Human Rights Education
Article 26
February 2007
Letter from the HRE Program
Dear Educator Activist,
I would first like to thank you for your ongoing support of the HRE program. I hope that you have had a chance to view our Catch a Fire and Blood Diamond curriculums which have both been recently posted on our website. We look forward to hearing your feedback on these resources.
The HRE team is currently working on several projects that we are eager to share with you. These include the Born into Brothels film curriculum guide, Stolen Voices book curriculum guide, Violence against Native American and Alaska Native Women issue curriculum guide, Death Penalty issue curriculum guide Human Trafficking issue curriculum guide and Denounce Torture issue curriculum guide. All of these resources will be posted on the HRE website within the next three to four months.
We are also thrilled to formally announce our partnership with Witness, entitled In Plain Sight. In Plain Sight is currently established as a two year project. Over the course of the next year, Amnesty International USA will develop a series of curricula to accompany 6 Witness videos. The videos, produced by Witness partners in the field, cover a range of human rights issues from six different countries. This project is geared towards a middle school and high school audience. If you are interested in field testing the curriculum, please contact Karen Robinson at krobinson@aiusa.org.
And now to you... over the course of this year, you will hear from individuals that are engaged with the work of Human Rights Education - either as a primary function of what they do or as a dynamic side-effect of what they believe in. In a recent interview with Zana Briski, filmmaker of Born into Brothels, she said that the purpose of a curriculum guide for her film was "to get people moving." Here at Amnesty, this is what we believe in and what we hope to inspire in all of you. With each story from the field, we hope that our readers are moved to take action! We sincerely believe in the power of the individual and that every one person has the skills and the courage to create meaningful and sustainable change. Without further ado, I'd like to introduce this issue's voices from the field, Lauren Bergenholtz, Amnesty International Student Chapter President and Asheesh Misra, Faculty Advisor at George C. Marshall High School.
Peace,
Karen
HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION AND STUDENT LEADERSHIP AT MARSHALL
By Asheesh Misra, Faculty Advisor and Lauren Bergenholtz, Amnesty International Student President and twelfth grade student, George C. Marshall High School in Northern Virginia.
"... I cannot proclaim my liberating dream and in the next day be authoritarian in my relationship with my students." -Paulo Freire
An effective high school human rights campaign must be organized around the principles that it claims to promote. This means that a student organization that promotes fundamental rights for all human beings must be truly democratic. In practice, this translates into complete student leadership. The George C. Marshall High School Amnesty International Student Group is widely successful in promoting human rights education because it is fundamentally a student run organization. The students feel true ownership and responsibility in their leadership roles and over the last few years this has translated into dynamic activism among our student body. For this reason, when we were asked to write about our role in promoting human rights education, it was only natural for a student-leader to respond. See Lauren Bergenholtz's (Marshall's Amnesty Group President and a busy twelfth grade student) comments below:
-Asheesh Misra (George C. Marshall High School Amnesty International Group Faculty Sponsor)
 Lauren Bergenholtz |
In order to educate students about human rights, we need strong student leadership. By taking on a leadership role in defending human rights, students become empowered, convinced of their own significant impact in promoting a more just world. At Marshall, I truly believe that Amnesty has created a more aware and energized student body in relation to human rights activism, and our student leadership has also put our members on the path to becoming global leaders in human rights later on.
UPCOMING EVENTS AND ACTION
Amnesty International USA's Annual General Meeting- March 23rd-25th, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. To read more or to register to attend »
SIGN UP NOW!
The HRE Program at AIUSA presents a one day seminar entitled "Curriculum for Change" on Friday March 23rd in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. To read more or to register to attend »
Speak Truth to Power: Nashville, Tennessee
Photo exhibit at the Tennessee State Museum
Exhibition dates: Feb. 1 - 28, 2007
Museum hours: Tue. - Sat. 10 - 5, Sun. 1 - 5
Admission: Free
For more information »
YES! Magazine: Is the U.S. Ready for Human Rights? (spring 2007 issue)
Follow the checkered path of America's human rights history and find hope in our ability to face our mistakes and forge a future of true justice, full equality, real prosperity, and a healthy planet for all. Share these positive and solution-oriented stories and resources with your students!
YES! Human Rights Online Curriculum Module:
The YES! Online Module ties inspiring YES! stories to Articles from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and includes discussion questions, glossaries, and additional resources-connect your students to people protecting and promoting the rights of all people.
For more information about the Human Rights Education Program, how you can get involved, host a training, share resources - contact mrobinson@aiusa.org. For more information about Speak Truth to Power and the Annual General Meeting, please contact krobinson@aiusa.org
