WEBVTT 00:00:07.936 --> 00:00:10.220 I am Anna Kersting and 00:00:10.250 --> 00:00:14.272 I am the director and producer of the movie film "Power to the Children”. 00:00:14.302 --> 00:00:17.842 A documentary about children's parliaments in India. 00:00:17.872 --> 00:00:24.357 And in 2012, I discovered the topic during a research period on child labor. 00:00:24.387 --> 00:00:27.521 Someone in Chennay told me that there is a congress 00:00:27.551 --> 00:00:32.660 where children come together from their different cities and villages, 00:00:32.690 --> 00:00:35.051 as delegates of children's parliaments. 00:00:35.081 --> 00:00:38.498 And these children come together for several days 00:00:38.528 --> 00:00:41.283 and talk all day about politics, 00:00:41.313 --> 00:00:43.657 about child marriage, environmental issues, 00:00:43.687 --> 00:00:45.012 child labour 00:00:45.042 --> 00:00:46.870 and search for solutions 00:00:46.900 --> 00:00:49.250 and plan campaigns. 00:00:50.722 --> 00:00:54.419 And then I went to the villages and saw what they were changing. 00:00:54.449 --> 00:00:58.756 Then it became clear to me that I will make a film about children's parliaments. 00:01:03.544 --> 00:01:07.709 Only afterwards I did really understood 00:01:07.739 --> 00:01:13.210 that what the children are doing is sociocracy, lived sociocracy. 00:01:13.240 --> 00:01:17.148 So the children vote sociocratically. That means, 00:01:17.178 --> 00:01:19.055 they choose someone exactly. 00:01:19.085 --> 00:01:21.356 Everyone has to introduce themselves, in this parliament 00:01:21.386 --> 00:01:23.971 and everyone has to say what position he wants. 00:01:24.001 --> 00:01:26.974 If someone wants to be minister of education, 00:01:27.004 --> 00:01:30.137 then he says: "I want, I make myself available as Minister of Education." 00:01:30.167 --> 00:01:34.035 Then others question them: "What is your contribution?" 00:01:34.065 --> 00:01:38.098 "How did you want to do this? Do you even have the abilities?" 00:01:38.128 --> 00:01:40.512 Next everyone is questioned 00:01:40.542 --> 00:01:42.318 whether they have the abilities at all 00:01:42.348 --> 00:01:47.252 and they are questioned more detailed about what they want to change and how they want to do it. 00:01:47.282 --> 00:01:48.675 Everything is completely open, 00:01:48.705 --> 00:01:51.216 no one can just come and say 00:01:51.246 --> 00:01:54.281 "I want to become minister of education." And everyone 00:01:54.311 --> 00:01:55.479 is asked to say yes or no, 00:01:55.509 --> 00:01:57.346 but they have to elaborate on their reasons. 00:01:57.376 --> 00:01:59.529 I thought that in these elections it is great 00:01:59.559 --> 00:02:01.953 when they elect their children's parliaments, 00:02:01.983 --> 00:02:04.318 that everything is disclosed. 00:02:04.348 --> 00:02:10.359 It is also taken into account, how the last legislative period was like, so to speak. 00:02:10.389 --> 00:02:13.633 If someone was not that successful as a minister and 00:02:13.663 --> 00:02:20.633 has not changed so many things, then they will not be re-elected so quickly. 00:02:20.663 --> 00:02:23.181 So they take a very close look. I think that is important. 00:02:29.054 --> 00:02:32.982 Well, we don't know any children's parliaments as they exist in India. 00:02:33.012 --> 00:02:34.611 This is important for now. 00:02:34.641 --> 00:02:36.786 And with these parliaments, 00:02:36.816 --> 00:02:39.993 the first thing that is important is that everything should be made public. 00:02:40.023 --> 00:02:41.360 So when they 00:02:41.390 --> 00:02:43.020 nominate their ministers, everyone has to 00:02:43.050 --> 00:02:46.861 justify why they want to become minister and what they want to change. 00:02:46.891 --> 00:02:47.980 And how they will achieve that. 00:02:48.010 --> 00:02:50.382 This means he has to explain himself in front of others. 