ArchdiocesanValueEducationCentreAVEC

DonBoscoYouthServicesMatunga,MUMBAI400019 Tel:24154477Email:avecmatunga@gmail.com AVECPRAYERSERVICERESOURCE

ARCHDIOCESANVALUEEDUCATIONCENTRE(AVEC)

Prayer Service on (Universal) Childrens Day (20 Novemeber) 14 November

Quote: Every child comes with the message that God is not yet discouraged of man. R.Tagore Theme: "The test of the morality of a society is what it does for its children." Dietrich Bonhoeffer Logo: "Every child you encounter is a divine appointment." - Wess Stafford Scripture: Lo, children are a heritage of the LORD Psalm 127:3 Ritual: Lighting candles for the millions of children who miss their childhood: 1. Children with special needs. 2. Malnourished Children. Invisible children:3. Missing children. 4. Unborn Children. 5. Child labour and Street Children. Event: 14 November - Childrens Day; 20 November - Universal Childrens Day 29 August - International Childrens Day Songs: 1. He's got the whole world in His hands Refer: http://youtu.be/guyrERfsCB8 2. If You're Happy And You Know It: Refer: http://youtu.be/Dw45CQewCLY We are the children of the world. - Refer: http://youtu.be/hdtTgUSZE9o Introduction: Reader 1: A child is a pledge of immortality says John Newman. In 1959 UN General Assembly chose 20 November as Universal Childrens Day to celebrate and promote the welfare of children adopting the Declaration of the Rights of the Child. In 1989 U.N. signed the Convention on the Rights of the Child, sanctioned by 191 states. In India Childrens Day is celebrated on 14 November being the birth anniversary of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Indias first Prime Minister whom children fondly called "Chacha Nehru" (Chacha in Hindi means Uncle), for he loved children and spared his free time in playing, singing and telling stories to them. He used to say that "Future India is in the hands of Today's Child". The child is recognized, universally, as a human being who must be able to develop physically, mentally, socially, morally, and spiritually, with freedom and dignity. A child is recognized as a person under 18 as the age of voting, driving license, marriage is on completion of 18 years in many countries. Every child has the right to be born in a socially safe environment and have a mother and a father. Childhood is about innocence and playfulness; joy and freedom. Childhood is the world of miracle and of magic. Celebrating Childrens Day is giving children the right to enjoy and grow into healthy, educated and responsible citizens of the country. We celebrate all children on Childrens Day. Let us pray the song as we enter into the presence of God. Choir: He's got The Whole World In His Hands Refer: http://youtu.be/guyrERfsCB8
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ArchdiocesanValueEducationCentreAVEC
DonBoscoYouthServicesMatunga,MUMBAI400019 Tel:24154477Email:avecmatunga@gmail.com AVECPRAYERSERVICERESOURCE

