“I knew there were human rights before, but never thought there would be ways to use it in my classroom. Just being made aware of human rights education greatly helps. Because it is about the human rights we all have – it will help create a sense of community and togetherness.”

“It is most important to have students learn about diversity instead of ignoring it or simply tolerating others. This workshop gave me tools to start meaningful discussion with my students as a format for teaching diversity in a positive way.”

“This information will be very helpful in educating, enlightening and broadening students knowledge of how we are all unique and how we are all the same.”

Perhaps a fellow teacher turned your attention to this newsletter, and you are intrigued by this “Human Rights Education” concept. Or maybe you are sold on the idea, but an administrator or team teacher is not altogether convinced of the benefits of such an initiative. Generally speaking, we each have our reasons for our interest in human rights. Usually it touches the core of who we, and we often do not think about how to articulate it or precisely where our conviction comes from. We all know, then, that Human Rights Education is important, so why debate it? And what do we say to the skeptics among us? We, at the Human Rights Center, would like to offer some of the answers we found, both from our own thoughts and from some of the many national and international organizations working with human rights education, to the question of “Why Human Rights Education?”

Full Development of Students

It is rare that a day goes by free of any reference to our world “shrinking.” Children in classrooms today face a world in which borders are blurred and information traverses the globe in seconds. In order to thrive in this reality, children must be prepared for the global citizenship they inherit. It is equally rare for a day to pass without mention of human rights abuses on some scale, and these experiences are often much closer to students than we would like to know. In such a context, education is not only about the preparation of minds for careers in law, politics, music, or teaching, but it must also be about the intellectual empowerment of young people to address the injustices of the day and realize the privileges and responsibilities that go hand in hand with being citizens of the world.

In any situation, the mere conveyance of facts is rarely enough to be mistaken for a complete education. The full education of a person is a case in which quantity alone does not measure up – quality is also an integral component. The UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), in describing Human Rights Education (HRE), reminds us that the idea behind education is not simply to fill a mind, but to form the whole person of a student: “Quality education aims not only at forming trained, professional workers, but also contributes to the development of individuals who possess the skills to act and interact in a just society.”

Easily the most immediate reason for needing HRE is the reality that, at some point, many students will witness or feel the sting of human rights violations in some facet of their own lives. Whether this takes the form of name-calling on the playground or moving into an area where environmental racism is clearly in action, the ability of students to recognize violations of their own or others’ human rights is the first step in responding to these violations. As Amnesty International explains, studying human rights “is the first step toward respecting, promoting and defending those rights.”

Classroom environment

One crucial element of successfully employed human rights education is a school environment that reflects the material being learned. Many schools are quickly becoming more and more diverse racially, economically, and in terms of religion and country or culture of origin. Positive interactions in this environment can provide students and teachers with an immensely rich learning experience, while negative interactions can be damaging to every part of a student’s education and psyche. Creating an environment that is affirmative of each student’s right to learn is a task that falls largely on teachers. As such, This is My Home has created a simple learning model that can lay the groundwork for a RESPECTful atmosphere. The RESPECT classroom guidelines can be discussed and established in the beginning of the school year as the ground rules for positive interaction throughout the year. (The RESPECT poster is available at http://www.hrusa.org/thisismyhome/project/resources.shtml#posters)

Amnesty International, in its Human Rights Education Program, puts especially strong emphasis on the democratization of the classroom and the creation of a student- and teacher-focused educational philosophy. When describing what an HRE approach to education looks like and suggesting potential changes to larger educational systems, many of its goals are related to the role of students and teachers in the process of determining how subjects are approached and integrated into the classroom and school culture. Amnesty’s goals foresee greater investment in education from students whose classes respect their own dignity and teach them about the dignity of others. The ultimate aspiration of the program Amnesty has put together is “an environment where human rights are practiced and lived in the daily life of the whole school community.”