00:02:50.412 --> 00:02:51.143 And 00:02:51.173 --> 00:02:53.998 the elections are partly public. 00:02:54.028 --> 00:02:57.629 So one publicly speaks for or against someone. 00:02:57.659 --> 00:03:01.905 That’s something we don't know at all here, this process usually happens in private. 00:03:01.935 --> 00:03:03.771 This is very important and 00:03:03.801 --> 00:03:06.922 what else is important regarding the children's parliaments? 00:03:06.952 --> 00:03:11.389 I think it's very important, how they gather, these meetings, 00:03:11.419 --> 00:03:14.912 that they take place with such mutual respect. 00:03:14.942 --> 00:03:16.560 They let each other finish their sentences. 00:03:16.590 --> 00:03:17.786 That’s wonderful. 00:03:17.816 --> 00:03:21.572 The children are children as soon as they are out on the street playing with each other. 00:03:21.602 --> 00:03:24.424 They fight with each other and everything. 00:03:24.454 --> 00:03:27.362 But the moment they sit in the children's parliament, 00:03:27.392 --> 00:03:29.331 they are so in their roles 00:03:29.361 --> 00:03:31.216 and they take it so seriously. 00:03:31.246 --> 00:03:35.448 The communication between each other is wonderful, 00:03:35.478 --> 00:03:37.265 they respect each other, 00:03:37.295 --> 00:03:38.919 everyone gets a chance to speak 00:03:38.949 --> 00:03:42.076 and there is simply a very special atmosphere. 00:03:45.667 --> 00:03:46.777 Yes, of course 00:03:46.807 --> 00:03:48.896 there are 00:03:48.926 --> 00:03:50.695 organisations behind all this 00:03:50.725 --> 00:03:54.043 which of course teach this concept to the children. 00:03:54.073 --> 00:03:56.374 They are mostly local NGOs, 00:03:56.404 --> 00:04:00.071 which either advocate for human rights or for the environment 00:04:00.101 --> 00:04:03.813 and start with the children to inform the children about their rights, 00:04:03.843 --> 00:04:07.040 because the children in India don't know at all that they have rights. 00:04:07.070 --> 00:04:10.068 And that's why the children are really 00:04:10.098 --> 00:04:12.788 encouraged to take a closer look 00:04:12.818 --> 00:04:14.790 at what their rights are 00:04:14.820 --> 00:04:16.959 and how democracy works. 00:04:16.989 --> 00:04:19.448 And once they have understood this, 00:04:19.478 --> 00:04:21.721 then they do their own work. 00:04:21.751 --> 00:04:24.385 And carry out their parliaments independently. 00:04:27.945 --> 00:04:29.911 Yes, but they work quite differently. 00:04:29.941 --> 00:04:35.329 So for now the model as it is in India does not even exist. 00:04:35.359 --> 00:04:39.881 That’s new. And I think we can learn something from them. 00:04:40.324 --> 00:04:44.212 There is no model here where children have so much co-determination 00:04:44.242 --> 00:04:47.988 and it is not just a role play what they play at home in their village. 00:04:48.018 --> 00:04:50.837 but they are really connected to politics. 00:04:50.867 --> 00:04:54.922 Because even if you become a minister, a judge comes. 00:04:54.952 --> 00:04:56.184 This is very important 00:04:56.214 --> 00:04:59.696 or another kind of an important person, but mostly they are judges. 00:04:59.726 --> 00:05:01.473 They come to swear them in. 00:05:01.503 --> 00:05:03.432 The children then have to take an oath. 00:05:03.462 --> 00:05:06.572 That's very clever. Politicians get invited 00:05:06.602 --> 00:05:08.142 who swear them in. 00:05:08.172 --> 00:05:12.505 Through this procedure, comes acceptance for children's parliaments. 00:05:12.535 --> 00:05:15.398 And power. That's important 00:05:15.428 --> 00:05:16.932 to get the power 00:05:16.962 --> 00:05:19.930 and do not only play children's games there. 00:05:19.960 --> 00:05:22.009 Because this changes society 00:05:22.039 --> 00:05:26.383 and you see that in these children's parliaments what they have changed. 00:05:26.413 --> 00:05:28.474 They have restructured whole villages. 