They joined Junior Ministers Gerry Kelly and Ian Paisley Jnr at the headquarters of the play agency, PlayBoard, to unveil the “Super Six” comic to a group of primary school children.
Herbie Healthy, Sophie Safe, Archie Achiever, Emer the Eco Girl, Donna Does-a-lot and Rory Rights will use their super powers to help in the fight to secure a better society for children and ensure their needs are kept at the heart of government and the community.
Speaking at the event, Mr Kelly said: “Launching this comic demonstrates that the welfare of our children is a key priority for the Executive. We want them to know we value them, we are listening to them, and we are doing all we can to improve not only their quality of life but their life experiences.
“The comic, and its super heroes, is an excellent way of engaging with primary school-aged children and to let them know how government is working for them.”
The six super heroes, who were named by local children, were inspired by the six themes of the ten-year strategy for Children and Young People, which was launched last year. The themes are: health, learning, achievement and enjoyment, contributing positively to society and community, safety, economic and environmental well-being and respect for the rights of children and young people. The strategy has been specially translated into the comic with the help of local school children and international storyteller and children’s author Liz Weir.
Mr Paisley jnr said:”Our desire is to give our children the best possible start in life. To help them reach their full potential by growing into confident and capable young people who make a positive contribution to our society.
“We believe children will relate well to the comic and its super hero characters. It’s not always easy explaining these issues to younger children but I believe the comic will succeed in getting the messages across in a fun way.”
The event was attended by children from five local schools, some of whom had worked on the development of the comic. The comic will now be distributed to every primary school-aged child, including copies in Irish for Irish Medium schools. Liz Weir has recorded a voice-over for blind and partially sighted children for the web version of the comic which is available on the www.allchildrenni.gov.uk website.
NOTES TO EDITORS:
- The two junior Ministers have responsibility for the co-ordination of policy for children and young people.
- A teachers’ guide will be available to download on the website: www.allchildrenni.gov.uk. Comics will be delivered to schools before the end of the school year.
- Media enquiries to Joe Livingston, OFMDFM Press Office, 028 9037 8177, mobile 07920 187938.
