The Urgent Action Network
 Young AI activists from Minnesota / © Private |
AIKids' Urgent Actions
AIKids' Urgent Actions are simply-written actions in large typeface, for children, about children. They provide unique hands-on human rights educational opportunities for the home or classroom. The monthly AIKids' Urgent Action offers teachers and parents a chance to introduce children to letter-writing as an empowering tool.
Each action provides children with information about young people who are experiencing human rights violations. The AIKids' Urgent Action is written in language children can understand and all graphic details of ill-treatment are edited out although an adult version of the same action is included in each mailing. Children are moved to help young victims from every corner of the world by writing to in-country government officials and urging their intervention.
Teachers and parents who join the AIKids' Urgent Action Network are mailed a detailed letter-writing "how-to" guide, filled with details and suggestions about classroom activities and human rights educational resources.
 Kids in a village outside Basra / © Terry J. Allen |
The monthly AIKids' Urgent Action has been used as an enrichment activity in social studies, current events, history, civics classes, language arts, religion and English classes. Some schools use AIKids' Urgent Actions in Talented and Gifted programs or remedial writing classes; others make letter-writing a form of community service. A few teachers tell us they encourage letter-writing as a Friday Afternoon Club activity choice, and students are free to write to government officials using the AIKids' Urgent Action, or to local officials speaking up about environmental, health, education or other civic concerns.
In addition, Literacy Edition Urgent Actions are offered through the AIKids program. Literacy Edition UAs are intended for older students with a lower reading aptitude than their peers or adults learning English as a second language. The cases are formatted for an older audience, however still retain the content aimed for a 6-8 grade reading level.
"Our sixth grade class just heard about problems in Junior Scholastic.
We could appreciate this offer for a start-up packet to learn more about
the problem of human rights. Our class loves to write to the outside
world. We also like expressing our feelings about this issue. Thanks
for helping us learn about our future in the world."
- a student in Greensboro, North Carolina
"My elementary age students use the Urgent Action alerts to
discuss situations in the world. We then compare violations with the
U.N.'s Declaration of Human Rights to see under what sections the violations
have happened. Students then send letters to government officials."
 Letters from AIKids' Activists / © Private |
"My class of 5th and 6th graders write many letters in response
to your Children's Edition UA Appeals. It is something they can do in
a world where they often feel helpless."
- Ann Angell, Atlanta Georgia
"I use them in my sixth grade English class as an option for
our writers workshop. Several students write for each UA that I receive."
- Lee Burton, Brighton, Michigan