Jargon of the week: Writing clearly

Submitted by crinadmin on

When talking about children's rights matters, particularly activities that include children directly, it is important to remember your audience and try to write in a way that as many people as possible can understand.  If you have taken steps to involve children in your work, it is essential that you report on this work in a child-friendly manner. Coming together to share your successes (and your frustrations) in plain language is an important part of the learning process and the best way to present your ideas to the world. Remember, avoiding jargon and unnecessarily complicated words will make the meaning clearer for everyone, including yourself.

Example:

Rather than writing something like this:

"The school council offers an obvious example of children's deliberative  and participant competencies,"

which many people might not understand, try something like this:

"Through the school council, children are able to discuss important issues that affect them and help to improve the school." 

For more examples of jargon, see our 'A to Z of child rights jargon'. 

Organisation: 
Child Rights International Network

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