unicef: Pack for the Future

What if a backpack could change the world? UNICEF, with the help of Republic of Everyone, has launched a campaign to raise awareness of the importance of education for kids, on this World Children’s Day, 20 November 2018. Around Australia, statues of children wear the blue UNICEF backpack with the message, #PackForTheFuture, to raise awareness of the need to equip every child, everywhere with the education they deserve. In Parramatta, a statue of Sir John Martin – a child whose determination to get an education took him from servant’s son to NSW Premier and Chief Justice of the NSW Supreme Court – wears the backpack as a symbol of the transformative power of education. Even in New York, the famous Fearless Girl wears the #PackForTheFuture backpack to inspire people to stand up for children’s education. By placing the backpacks in the public eye, UNICEF shares its message with the world – that when we equip children with what they need to succeed, we give them hope, allow them to dream, and help them live the best possible futures they can. The concept of #PackForTheFuture has also been brought to life through a free photography exhibition at the Sydney Opera House, on the Western Broadwalk until 21 November. It features children from 22 countries, from Syria to Somalia, and the Rohingya refugee camps of Bangladesh to the South Pacific. In each photo, the UNICEF backpack is part of their story. Filled with pens, notebooks – and hope – the blue backpack often becomes the most treasured possession these children own.