Human Rights Education
Article 26
March 2007
Letter from the HRE Program
Dear Educator Activist,
Thank you for all you do to support human rights education! The HRE team is constantly working to produce current and accessible educational resources to help you empower others through human rights education. One of the most exciting new projects is In Plain Sight, a joint project between Witness and Amnesty International USA. The project aims to develop educational materials to accompany the powerful videos in the Witness video library more information on Witness.
The initial phase of this project will focus on creating a set of six curriculum guides which will accompany six films produced by Witness. As we have noted in past issues of Article 26, we are currently looking for teachers to field test this material. The second phase of the project will focus on distribution and implementation in the classroom. Throughout the project, we will seek to evaluate and document the impact of this work.
Film is a powerful medium for both education and advocacy, and many Witness films have resulted in concrete changes in communities around the world. For example, A Duty to Protect, the first movie for which we will write a curriculum guide, was screened by International Criminal Court officials and resulted in an ICC commitment to investigate and prosecute those responsible for recruiting and utilizing child soldiers. Both Witness and Amnesty International believe that these films should not be relegated to the halls of the United Nations or Parliament, but that the public should have access to people's voices who are engaged in the front line struggle for their human rights.
As the lead writer for this project, member of the Human Rights Education Steering Committee, and former classroom teacher, I understand the need to make human rights issues accessible and relevant to students so that students feel a genuine connection to the material. One of the basic tenets of human rights education is to build upon what students already know in order to foster greater understanding of complex issues and generate confidence that they can change things within their community and the world. Not only will we frame the issue, such as the plight of girl soldiers in A Duty to Protect or the failure of the juvenile justice system in System Failure, in a historical and political framework, but we will also design activities to encourage students to make the connection between these broader human rights issues and their own communities and experiences.
These curriculum guides will be a hopeful call to action, a concrete example that when people dare to raise their voices and speak their experiences, change can occur. We do not simply want students to ask, "What is wrong with the world?" Rather, we want students to ask, "What kind of world do I want and what role can I play to make that world a reality?" This positive movement towards envisioning a better world, coupled with the knowledge that others are engaged in effective action will build confidence that things can change, that human rights abuses are not permanent or necessary evils.
In order to generate this hope and confidence on a large scale, we must all work together to educate about human rights. Many of you are already engaged in hands-on human rights work. Others might not know where to begin. When I first started teaching, I had never heard of human rights education, but I knew that I wanted to help my students become "citizens of the world." I didn't call what I was doing by its formal name, but I was already involved, albeit at a beginning and struggling level, in human rights education. I felt that I was alone in my efforts, adrift as an idealistic first year teacher in the sea of public education. When I discovered this community of educator activists, I began a deeper journey into what it means to empower and educate about human rights. I invite you to delve deeper into your own journey by utilizing the resources of Amnesty International and becoming an active member of this community.
Many exciting changes are coming down the line as we work to redesign the website, create a searchable clearinghouse of human rights education materials from multiple sources, provide more frequent professional development opportunities through Curriculum for Change, and spread the human rights education model to more schools and community groups. If you would like to host a Curriculum for Change in your area, are interested in field testing materials, want to share successful lesson plans, or seek to build relationships with other human rights educators, please contact Karen Robinson at krobinson@aiusa.org or Melissa Robinson at mrobinson@aiusa.org. Remember that only by working together can we create the global community we want - a community that respects and nurtures the human rights of all!
- Rebecca Catron
Steering Committee member
UPCOMING EVENTS
In One Week:
Amnesty International USA's Annual General Meeting- March 23rd-25th, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 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. 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 on Upcoming Events
ACTIONS
AI KIDS
Our youngest learners can be activists too! If you work with youth ages 9 - 14, this is a great way to get them involved in human rights advocacy.
WE NEED YOUR INPUT
Have you used the book Kite Runner in your classroom or community setting? If so, we would like to hear from you. How did you use it? How did your students respond? Would you be willing to share the materials you developed? Please send your responses to Karen Robinson at krobinson@aiusa.org.
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