OR: If You are Happy And You Know It Refer: http://youtu.be/Dw45CQewCLY Reader 2: We become truly wise, when we learn to see life through the eyes of a child says Mother Theresa. Children use all their senses of smell, sight, sound to discover the world. We can't form our children on our own concepts. We cannot fashion our children after our desires, we must have them and love them as God has given them to us. When I see children, I see the face of God. That's why I love them so much. That's what I see.(Michael Jackson). Being with children connects us to the ever-present deeper wisdom of life. Children are the keys of paradise- R. H. Stoddard. All of us have to recognize that we owe our children more than we give them. Children are the hands by which we take hold of heaven as our soul is healed being with them. While we try to teach our children all about life, children teach us what life is all about. Children are remarkable for their intelligence, curiosity, enthusiasm, clarity of vision and their intolerance of shams. Of all nature's gifts Children are the finest gift bestowed to humankind in Gods divine providence. The world is as many times original and precious as there are children in our lives. Let us listen to the scripture reading from the gospel of St. Mark 10:14: Scripture Reading: Gospel of St. Mark 10:14. Reader 3: Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. (After a brief pause of 30 seconds) Christ loves little children for their simplicity and innocence; Jesus sanctified childhood by passing through it himself as a little kid, child and adolescent. Children are harmless, unassuming, without pride, self-conceit, prejudice, malice or ambitious desires of opulence and superiority. In the eyes of a child there are seven million wonders not mere seven. Children open our eyes and ears to the life and beauty of creation that surround us all the time. Reader 4: Children deserve due respect being superior to us by reason of their innocence & the great potential of their future says Maria Montessori. Every child is born with inalienable human rights founded on respect for the dignity and worth of each person, regardless of gender, language, religion, race, origin, wealth, birth status or ability as every child /person adds unique value to our world. Every child is a different kind of flower and all together children make this world a beautiful garden. However, despite the existence of rights globally millions of children suffer from poverty, neglect, abuse, without access to basic needs as food, shelter, sanitation, education, healthcare and justice systems in both industrialized and developing countries. India has the world's largest child population, as 40% of India's population is below the age of 18 years. The invisibility of unregistered children deprives them the right to a name and nationality besides inclusion in social development. The situation of underprivileged children in India urges action. Each year more than 30% births go unregistered in India. Of the 12 million girls born in India one million do not see their first birthday due to gender discrimination being deprived of healthcare. 53% of girls in the age group of 5 to 9 years are illiterate. Choir: Song - We are the children of the world. - Refer: http://youtu.be/hdtTgUSZE9o
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Ritual: Lighting candles for the millions of children who miss their childhood: (5 Children holding placards with below titles and 5 holding lighted candles. they come on the stage in pairs as their part is read by 5 different readers; they later remain on the stage till the end.) 1. Children with special needs. 2. Malnourished Children. Invisible Children: 3. Missing children 4. Unborn children. 5. Child labour and Street Children Leader: Children are always the only future the human race has; teach them well (Anon). True education equips a child to realize her/his full potential; to think, question and judge independently; develop sense of self-respect and self-confidence in decision making; learn to love and respect creation and humanity; develop civic sense, citizenship and values of participatory democracy. The greatest gifts we can give children are the roots of responsibility and the wings of independence Denis Waitley. Millions of children in India and the world are disadvantaged, missing the joys of childhood. We reach out to them as we light the candle to signify that we want to be a ray of hope . 1. Children with Special Needs: Children with special needs require assistance for the developmental disabilities that may be mental, medical or physical. They include autism, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, Down syndrome, epilepsy, mental retardation, dyslexia, sensory or speech disorders as vision or hearing impaired. These children ignored and excluded from the mainstream, need the inclusion in services of therapy and schooling they deserve. One in every ten children is disabled in India. Many who are disabled are put away by their families in institutions that lack the means, money and staff to care for them. Although every special-need child is differently abled and every family is unique, there are some common concerns that link parents of such kids. Their families have to deal with frequent crises, uncertainty and worry. The parents of children with special needs are heroic in being more flexible, compassionate, persevering and resilient than other parents. We light a candle for these children with special needs and their families who care for them. 2. Malnourished Children: Food is the most basic human need. Malnutrition results when certain nutrients lack in the diet that affect health, stunt physical growth and limit mental capacity to learn. Hunger is a form of poverty leading to weak health and more misery, reducing persons ability to work. There is more than enough food on the planet to feed everyone yet every six seconds a child dies of hunger somewhere, according to the world food programme. About 50% of all childhood deaths are due to malnutrition costing valuable lives, our precious Gen-Next. Statistics show that one in every three undernourished children in the world lives in India. In spite of numerous government schemes and safety nets malnutrition remains widespread in our country. We need to break the links between poverty, food insecurity and malnutrition. The world has the knowledge, resources and the tools to conquer hunger; eradication of hunger is one of the MDGs (millennium developmental goals) set by the United Nations. No child should go to bed hungry and no child should be born underweight and remain undernourished. We light the candle for millions of children dying of hunger /disease in our country/ world at large. INVISIBLE CHILDREN: 3. Missing Children:
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A missing child is a parent's worst nightmare. Every day thousands of children go missing - in crowded places (shopping centre/market, railway station, fair, rally), during calamities (fire, floods, earthquake), tragedies (stampede, riots, war, accidents), while quite a few runaway from their homes or are kidnapped for ransom/ human trafficking. Many of them are never traced but tragically end in child labour, unpaid domestic help, trafficking, streets, remand homes, rape, begging and death. According to data from NCRB (National Crime Records Bureau), a child goes missing every eight minutes in India; almost 40% of those children havent been found. CHILDLINE reaches out to all children in need of care, protection and emergency situations; can be accessed by dialing 1098. Anyone who has lost the child can post a message on the website www.missingchildsearch.net launched by Don Bosco National Forum for Youth at Risk in association with UNICEF, setting the search in motion simultaneously in 40 cities in India offering hope to families of missing child. The Crime Branch has (www.trackthemissingchild.gov.in) a select portal to track down missing children across the country. In this digital age of online communication and supportive unconventional methods many are traced and united with their families, however many households keep their search and hope alive for decades. We light this candle of hope for the missing children that they be united with their families. 4. Unborn children: The life of an individual human person begins with conception and ends with death. In an abortion an unborn child dies. Abortion is genocide on human race wiping out more than forty million human beings every year. Today the culture of death threaten human life - Gods prized creation, where the rights of the unborn is at stake. The culture of silence of those who know better and yet cannot protect the voiceless unborn is ironical. "On a scale of cruelty, encounter deaths between security forces and gangs, are a tear drop in the ocean" says S. Pal NHRC member (2011), speaking on the extent of female foeticide which claims lives of 700,000 (7 lakh) unborn girls in India annually. We raise this candle for the millions unborn especially the girl children who journey directly from womb to tomb; we pray that every one of us take the responsibility to improve the situation. 5. Child labour and Street Children: Child labour is work that harms children or keeps them from attending school. Millions of children are occupied in work that deny their right to survival, education and development; exposed to abuse and neglect. The ILO (2010) (International Labor Organization) estimates that 215 million children currently work at hazardous jobs around the world. They labour in agriculture exposed to pesticides as in cotton fields and plantations; manufacture of glass, carpets, fireworks, bricks, footwear etc., mining and quarries in setting explosives, sieving and carrying ore. Some children are trafficked and in bonded labour as drug trade, prostitution and child soldiers. "It is shameful that in the 21st century, world's largest democracy India is still not prepared to outlaw child labour."(S.Pal) Street Children live rootles / roofless deprived of family care and protection as they are abandoned by their families or runaway from home due to dysfunctional families. They live on the street, look for for food in rubbish heaps, sleep on the pavements and remain potential victims of drugs trade and child trafficking. Street life is risky and vulnerable constantly exposed to intense sun, rain, cold, dirt, smoke and pollution. They work as rag pickers in segregating garbage and recycling waste paper, plastic, glass, scrap metal etc., Public see the street children as lawless, outcasts; police and local officials use violence / intimidation against them, arrest and dump them in jail-like remand homes.
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ArchdiocesanValueEducationCentreAVEC
DonBoscoYouthServicesMatunga,MUMBAI400019 Tel:24154477Email:avecmatunga@gmail.com AVECPRAYERSERVICERESOURCE

