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We Use a Rights-Respecting Approach to Act On Children’s and Young People’s Concerns

Shaking the Movers (STM) is a uniquely designed annual, youth-led workshop series that takes place in different regions in Canada, in English and French and from coast to coast to coast. The workshops provide children and youth with an opportunity to exercise their right to engage in important civil and political processes with the assurance that their voices will be listened to and heard by adult decision-makers.

The Landon Pearson Centre works with community partners to organize the workshops for children and young people to consider aspects of the in the context of their lived experiences. Since 2007, young people have set their own agendas for the STM workshops, while adults provide infrastructure support. In the past, STM has had the support of the Lawson Foundation,  the Public Health Agency of Canada and, for the 2023-24 series, from Hilary Pearson.

If you are interested in a Shaking the Movers workshop tailored to your organization, please contact the Director for more information.

Shaking the Movers Workshop Organization

Approximately 40 diverse children and youth, between the ages of 8 and 18, attend each of the STM workshops; we also tailor STM workshops for early childhood with children ages 18 months to 3 years (see below). Lead organizers for workshops are from local host universities or community organizations. The leads set up the infrastructure for the workshops, each of which is facilitated by young people between the ages of 18-25. Facilitators receive specialized training in children’s rights and rights-based approaches. For more information on the Shaking the Movers model, please see: Shaking the Movers: A model for collaborative consultation, and What makes Shaking the Movers unique.

Each workshop has a theme determined by young people and involves a university student or team noting the outcomes, priorities and ideas presented by the STM children and youth in a concluding report. The Landon Pearson Centre distributes these reports widely to our CRAN network members who work in academic, policy, government, advocacy, legal, medical and practitioner sectors. Also, CRAN’s responses to STM workshops.

Shaking the Movers Early Childhood Workshops

The Landon Pearson Centre piloted three STM Early Childhood Workshops for three- to seven-year-old children in Pond Inlet, Edmonton and Toronto in 2019, with the support of the Muttart Family Foundation. The workshops were designed by Early Childhood Education experts in the Child Rights Academic Network (CRAN) and are another unique feature of our Centre: we consult with very young children using a tailored approach, value their lived experiences, and bring their views and perspectives to inform decision-making on their behalf.

Shaking the Movers Annual Reports

2026-27 STM Series: “Building Spaces, Creating Pathways.”

2025-26 STM Series: “Freedom of Expression and Identity.”

• STM 2025-26 Atlantic (Wisdom2Action)
• STM 2025-26 Early Childhood MacEwan University (Edmonton)
• STM 2025-26 British Columbia (Simon Fraser University & North Shore Restorative Justice)
• STM 2025-26 Toronto (Toronto Metropolitan University)
• STM 2025-26 London (King’s College Western University)
• STM 2025 -26 Helix Foundation (Toronto)
• STM 2025-26 Mt. Royal University (Calgary)

2024-25 STM Series: “Building Our Communities of Care.”

• STM 2024-25 Atlantic (Wisdom2Action) pdf report
• STM 2024-25 Ottawa (S.A.T.E schools, Ottawa ÐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ District school board) pdf report
• STM 2024-25 Toronto (Toronto Metropolitan University) pdf report
• STM 2024-25 London (King’s College Western University) pdf report
• STM 2024 -25 Saskatchewan (STM Saskatoon) pdf report
• STM 2024-25 Waterloo Region (Children and Youth Planning Table of Waterloo Region) pdf report

2023-24 STM Series: “Reconciliation and Places Where We Belong”

• STM 2023-24 Kitigan Zibi (First Nations Child and Family Caring Society) pdf report
• STM 2023-24 Val d’Or (Concordia University) pdf report
• STM 2023-24 Toronto (Toronto Metropolitan University pdf report and
• STM 2023-24 London (King’s College Western University) pdf report
• STM 2023 -24 Early Childhood Edmonton (MacEwan University) pdf report

2022-23 Shaking the Movers Series: “A World Fit For Us”

• STM Ottawa 2022-23 (Vanier Social Services Centre) pdf report
• STM Ottawa 2022-23 (First Nations Child and Family Caring Society) pdf report
• STM London 2022-23 (King’s College Western University)  pdf report
• STM Toronto 2022-23 (Toronto Metropolitan University)  pdf report and Video
• STM East Coast 2022-23  pdf report
• STM Early Childhood Edmonton 2022-23 (MacEwan University) pdf report

