During a visit to a north London primary school in November last year, David met pupils aged 5 to 11 to talk about the issues that affect them most such as their right to feel valued, listened to and respected. I thought how this would be another great story for my ‘Charity and the people behind them’ series.

David Beckham is a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and supports schools to place the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child at the heart of their ethos. It empowers pupils to realise their own rights and develop every child’s talents and abilities to their full potential.

As a teaching practitioner and as director of Elisa’s Tutorial School  I am always listening to children’s views on the way they are treated not only by adults but sometimes also their peers. I encourage them to be open about their feelings and to be respectful of each other not only in the teaching & learning environment but at home, at play and at work. I encourage them to use language that is clear and polite, assertive and controlled; after all, getting upset and shouting at each other doesn’t help anybody.

David Beckham said on World Children’s Day, ‘…we are handing over the reins to children, encouraging them to speak out for each other. One important lesson from my travels with UNICEF is that we need to listen to children about the world they want to live in. Today it’s been really inspiring visiting the school. It’s amazing to see how happy and confident the kids are and listening…’

If you’re a parent, an educator, an employer, a friend…I urge you to listen to the little voices of children because one day, they will be the adults of tomorrow and to be honest they see things in the world that we, as adults, don’t see or perhaps don’t have the time to think about…but it’s important.

So I leave you with this, ‘Little voices, Big thoughts.’

Elisa x