India has the largest population of street children in the world, around 18 million, of whom nearly 2.5 lakh children live on the streets of Mumbai. Don Bosco National Forum for Youth at Risk is a major partner of Childline India; it extends service to hundreds of street and working children in shelter homes spread in every major city. Let us light a candle for the millions of children struggling to live on the streets and in forced labour. Leader: The survival instinct and tenacity enable the street children to stay alive without a citizenship status /birth certificate to get ration cards or legal documents. They endure hardship and poverty to survive in groups sharing everything in a spirit friendship like food, clothes, intoxicants, sleeping under the same sheet, teaching each other trades like rag-picking, protecting each other from street violence and the police and caring each other in sickness. The courage, intelligence, and initiative of 12-yearold Rahul the CP balloon seller and two young rag-pickers in Delhi serial blasts on 13 September 2008 helped the police narrow down on the culprits and prevented two bombs from exploding. Children amaze us with their talents and brighten our world. Lingo Kid Ravi speaks many languages to sell his fans near Hanging gardens Mumbai. Budhia Singh the slum kid of Orissa became the youngest Marathon kid. Genius kid Kautilya Pandit of Haryana is in news for his Google mind. On Republic Day India honours the brave kids for their heroic saving acts. Child visionaries like Severn Suzuki an environmental activist from age 9; she silenced the UN for 5 Minutes by her speech at Rio Earth Summit in 1992, at age 12; Malala known for her activism for rights to education and for women have mobilized millions to change our world through their good actions. Childrens rights are central to creating a world of peace, fairness, security and respect for creation. There is no greater insight into the future than recognizing when we save our children, we save ourselves (Margaret Mead). Prayer: Let us now conclude the prayer service praying the Our Father Requirements: A Teacher and 2/3 student leaders will take full responsibility for prior preparation: 1. Arrange and organize the prayer service, with prior preparation for the requirements. 2. Prepare the Ritual: 5 candles and 5 Placards and practice with children and readers. 3. The choir to practice earlier and sing. 4. Assign 4 readers to responsibly render their role, practice earlier to set the prayerful tone. 5. Display prominently The Theme, Quote and the Logo.
NOTE: {AVEC Prayer Services are comprehensive to conduct once a month during the school/class assembly. In case of time constraint, you are encouraged to condense and have it rather than miss its dynamism. Pupil participation in preparation of Rituals, Poster, Singing, and Reading will enhance the effect. Kindly spread the prayer service for the benefit of others.}

