The Degrassi Kids Rap On Rights



The Degrassi Kids Rap On Rights is a nine-minute video created in 1989 by Playing With Time, Inc. in co-operation with UNICEF to coincide with the impending ratification of the Convention of the Rights of the Child. The video, made presumably after the United Nations opened the Convention for signatures, was designed to educate its viewers on children's rights, using the three P's system: Provision, Protection, and Participation. The video also put the spotlight on three of the show's actors who had grown up as refugees and in national disasters, and their recollections. The video was distributed to schools across Canada, but did not see a commercial release. The actors star as themselves in the video, rather than their characters.

In the early 2020s, a small group of Degrassi High fans who considered it lost media became interested in finding the video and were able to locate a copy in the library of York University in Ontario, which eventually became the source of a screen recording of the video that was then published on YouTube in November 2022. As of January 2023, a direct rip of the video is coming soon thanks to BlueLightning of the Degrassi Preservation Server on Discord.

The screen-recorded version can be viewed here.

Background
In 1989, UNICEF's director of communications Srinka Wallia approached the Degrassi Junior High producers with a proposal to make one of its cast members a Goodwill Ambassador. The producers instead offered the entire cast (the Playing With Time Repertory Company), and it was announced in a Playing With Time newsletter in April 1989 that the cast had become UNICEF Goodwill Ambassadors. . As ambassadors for UNICEF, the Degrassi cast made numerous appearances at public events and appeared in televised public service announcements.

Content
The video begins with a group of Degrassi High students in the school cafeteria, when one of them starts beatboxing. Several of the other actors then start rapping about the 1959 Declaration of the Rights of the Child and its evolution into a Convention. It cuts to Amanda Stepto (Spike), who explains that the United Nations has opened the Convention for signatures, and that it will come into law if 20 countries sign it. She introduces the three P's system (Provision, Protection, and Participation). The video is broken into segments on each of the three P's.

Provision
Anais Granofsky (Lucy Fernandez), explains her mixed race, dual religion, and dual nationality, and then states that every child has the right to at least one identity, of which not every child has the privilege. We see footage of third-world children and babies as Amanda Stepto explains in a voiceover the history of UNICEF and their mission, as well as the Convention stating that every child has the right to adequate nutrition and medical care. We are then introduced to Kyra Levy (Maya Goldberg), who explains that her character uses an electric wheelchair, whereas she uses leg braces in real life. As she gets up from the wheelchair and walks over to sit at a nearby table with Rebecca Haines (Kathleen), she states that she is lucky to have special care available to her, and that she hopes it will be available to every child who needs it. She states that the right to special care if disabled is another right of the child.

It briefly cuts to footage of a man teaching a group of children in a third-world country, before cutting to a mock class in the Degrassi High cafeteria. The "teacher", John Ioannou (Alex), asks the class the square root of a hundred. An unidentified male student thinks for a moment and answers "ten?". John asks something in French, and Anna Keenan (Rainbow) responds too in French (needs translation). John then asks to tell another Right of the Child. Kirsta Houston (Joanne) answers with the right to a free education, before stopping when she hears beatboxing. She answers: "...and time to play!" and gets off her chair to join the group of students rhythmically clapping, before introducing the next "P": Protection.

Protection
We are introduced to Kerryn Sheridan (Vicki), in a talking-head style shot. She begins by explaining that when she was nine she lived with her family in Guatemala for two months. She witnessed other children being mistreated by their parents, and didn't understand why. She says she asked her parents why the children were being mistreated, and was explained because they would become "better beggars" who would come home with more money, especially if they had a broken leg or were blind.

We cut to Amanda Stepto, who is sitting in shot of a UNICEF flag in the background. She states that the Convention declares that every child has the right to protection from all forms of neglect, exploitation, and abuse. Back in the cafeteria, we are introduced to Andy Chambers (Luke), who explains that his character was responsible for encouraging a friend (Bill Parrott (Shane), who Andy sits next to) to experiment with illegal drugs, but fortunately it was only on television. We see archival footage of Luke telling Shane about the acid, and how "you're flyin', man", and subsequently being questioned about Shane's disappearance at his front door. Back in the cafeteria, Bill explains that the child has the right to be protected from the use, as well as involvement in the production of and trafficking, drugs.

