CDIC news – Children's Design International Collection, registered charity, Canada BN 770946317 RR0001

April fool for real

Will an April 1^st come when pranks and their fools will go unnoticed? Maybe we have already reached this point.

In recent years, we have seen the proliferation of fake news, as well as reciprocal foreign interference through social media. Add to this the several armed conflicts across the globe, of which many say the first victim is truth itself.

We thought we would make things real this year, by sharing our April Fools image with you. The pencil drawing was made in Quebec, during World War II. It is a long standing French tradition to stick a small fish on the back of an unsuspecting victim on April 1^st. Interestingly, it was not preserved by the young girl who made it, nor by her mother, but rather by her older sister. It is now part of Lisette Tremblay’s fonds in our collection.

***April Fool***. By Bérangère Tremlay, c1944. Source: CDIC-CIDE.

Research interviews for Canadians

Calling all Canadian residents. Take part in an interview that will help uncover new knowledge about children’s art conservation. A research team at McMaster University Research Shop is looking for parents and grand parents who will give an hour of their time before April 1st, 2024. Scan the QR code below or use this link to request an interview.

The interview will be conducted individually on Zoom, and will be about art and children’s art. Participants will receive a $25 gift card for their participation. Please note that interview spots are limited. Participants will be selected to interview such that various backgrounds and perspectives are represented. People not selected for a live interview will have the opportunity to fill out a questionnaire if they wish to share their input.

For further information, contact project lead Syed Mahamad (mahamads@mcmaster.ca, 905-525-9140 ext. 26804).

If you have a virtual or wall bulletin board, by all means post and share this PDF poster and spread the word for us.

Research Shop at McMaster University is a co-curricular program that works with public, non-profit, and community organizations in Hamilton. It supports students with research opportunities in the community.

We would like to thank the Office of Community Engagement at McMaster University for facilitating this partnership.

Website update

We wish everyone a fantastic 2024, and we take this opportunity to thank the nearly 14,000 people who visited our website this past year. The site received over 400,000 hits, which is a 30 per cent increase from the previous year. Users obviously appreciate that we made the collection accessible and searchable online.

These past few months, our e-newsletter list also grew to over a 1,000 subscribers worldwide. We keep the distribution to only a few issues per year, so your inbox is safe with us.

Meet our Youtube volunteer

If you still have art from your childhood or teens, our new Youtube volunteer is looking to interview you.

Taran is based in the United States, and will meet you on Zoom for about 30 minutes. The recorded interview only takes 5-8 minutes. Feel free to ask Taran about robotics, or any of his many interests.

The activity is meant to encourage families to preserve these precious objects, and prevent their disappearance.

With Taran, you will share the image you have saved, its story, how it was preserved, and how you feel about it. We welcome interviewees from all backgrounds and walks of life. A broadcast release form will be provided. Simply email Taran at info@cdic-cide.org.

New items now online

Nearly 150 new items are now available for viewing online. They were all created almost twenty years ago, and a contribution made by Gisèle Dallaire and her children in August.

The new images include several school activity sheets by Claire, and drawings by her pre-teen big brother, who showed enthusiasm for muscle cars and some comic book characters.

***Autumn*** (detail). By Claire Chambers. c2004. Source: CDIC-CIDE.

Chezuba and Neha have our back

Recruiting highly skilled volunteers can be challenging for an all-volunteer charity with acute strategic planning needs. These past several weeks, we have been assisted by Chezuba in finding the right talent, and develop a comprehensive fundraising strategy adapted to our mission and vision.

Chezuba is a platform that empowers individuals to make a meaningful impact on their communities and beyond through volunteering. It was founded with the vision of creating a bridge between skillful, passionate volunteers and organizations striving to make a difference. Chezuba believes that volunteerism is not just about giving back; it’s about personal growth, community building, and creating a ripple effect of positive change.