00:05:28.504 --> 00:05:30.655 Villages where there was no water before, 00:05:30.685 --> 00:05:33.811 no electricity etc., 00:05:33.841 --> 00:05:35.059 no rubbish collection. 00:05:35.089 --> 00:05:37.486 The children took care and made it happen. 00:05:37.756 --> 00:05:42.638 And that's why the adults think what the children do is so great. 00:05:42.668 --> 00:05:45.000 Because the adults did not manage to do it, 00:05:45.030 --> 00:05:46.321 but the children did. 00:05:51.820 --> 00:05:54.494 Maybe not yet. But this can happen. 00:05:54.524 --> 00:05:56.262 We don't know the model at all. 00:05:56.292 --> 00:05:58.455 I myself was surprised by it. 00:05:58.485 --> 00:06:02.083 We don't know it. It's completely new 00:06:02.113 --> 00:06:05.158 and I'm curious now how our 00:06:05.188 --> 00:06:09.557 teachers and schools will react when they hear that it's possible, isn't it? 00:06:09.587 --> 00:06:10.962 And also our politicians. 00:06:10.992 --> 00:06:13.198 So I have been on the road with it for a year now 00:06:13.228 --> 00:06:15.594 and we have wonderful discussions about it 00:06:15.624 --> 00:06:17.236 and there is also a lot of interest 00:06:17.266 --> 00:06:22.152 from communities that are interested in building such childrens’ parliaments. 00:06:27.302 --> 00:06:28.466 Very positive. 00:06:28.496 --> 00:06:31.254 From the children and the adults. 00:06:31.284 --> 00:06:33.733 Children are totally into this film 00:06:33.763 --> 00:06:35.606 because they see what is possible 00:06:35.636 --> 00:06:39.579 and there are always discussions afterwards with 00:06:39.609 --> 00:06:43.118 „Would that be possible here as well?" It always boils down to that. 00:06:43.148 --> 00:06:44.813 At the end of the film: 00:06:44.843 --> 00:06:47.003 „Can we also imagine this?“ 00:06:47.033 --> 00:06:50.650 And these discussions are exciting, 00:06:50.680 --> 00:06:52.954 because the children want more participation, 00:06:52.984 --> 00:06:54.595 Much more. 00:06:54.829 --> 00:06:57.525 And amazingly enough, teachers like that. 00:06:57.555 --> 00:06:59.730 We have fantastic teachers, 00:06:59.760 --> 00:07:01.063 I didn't know that. 00:07:01.093 --> 00:07:04.716 They were all in favor of more child participation. 00:07:04.746 --> 00:07:06.620 Even head teachers think it's great. 00:07:06.650 --> 00:07:08.958 So if everything they say is true, 00:07:08.988 --> 00:07:12.571 then there is a lot of potential for change here 00:07:12.601 --> 00:07:15.666 and children will have more opportunities to participate soon. 00:07:20.778 --> 00:07:22.937 They need more opportunities for co-determination. 00:07:22.967 --> 00:07:25.971 They simply have to be allowed to make their own decisions, right from the start. 00:07:26.001 --> 00:07:30.817 They should be allowed to have a say in decisions about the timetable. 00:07:30.847 --> 00:07:33.531 Yes, that is very important. 00:07:33.561 --> 00:07:36.343 And about which teachers are hired 00:07:36.373 --> 00:07:37.723 and which are not. 00:07:37.753 --> 00:07:41.207 You can see that in free schools where participation is already lived 00:07:41.237 --> 00:07:42.857 that it works fantastically 00:07:42.887 --> 00:07:46.828 if students have the right to have a say from the beginning. 00:07:46.858 --> 00:07:49.628 Yes and what would be my vision. 00:07:53.093 --> 00:07:53.844 Of course, 00:07:53.874 --> 00:07:58.594 I think that we could also create such neighbourhood parliaments here. 00:07:58.624 --> 00:08:02.962 And thus give children more opportunities for participation. 00:08:02.992 --> 00:08:04.668 Not only in school, 00:08:04.698 --> 00:08:08.183 but also in private, leisure time, everything that concerns them. Of course. 00:08:11.534 --> 00:08:14.688 I think we have to adapt it, the system. 