2021 STM Series: “Children’s Rights and the COVID-19 Pandemic”  

• STM Ottawa (Vanier Social Services Centre) 2021 pdf report 
• STM Iqaluit 2021 pdf report
• STM Early Childhood Edmonton (MacEwan University) 2021 pdf report
• STM London (King’s College Western University) 2021 pdf report
• STM  Toronto (Toronto Metropolitan University)  2021 pdf report
• STM East Coast 2021 pdf report

Related resources from 2021:

STM Thematic Analysis by undergraduate students in the Child and Youth Studies program at King’s College, Western. With thanks to King’s student Kira Prince and Prof. Daniella Bendo. Click to read King’s STM Thematic Analysis

STM Thematic Analysis by Dr. Judy Finlay.

2020 Shaking the Movers Series: “Children’s Civil and Political Rights”  

• STM Ottawa 2020: pdf report in English and pdf report in French.
• Children’s Civil and Political Rights: STM Toronto (Toronto Metropolitan University) 2020 pdf report

2019 Shaking the Movers Series: “Children’s Rights in Schools”

• STM Ottawa 2019 pdf report
• STM Toronto 2019 pdf report  
• STM B.C. 2019 pdf report
• STM East Coast  2019 (held Jan. 2020) (English pdf report) (French pdf)
• STM Montreal 2019  (pdf report)
• 2019 Pilot: STM Early Childhood Series:
• Children’s Rights in Schools:  STM Early Childhood Toronto 2019 pdf report
• Children’s Rights in Schools:  STM Early Childhood Pond Inlet 2019 pdf report
• Children’s Rights in Schools:  STM Early Childhood Edmonton 2019 (pdf report)

2018 Shaking the Movers Series: “Children’s Rights and Discrimination”

• STM Ottawa 2018:  pdf report
• STM Toronto 2018:  pdf report
• STM B.C. 2018 on Diversity  pdf report
• STM East Coast 2018 pdf report
• Brasser Les Decideurs au Quebec: STM Montreal 2018  (pdf report)
• 2018 STM Mini Series (developed by Dr. Brenda Morrison, Simon Fraser University):
  Shaking the Movers Kwayhquitlum 2018: pdf report
  Shaking the Movers Queen Mary North Vancouver 2018: pdf report
  Shaking the Movers Queen Mary II North Vancouver 2018: pdf report
  Shaking the Movers Tecumseh School, Vancouver 2018: pdf report
• 2018 Shaking the Movers Workshop: “Can Disability Be Positive?” for the Inclusive Early Childhood Service System Project (IECSS). Click to read more. Workshop organizers Dr. Virginia Caputo and Daniella Bendo. pdf report IECSS is a 7 year Social Sciences and Humanities Council of Canada funded project, Dr. Kathryn Underwood (P.I.)
• 2018 STM /IECSS Disability and Children’s Rights

2017 Shaking the Movers  Series: “Children on the Move”

• STM Ottawa (pdf report)
• STM- Toronto (pdf report)
• STM-East Coast (pdf report )
• Brasser Les Decideurs au Quebec (2017)(meeting held in Jan. 2018) pdf report

2016 Shaking the Movers Series: “Climate Change” 

• STM-Toronto (pdf report)
• STM-East Coast (pdf report)
• STM-Quebec (meeting held Jan. 2017) (pdf report)
• STM- British Columbia on Climate Change (held in 2017) (pdf report)

STM Reports 2007-2015

• Speaking Truth to Power: Civil and Political Rights of Children (2007) Articles 12, 19, 24, 44  (pdf report); 
• Identity and Belonging (2008), Articles 29.1.C and 30 (pdf report; 
• Child Rights in Education (2009), Articles 28, 29 and 42 (pdf report);
• Children and the Media (2010), Articles 13, 16, 17, 34, 36 (pdf report);
• Youth Justice (2011), Articles 37 and 40 (pdf report);
• Mental Health (2012), Articles 23 and 24 (pdf report). 
• Right to Play and Artistic Expression (2013), Article 31 (pdf report)
• Child Exploitation (2014)L (pdf report);
• Sexual Exploitation (2015): STM-BC (pdf report).