Prayer Songs Song 1. He's got The Whole World In His Hands Refer: http://youtu.be/guyrERfsCB8 Chorus: Hes got the whole world in His hand |: Hes got the whole wide world in His hand:| Hes got the whole world in His hand : Hes got the whole world in His hand. 1. Hes got everybody here in His hand|: Hes got everybody here in His hand|:
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DonBoscoYouthServicesMatunga,MUMBAI400019 Tel:24154477Email:avecmatunga@gmail.com AVECPRAYERSERVICERESOURCE
Hes got everybody here in His hand|: Hes got the whole world in His hand 2. Hes got you and me, brother, in His hand |: Hes got you and me, sister, in His hand:| Hes got you and me, brother, in His hand|: Hes got the whole world in His hand. 3. Hes got the tiny little baby in His hand |: Hes got the tiny little baby in His hand:| Hes got the tiny little baby in His hand : Hes got the whole world in His hand.

Song 2: OR If You're Happy And You Know It: Refer: http://youtu.be/Dw45CQewCLY 1. If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands / clap your hands If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands / clap your hands If you are happy and you know it, then your face will surely show it If you are happy and you know it clap your hands. 2. If you're happy and you know it, stomp your feet... 3. Nod your head... 4. Stretch your arms 5. Touch your nose 6. turn around... 5. shout hurray.. Song 3: We are the children of the world. - .Refer : http://youtu.be/hdtTgUSZE9o Chorus: We are the children of the world / every face is different, yet we are all the same; We have the same hopes and fears, and dreams for the future, Yes, we are the children; we are the children of the world. Yesterday was yours, we have tomorrow / but in between we all must share today. Be careful what you're telling us, / we're learning what you're showing us, Depending on your guidance, to help us on our way,/ on our way. .Chorus. Look in our eyes, see all the promise / we know the future's in our hands. Give us the courage to face every challenge/ prepare us to risk, so we'll learn how to fly. Watch us fly! .Chorus .. (repeated twice) 10 Child Commandments to Parents by Dr. Kevin Leman 1. My hands are small; please don't expect perfection whenever I draw a picture or throw a ball. My legs are short; please slow down so that I can keep up with you. 2. My eyes have not seen the world as yours have; please let me explore safely. Don't restrict me needlessly. 3. Housework will always be there. I'm only little for a short time, please take time to explain things to me about this wonderful world and do so willingly. 4. My feelings are tender; please be sensitive to my needs. Don't nag me all day long. Treat me as you would like to be treated. 5. I am a special gift from God; please treasure me as God intended you to do, hold me accountable for my actions, give me guidelines to live by and discipline me in a loving manner. 6. I need your encouragement to grow. Please go easy on the criticism; remember, you can criticize the things I do without criticizing me. 7. Please give me the freedom to make decisions concerning myself. Permit me to fail, so that I can learn from mistakes. Then someday I'll be prepared to make the right decisions life require. 8. Please don't do things over for me. Somehow that makes me feel that my efforts didn't quite come up to your expectations. I know it's hard, but please don't try to compare me to my siblings. 9. Please don't be afraid to leave for a weekend together. Kids need vacation from parents, just as parents need break from kids. Besides, it's a great way to show us that your marriage is unique. 10. Please take me to Sunday School and church regularly, setting a good example for me to follow. I enjoy learning more about God. www.realfamilies.com/compassion
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