Be Yourself
Content : A little guide for families fighting discrimination against children
Be Yourself is a book for children aged 8 to 12, as well as for the adults who support them. It is rooted in a context where people speak more and more about child protection, the right to education, and kindness — while, in practice, children’s voices continue to be minimized, decisions are still made on their behalf, and their perspectives are treated as socially secondary and politically insignificant.
This book is based on a conviction with profound political significance: children are full human beings, with integrity, an ability to understand, and a lived experience of the world that MUST be recognized, and with rights that MUST be respected, strengthened, and expanded.
The book does not seek to set children against adults. On the contrary, it aims to transform the relationship through a shared reflection that questions each person’s place within it.
It explores, among other topics: children’s rights, respect for the body and personal boundaries, emotions and their legitimacy, adult–child power dynamics.
To make these sensitive topics accessible and engaging, Be Yourself adopts a playful and open structure, with a warm tone that is never preachy. Each chapter follows the same format:
- a comic strip introducing the theme in a concrete and playful way,
- clear and accessible educational explanations,
- a game or activity that brings the topic to a close in an open and friendly way.
The book is divided into three sections, each made up of four to five chapters:
Part 1 — Being a Child Means Being a Full Person Identity and personal legitimacy: identity, body, gender.
Part 2 — Your Needs, Your Emotions, Your Relationships Internal and relational resources: needs, emotions, relationships, loved ones.
Part 3 — Adults, Power, and Society Power dynamics and the social framework: rules, discrimination, collective action.