The study of human rights occurs in a number of different educational contexts, among them the service learning model and history classes. No historical period has elapsed without any form of human rights abuse. As long as there have been rights violations, there have been people advocating for the protection and promotion of their rights. These events and figures make excellent subjects of study and can often lead to dynamic discussions of parallels in other historical periods and our own time. Service learning requires students to experience situations in which their neighbors’ human rights are being infringed upon or simply ignored. It also gives them first-hand experience in ameliorating these situations of abuse, at both individual and systemic levels. Using human rights as a lens through which to teach historical events or to supervise students in service learning, or community-school partnerships can be immensely rewarding for all involved.

HRE as a Human Right

Along with the many other reasons to provide students with education based in human rights is the simple fact that access to human rights education is itself a human right. Article 26[2] of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that “[Education] shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups….” Education serves as an easily tangible and accessible example of a human right for students of all ages, given their position as students. The reality that many children throughout the world are denied education each day is a powerful stepping stone for students making initial contact with the concept of human rights. Human Rights Education, in turn, emphasizes the importance of quality education for all children. In a statement from the Office for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, we see the importance of content in education, one of the most basic human rights: “Human Rights Education is widely considered to be integral to every child’s right to a quality education, one that not only teaches reading, writing and arithmetic, but also strengthens the child’s capacity to enjoy the full range of human rights and promotes a culture which is infused by human rights values.”

It is important that today’s students be viewed as tomorrow’s teachers and leaders of human rights in practice.. Children with human rights fluency will be better prepared to identify violations of these rights and envision solutions to the problems that cause them. Those who do not teach professionally will certainly still teach daily, with their actions and words, and will influence the next generation of people to teach, live, and strengthen human rights. The “just societies” in which UNESCO hopes children will be able to navigate must first be built and children must be equipped to face this challenge. In order to build the just societies in which we hope today’s children might one day interact, we must first instill in students a love for human rights. Ideally, this groundwork will be laid early and modeled by the influential people in a child’s life. The study and appreciation of human rights is a life-long process that can begin at any time. The essential piece is that it must begin.

Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights and the University of Minnesota Human Rights Center

Present

Integrating Human Rights into School Climate and Curriculum
November 7, 2007  
4:30 pm – 7:30 pm, Room 40

Facilitators:
Ann Theisen, Education Program Associate, Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights Natela Jordan, Education Coordinator, University of Minnesota Human Rights Center

Location:
University of Minnesota Law School
229 19th Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55455

Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights and the University of Minnesota Human Rights Center have long collaborated on helping educators to bring human rights into their classrooms through training, educational materials, the use of technology, and technical assistance. We are pleased to announce this workshop, which will explore the latest curricular resources to help you incorporate human rights topics into your classrooms and school-wide activities.

About the session The Integrating Human Rights into School Climate and Curriculum workshop is an opportunity for teachers to learn about human rights, and get exposed to the relevant knowledge, skills, attitudes, and resources to foster a positive and dynamic school climate, implement more inclusive curriculum, and create connections with students and larger community.

The session will consist of three parts:
1. What are Human Rights?
Participants will be introduced to the concept of human rights and human rights documents through an interactive activity.
2. Education as a Human Right
Participants will take part in a newly created human rights lesson on rights and responsibilities in school, and how they relate to vulnerable school populations, and define the roles of students, teachers and administrators in promoting a positive school climate for everyone.
3. Online Resources
Participants will be introduced to free, online resources available through our two organizations. Specifically, we will explore the Human Rights Center’s This is My Home project- a multi-faceted web-based human rights education resource for pre-K-12 educators and MN Advocates’ resources on immigration, transitional justice, and human rights in the US. To preview our online resources go to:

• www.thisismyhome.org
• http://www1.umn.edu/humanrts/
• www.energyofanation.org
• http://hrei.urbanplanet.com/toolkit.html
• http://www.mnadvocates.org/Human_Rights_Education_Program.html

Who Should Attend: Pre-K-12 classroom teachers, paraprofessionals, cultural liaisons, curriculum specialists, and school district administrators.

Registration Deadline: November 1, 2007. To register, call Julia Kashaeva at (612) 341-3302, ext. 127 or email at jkashaeva@mnadvocates.org. For questions and more information, call Ann Theisen at (612) 341-3302, ext. 112, or Natela Jordan at (612)-625-2857 or home@umn.edu. Refreshments and parking will be provided. Space is limited so register soon!

