSW
The Challenge
The greatest challenges facing Australian Children today are threefold:
A need for family relationships,
A need for respect and honour for whom respect and honour is due,
A galvanising of the gender differences.
Why? because so many Australian children today are cut adrift from support structures, role modelling, and acceptances of children’s and young people significance and place in our communities. TV, SMS and peers have become their parents, teachers and family. They are drenched with a culture of self satisfying, self seeking, from the self absorbed media, so that healthy attitudes to life and their place in life are often stunted and stifled. Our young peoples are the future of our nation. As they go so goes the nation. Our future is in their hands, their future is in ours.
The Solution
The best way to help Aussie children through these challenges is to proactively involve ourselves in children’s lives. All around them many children are being sold the message that the way to be a winner is to disconnect from parents, community and God. We need to spend time with children, see the world from their point of view, not exclusively of course, but enough so that we can see the problems and challenges that they face. We need to then put our hands back on the wheel of where the family is going. Children need guidelines. Children need boundaries within which to exercise freedom of choice. Family relationships, even composite families, have a chance to provide this, if we are willing to try. Allow TV and SMS, but set time limits. Allow only one family TV in the house. Talk about the values (positive or negative) that those who produced the programs were trying to convey. Be involved. Teach the proper place of respect for whom respect is due. Begin with God.
The Fundraising
Since the problems are systemic both in society and in the media’s attitudes, a way forward would be to target both. First write to the top 500 wealthiest fathers & grandfathers in Australia asking if they would be willing to contribute 1% of their personal wealth to a trust to fund the promotion of family values through the media. This would be called the ‘1 from 500’ group, with these funds address the challenges as outlined above through the media. Additionally create an annual award to be given to given (possibly at the Logies) to the best free to air channel who promotes family values (free of charge). Investigate if community announcements like ‘kidsafe’ are currently screened free of charge.
Stuart Milne, Townsville QLD
The Challenge
I believe the greatest challenges facing Aussie kids today are:
The lack of direction given from parents,
The disintegration of the family unit,
The error the world has made of straying from the traditional family unit though economic circumstances in some cases and greed in others.
The hedonistic world we live in today and the perceived need to keep up with the Jones has destroyed the family and is doing so more and more on a daily basis. Kids lack the guidance required from both parents in order to be able to maintain their future relationships.
The Solution
A return to the teaching of traditional family values and education, beginning when children are young. Teaching that marriage takes hard work and divorce is a last resort, not a first one, would be a great start. Teach them that happiness in the family is more important than money and worldly possessions. Teach them to avoid the pitfalls of the hedonistic 'have it now pay for it later' world we live in, and above all, teach them to value themselves highly as humans.
Leading by example is also a great way to start too!
Show them the right way don't give them the example of do as I say not as I do!
The Fundraising
Simple - hold a host of National Family Barbeques around the nation on a Saturday. Have them in parks and at beaches with organised activities and celebrate families of all types, races creeds and religions. Have them set up to embrace being a family unit. Three legged races fathers and daughters, fathers and sons in sack races. Get them together just having fun, enjoying each others time and company.
Make them alcohol free, and everyone will enjoy themselves immensely.
Set it up nationally on the same day in every location or major centre around the nation.
I'm currently in the planning stage to do this and will be organising them via a network of contacts and associates I have nationally. Fundraising could be done by way of donation (gold coin) at the events, in exchange for delivery of information to the attendees. It gets the message out to everyone and is quite easy and simple to deliver.
Darryl Seip, Ipswich QLD
The Challenge
One of the greatest challenges for society is 'busyness'. Perhaps in an effort to over compensate for lack of experiences in their own childhood, parents today want to give their children a variety of opportunities. I am amazed at the number of social, sporting, cultural, academic and spiritual options available to a young generation.
However herein lies the problem.
In an attempt to give children as many choices as possible to enrich their lives, family life suffers. Parents become chauffers. Meals are eaten on the run. The back seat of the car becomes the dinner table. Opportunities to serve the community in other areas at this stage of life are reduced because there is no time left. Children are given an amazing childhood. It’s just that family life is fragmented by children, mums and dads going in different directions. I know. I’m one of those parents.
The Solution
Although this doesn’t seem like a major problem, I believe that busyness has the potential to disrupt family life. Children may reach teenage years and be burnt out. Parents that want to enrich their children’s life actually sacrifice family time together and weaken their families.
I propose - 'The Day Australia Took the Night Off'.
I propose that we coordinate with sporting, singing, service, social groups etc. in cities and towns and nominate a day and a night with no activity.
Even though there may be a risk to a premiership, a performance or a presentation a greater goal would be to give families an opportunity to stay at home.
The Day Australia Took the Night Off would be a chance for families to slow down and do things together as a family. Perhaps neighbourhoods or extended families could come together. Perhaps those without close relatives could adopt a grandparent.
The Fundraising
I believe that many businesses would love to lend their name to a family friendly night such as the one I am proposing. Companies could provide ideas in the resource packs that go along with the night. For example food companies could provide recipes for family meals that can be made and eaten together as a family. Board game makers could provide discounts or suggest different games for different ages. Photo companies could provide ideas for sharing family memories. Those who are experts in family matters could write ideas and short articles sponsored by companies willing to have their name and logo on resources packs.
We should start small. My local city, Ipswich, could participate in a pilot program to begin with. Eventually, as the idea received support, many more companies would get on board and families would love to participate in 'The Day Australia Took the Night Off'.
Most Outstanding Child Entry
Braden Pitcher, Camberwell VIC
The Challenge
I believe that many Australian kids do not receive love from two parents. This causes kids to be disruptive and violent in classrooms. They can't control themselves and take all their anger and sadness out on others. I have witnessed this at my old primary school, and you feel you just can't communicate with them. You can tell something's wrong but when you offer to help they snap. It's a battle that many kids go through and nothing is done about it. Having only one parent makes the other parent stressed and they get angry easily. This way kids feel like they can't do anything right. It is an issue which saddened me to see happen and I felt as though someone needs to take action. This was a good way for me, 13, to express my thoughts and take action. After all it's a battle we must fight!!
The Solution
I think that you could set up a camp in the school holidays for both 2 weeks, which incorporates kids and parents working together in teams. For example, for one kid you need one adult. At the camps you are separated from your parent and they are swapped for someone else's parent either of the same or the opposite sex. They become your parent for the two weeks. Then you are put evenly into groups, so say 20 families came 5 pairs of people in each group. This will enable the kids to not only feel what another parent would be like but also be accompanied by kids with the same problem. At the end of the first week you revisit your actual parent and tell them how it's going. They can involve activities such as High Ropes Courses etc. these involve you having to work as a team. The camps can go to different places depending on the seasons. For eg. Summer: Whitsundays or Gold Coast, winter: Mt. Buller or Lake Mountain. Something like this idea will help kids focus their energy on the right things.
The Fundraising
If Matt Haydon can help you out then you can pretty much do anything. I was thinking that most answers would be carnivals, cake stalls, releasing recipe books, or races. Sure they're all good, but you have to think what would people actually pay tickets for. I thought you could have 2 little matches. These matches consist of say Essendon Footy Club (any club really?) and the Victorian Cricket team who play each other in each others game. People would come and pay for this because it would be a really funny game to watch. It can be played in the off-season so it doesn't affect the actual teams during season, and fans will want more footy or cricket anyway. SO IT WILL BE A BIG TURNOUT!!