Chezuba helped recruit Neha Panchal. Her strategic thinking acumen combines local commitment with global sensitivity that matches our values and networking. Hailing from the vibrant nation of India, Neha is a multifaceted development sector professional with a profound passion for community advocacy and a deep love for the environment.

Neha Panchal is not only a dedicated professional but also a passionate advocate for environmental protection and community service. She proudly co-founded the Vadodara Garden Lovers Group, a community of over 4000 members dedicated to nurturing green spaces. Additionally, she is an active member of the Creative Group of Women of Waghodia Road, where her passion for community service and environmental preservation continues to shine. Her commitment to community service is further exemplified by her role as Director of Community Services at the Rotary Club of Vadodara Heritage. With a wealth of experience in the development sector, Neha’s professional skills shine brightly, encompassing proposal development, documentation of MOUs, project compliance management, reporting, and program evaluation.

Neha’s dedication goes beyond her professional pursuits, as she has an extensive history of volunteering domestically and internationally across a wide range of causes, including animal welfare, arts and culture, children, disaster and humanitarian relief, economic empowerment, environment, health, poverty alleviation, and social services. She is the Volunteer Fund Raising Strategist for our Collection.

Donate a motorized vehicle

We are partnering with Donate a Car Canada to accept your vehicle donation from anywhere in Canada. Donate a car, a truck, a RV, or even a boat. You will be provided free towing, or you can drop off your vehicle to maximize your donation.

When you donate your vehicle to our charity through Donate A Car Canada, it will either be recycled or re-sold (depending on its condition, age and location). Donate a Car Canada will look after all the details to make it easy for our charity. You will receive a tax receipt after your vehicle donation has been processed!

1-877-250-4904

**Red car on the road**. By Mathieu, c2000. Source: CDIC-CIDE.

ERIC inspires us

We collect and preserve cultural objects made by children, and we make those objects available for research purposes and for public interest. We believe it is important that children take part in the conversation about what they create, what they value, and whether they want to preserve or share memories or not.

For this reason, the CDIC’s board of directors has recently decided to publicly commit to upholding and promoting the principles laid out in the Ethical Research Involving Children (ERIC) Charter. The statements included in the Charter were collectively developed by the Centre for Children and Young People at Southern Cross University, Australia, and UNICEF’s Office of Research, Innocenti. It took several years of discussions and hundreds of researchers participated in the consultations that resulted in a compendium now available online in several languages.

Academic research in the humanities has increasingly used participatory methods, and the movement for open sciences has gained momentum in recent years. Meanwhile, children’s human rights have yet to become common knowledge and universally acknowledged. At CDIC, we believe it is important that collection contributors and collection users know that we care about children’s agency and well-being above all.

***ERIC Charter cover image***. Source: UNICEF Office of Research, 2023.

SHCY conference 2023

Well over 150 childhood and youth historians took part in person or virtually, in the Society for the History of Children and Youth’s conference this past few days, at the University of Guelph, Canada. All about childhood then and now, and what to make of it, the organizers granted us the opportunity to set up an information table, so that we could introduce our mission and collection to attendees.

The atmosphere was friendly and the hybrid sessions, and panel discussions aplenty, over two and a half days. This was a great opportunity to see historians in action in their “cultural habitat.” We were thrilled to contribute an image from the collection for the conference poster and program.

SHCY 2023 conference poster and program cover. Volunteer introduce CDIC to attendee. Source: CDIC-CIDE.

#ArchivesUnited – International Archives Week 2023

Each year, the International Council on Archives holds a world wide awareness campaign that promotes this invaluable human activity. We join the effort by reminding our followers and supporters to take good care of their personal archives, including their children’s contributions to their family history, and for the greater good in our collective experience. Take action by donating items to archives such as ours, so that future generations can be inspired to do the same.

This year again, for International Archives Day, June 9th, we take the opportunity to launch our fundraising campaign until November. Use our CanadaHelps donation form. Past support helped us make the collection available and searchable online, as well as attend community and professional events, where we meet people and build awareness for the cause.