2023 Author: Anita Thornton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-22 03:30
Some towns and villages do more than others to make sure children feel good and safe there. These towns are called Child Friendly Municipalities or CFMs.
When buying a new house, we look at the size of the rooms, the fireplace, the swimming pool or the large playroom, but we may forget that the neighborhood where we will live will make all the difference for our children. To help you recognize this aspect more easily, the Carrefour action municipale et famille (CAMF) and UNICEF Canada give accreditation to municipalities that make the effort to integrate children into their environment.
What is a child-friendly city?
A child-friendly city is a municipality that considers the needs and rights of children by making decisions accordingly and investing in public programs. The initiatives that are part of it are numerous, for example, we can promote safe transport on foot or by bike, develop parks, focus on educational successand involve children in local events. Encouraging he althy lifestyle habits is also part of the program and theOffering a variety of sports and recreation programs gives the municipality a better chance of being accredited.
The Montreal initiative for green, active and he althy neighborhoods that we often hear about in the media is also part of this movement aimed at better integrating children into our society.
Criteria for an EAW
When a municipality has been accredited as "child-friendly", it means that it has responded and is committed to continuing to meet certain specific criteria:
- offer an ever more welcoming and accessible living environment to children and young people, while improving their safety, their environment and their access to culture and leisure;
- raise children and young people's awareness of good citizenship and facilitate their integration into their environment through their participation in appropriate structures where they will be listened to and respected;
- encourage the emergence of projects supporting family policies that place the rights of the child at the heart of the process;
- raise awareness of the situation of children around the world and develop a spirit of international solidarity;
- Celebrate International Children's Day annually.
AEMs can be rural or urban even if the program aims to bring together the largest possible percentage of the population. To apply, municipalities must first have adopted a municipal family policy that corresponds to the program of the Ministry of Family.
In Quebec, several municipalities have already been accredited by the Carrefour action municipale et famille and UNICEF Canada. These municipalities are:
| Arr. Mercier Hochelaga Maisonneuve | Saint-André-Avellin |
| Arr. St. Lawrence | Saint-Bruno (Lac-Saint-Jean) |
| Blainville | Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville |
| Boucherville | Sainte-Julie |
| Bromont | St. Perpetua |
| Brossard | Saint-Eustache |
| Hebertville-Station | Saint-Fabien-de-Panet |
| The Prairie | Saint-Gabriel |
| Laval | Saint-Louis |
| Our-Lady-of-Mount-Carmel | Saint-Nazaire |
| Quebec | Varennes |
| Saint-Amable | Victoriaville |
What are the benefits for the municipality?
Cities that are child-friendly accredited share tips and best practices and attract more families as measures and intentions are already moving in a family direction. In addition, member cities are part of a vast global network with all the good ideas that entails and the sharing of experiences. It is the guarantee of the development of a harmonious environment where the children will feel better and where the community will encourage their overall development.
To find a municipality that is friendly tochildren or to find out if your municipality is eligible for accreditation, visit the CAMF website.