We cut back to Kerryn, who recalls that she and her family were in Antigua in 1980, shortly after a major earthquake had devastated the town. Over footage of graves, she explains that while a lot of things had been built up, other buildings were still in rubble. She says that a girl she knew from school, Maria, was adopted because her family were killed in the earthquake. We cut to Maureen McKay (Michelle), as Kerryn sits in the background. McKay explains that the Convention declares the child has a right to be the first to receive relief from times of disaster.

We then cut to archive footage from Degrassi Junior High of Yick trying to ask out Melanie and accidentally saying "pimming swools" instead of "swimming pools". We then cut to Siluck Saysanasy (Yick) in talking-head style. Siluck, who is quietly-spoken, explains that he lived with his family in a refugee camp in Laos for three years until he was five. He recalled the camp was guarded by armed soldiers and required special pass to enter and leave. Beside the camp was an army training camp. One day, Siluck climbed the fence and witnessed a man shot in the head, an experience which continued to give him nightmares to this day. After a period of silence, Siluck states that the governments, armies, and politicians are responsible for war and that children are always the victims.

Over footage of mothers and their children in third-world countries, Amanda Stepto explains that the Convention declares the child's right to understanding, love, and affection. We then cut to Nikki Vong (Michi) in talking-head style, recalling when she and her family fled to a refugee camp when she was a child. She said she thought it was just a long trip, but it turned out to be a two-year long stay at a refugee camp with her parents and two sisters. As footage of refugee camps plays, she describes what she saw at the camp, calling it a "sad and lonely place" where the children were "sick and very thin". She further says that she did not go to school as there wasn't one, and that when arriving in Canada, the only English she knew was "ABC".

Back in the cafeteria, Amanda Stepto explains that kids have the right to be brought up in a spirit of peace and universal brotherhood. She turns around as the camera pans to the group of students beatboxing and clapping as they introduce the final "P": Participation.

Participation
Against a yellow brick wall, Sara Ballingall (Melanie), looking at the camera, asks "What would you like to be when you grow up?". Upside down, Trevor Cummings (Bartholomew) comes into view and says he wants to be an astronaut. Jacy Hunter (Amy) comes into view with a confident demeanor and declares she wants to be a truck driver. Next to her, Maureen McKay (Michelle) appears next to Jacy via a transition effect and says she wants to be a writer. It then cuts to Duncan Waugh (Arthur) leaning against the yellow brick wall, still in thought. It then cuts to Annabelle Waugh (Dorothy), who looks around before saying confidently that she wants to be an actress. Duncan is still in thought. It then cuts to another unidentified male, who says he wants to be a king. Duncan asks: "What was the question?". An annoyed Sara Ballingall repeats the question. John Ioannou comes into view and says he wants to be a useful member of society and develop his individual abilities, because that's his right. Rebecca Haines appears next to John and says she has the right to have a say on every decision that affects her life.

It cuts to Amanda Stepto, who is in the center of the rapping group of students. She explains that all of these are your rights, and that UNICEF would dedicate themselves to making sure those rights were everywhere. Several of the group then explain that you are entitled to these rights regardless of race, color, sex, religion, national or social origin. The group (sans Amanda) then break into another rap as the shot zooms out, ending the video.

As the credits roll, a beatbox version of the Degrassi Junior High theme is performed.

Status and discovery (2020-2022)
The video remains largely unknown among the majority of the Degrassi fanbase. However, starting from 2020, a small group of Degrassi High fans began taking interest in the video. On 12 June 2020, /u/waxmuseums (known as @degrassiminute on Instagram) inquired about the video to the Degrassi subreddit, though this only yielded a short, unrelated PSA on YouTube. However, waxmuseums discovered a copy of the video in the library of Queen's University library in Kingston, Ontario, which would become of interest in the search.