Human Rights Day Poster Contest

(More information: http://www.hrusa.org/thisismyhome/project/07poster%20guidelines.pdf )
All contestants are asked to present in art form what they think the message below from Marie Curie means in our society today.

“You cannot hope to build a better world without improving the individuals. To that end each of us must work for his own improvement and at the same time share a general responsibility for all humanity, our particular duty being to aid those to whom we think we can be most useful.”
- Marie Curie

Eligibility
All students in grades kindergarten through senior high school in Minnesota are eligible. Entries will be judged in four grade level categories:
Category 1: Grades K-2
Category 2: Grades 3-5
Category 3: Grades 6-8
Category 4: Grades 9-12

Permissions
All posters submitted become the property of the Minnesota Human Rights Collaborative and may be used for promotional purposes.

Poster Specifications & Rules
Poster size may be no larger than 18 x 24 inches and no smaller than 11 x 8.5 inches. Poster may be drawn vertically or horizontally. One poster entry per student is allowed. Any two-dimensional medium may be used including crayons, markers, paint, collage, fabric, mixed media, and digital. If using charcoal or pastels, please finish with a fixative to prevent smudging. Mixed media cannot include glass or other sharp objects, glitter, or very heavy objects.

All artwork must be the original design and creation of the entrants themselves. The poster cannot contain any copyrighted material (logos, clip art, characters, trademarks, photographs, etc.). Use of copyrighted material will disqualify the entry.

Deadline
Entries must be postmarked October 1, 2007 and delivered to the following address:

2007 Human Rights Day Poster Contest
Attn: Laura Zelle
Tolerance Minnesota
12 North 12th Street, Suite 480
Minneapolis, MN 55403
(Posters must be mailed flat; please do not send rolled artwork).

Awards & Prizes
First, second, and third place winning posters will be published in a 2008 calendar. First place prizes will be awarded in each of the four grade level categories. Judging will take place in October 2007. All decisions by the judges are final. Each winner will be notified by phone.
Finalists will be honored at the Human Rights Day Conference, Friday, December 7, 2007 at the Saint Paul RiverCentre and the winning posters will be displayed on Minnesota Human Rights Collaborative web sites.

A completed official release form must also accompany each entry. To download the form click here:
http://www.humanrights.state.mn.us/acrofiles/07poster/07poster_release.pdfhttp://www.humanrights.state.mn.us/acrofiles/07poster/07poster_release.pdf
Fasten the entry and release forms to the back of the poster. Be sure the poster itself gives no information that identifies the students, teacher, school, district or community.

Returns
If you wish your poster returned to you please include a self addressed envelope or package large enough to fit the poster with accurate postage. Posters without return envelopes and/or without postage WILL NOT be returned!

Minnesota Human Rights Week (September 30- October 6, 2007)

Minnesota Human Rights Week is dedicated to promoting human rights and educating the public through various education events.
Throughout the week Speak Truth To Power , the Center for Victims of Torture, the American Refuge Committee, Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights, the Children's Theatre Company, the University of Minnesota Human Rights Center, and other local organizations will be holding educational events aimed at promoting the international cause of human rights in Minnesota and worldwide.

Speak Truth To Power : Voices From Beyond The Dark

Monday, October 1st 7:30 pm
The Children’s Theatre

Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Ariel Dorfman was inspired to write a theatrical presentation based on interviews with over fifty human rights activists from around the world. The resulting play, Speak Truth to Power: Voices from Beyond the Dark, was presented at the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts in Washington D.C. in September 2000, and broadcast as part of PBS's The Kennedy Center Presents. In the essay found here, the playwright describes how these long suppressed voices have come to be heard.

The play has been performed at theaters across America and around the world, including Geneva , London , Helsinki , Athens , Madrid , Rome , and Sydney . Upcoming performances are being planned in New York and in Argentina .

Tickets are available through:
The Children’s Theatre
Ticket Office
tickets@childrenstheatre.org
Phone: 612.874.0400
Fax: 612.872.5170

For more details of on Minnesota Human Rights Week events go to: http://www.mnhumanrightsweek.org