Janusz Korczak Association Australia

The Janusz Korczak Association Australia (JKAA) is a relatively new Korczak Association with its  beginnings just before  the unexpected arrival of COVID. Over the following two years, Melbourne was ‘awarded’ the unenviable title of  the most lockdown city in the world. This dramatically limited the option of in person meetings and activities, and schools were only rarely open during those years. Despite this,  a core of people dedicated to Janusz Korczak and determined to heighten awareness of who Janusz Korczak was, were and are making sure his legacy is continued through actions and words and  focussing on Children’s Rights, plus working towards for  more children to live their rights.

Meetings are held throughout the year and these meetings include discussing Janusz Korczak’s ideas, sharing of resources and planning. Our meetings are intergenerational, diversity in religion and culture and have  included Christians, Jews, Muslim, Greek and South African people, parents, a school leader, teachers, business people, a social worker and young people with different abilities. 

Activities are based on ideas and actions discussed, days of national significance and international dates eg. World Children’s Day, International Youth Day, the 2024 Geneva Declaration on the Rights of the Child, the International Day of Play, Safety, Reconciliation Week.

It is an honour that the families of some of our core group are from Warsaw and had direct contact with Janusz Korczak, one still in contact with the family of Izhak Belfer and has shared much of his work, the relative of another was a nurse and helped in the orphanage. Tragically, Simon Goodrich, the first person in Australia who didn’t ask me what has become a recurring question, “Who is Janusz Korczak?” died in July 2024. Simon told me and then our Korczak group, about his parents living in Warsaw and that his mother often took food to the orphanage and had seen Janusz Korczak. Later Simon, together with  his brother Ron, told me more about their family in Warsaw. It was an honour to hear these authentic stories firsthand. Simon is sadly missed. His words, memories and ideas are always in our minds.