00:08:14.718 --> 00:08:16.287 Yes, in any case. 00:08:16.317 --> 00:08:17.842 Certainly not one-to-one, 00:08:17.872 --> 00:08:20.846 we have a completely different situation here. 00:08:20.876 --> 00:08:23.839 But I think that the basic idea, 00:08:23.869 --> 00:08:27.108 the willingness should be there first with politicians. 00:08:27.138 --> 00:08:29.881 to give children the possibility to co-determine. 00:08:33.385 --> 00:08:36.915 So there is this group 9 is mine, 00:08:36.945 --> 00:08:40.847 which also goes to the UN in New York. 00:08:40.877 --> 00:08:43.782 In this group it really happened that 00:08:43.812 --> 00:08:47.238 all children have learned sign language. 00:08:47.268 --> 00:08:50.346 And I think that's fantastic. That's what they taught each other. 00:08:50.376 --> 00:08:53.759 That means they don't have any problems of communication at all. 00:08:53.789 --> 00:08:57.526 In one group they all speak sign language. 00:08:57.556 --> 00:09:01.742 That's also part of it, so that those who can't speak can get in, yes. 00:09:01.772 --> 00:09:05.211 So that somehow is a great example for me 00:09:05.241 --> 00:09:06.505 of how it works. 00:09:06.535 --> 00:09:09.616 One adjusts to those who have a disability, 00:09:09.646 --> 00:09:11.765 so they are simply taken in 00:09:11.795 --> 00:09:15.948 and if they can't express themselves so well, then you try to 00:09:15.978 --> 00:09:20.833 go down to their level so that they can understand that. 00:09:20.863 --> 00:09:22.780 It is very loving. 00:09:27.418 --> 00:09:31.411 In the film we have the situation that there are some 00:09:31.441 --> 00:09:34.065 dropouts in the village - that is, the people who refuse to go to school 00:09:34.095 --> 00:09:38.073 and the children try to bring them back to school. 00:09:38.103 --> 00:09:39.488 But they always hide, 00:09:39.518 --> 00:09:41.715 so they don't want to go back to school at all 00:09:41.745 --> 00:09:45.836 and the children in the children's parliament themselves were overwhelmed with the situation, 00:09:45.866 --> 00:09:48.242 but still know what to do. 00:09:48.272 --> 00:09:51.291 They call the Childline in India 00:09:51.321 --> 00:09:53.053 and they take care of the children. 00:09:53.083 --> 00:09:56.401 And it actually happened in the village that Childline 00:09:56.431 --> 00:09:59.552 contacted the parents and the children 00:09:59.582 --> 00:10:02.435 and made sure that the children went back to school. 00:10:02.465 --> 00:10:05.928 So if the children don't know what to do, then they know where they can get help. 00:10:05.958 --> 00:10:10.476 That's important. You can't expect the children to solve all the problems themselves. 00:10:10.506 --> 00:10:16.350 They just need to know who their contact persons are, who they can approach, who can then help them further. 00:10:26.492 --> 00:10:28.192 Yes, of course. Lots of them, 00:10:28.222 --> 00:10:31.885 especially those who are already organized in the sociocratic movement now. 00:10:31.915 --> 00:10:34.011 They see the potential here. 00:10:34.041 --> 00:10:36.696 How this can be applied very practically. 00:10:36.726 --> 00:10:41.357 And I hope that there will soon be many pilot projects of communities 00:10:41.387 --> 00:10:44.406 trying to establish these children parliaments. 00:10:44.436 --> 00:10:47.647 Not only childrens’ parliaments. Also neighbourhood parliaments. 00:10:47.677 --> 00:10:49.082 Because it's not just about children. 00:10:49.112 --> 00:10:52.098 It's about much more participation from below 00:10:52.128 --> 00:10:55.107 and that means in neighbourhoods and there are adults as well. 00:10:55.137 --> 00:10:58.708 So one can make exactly these parliaments also for adults. 00:10:58.738 --> 00:11:01.272 So that there is simply more participation happening. 00:11:04.947 --> 00:11:06.992 I don't know any in Germany, no. 00:11:07.022 --> 00:11:09.124 But in India there are thousands. 00:11:09.154 --> 00:11:14.520 And I think from them we can learn such things to do it here as well.