HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATIONAL GOALS FOR CHILDREN AND YOUTH*
Developmental Level |
Core Concepts and Values |
Core Skills |
Issues and Problems |
Human Rights Standards and Instruments |
Childhood Early grades |
Rules Order Respect Fairness Identity Diversity Cooperation Personal responsibility |
Cooperation/sharing Communication skills: self-expression, listening Working in small groups Problem-solving Understanding cause-effect Analyzing reasons for acts Empathy |
Inequality Unfairness Harm |
Classroom rules Family life Declaration on the Right of the Child |
Later Childhood Middle grades |
Individual rights Family and community Social responsibility Freedom Equality Law and government Citizenship and civic participation |
Defending a position Questioning to clarify information, point of view Distinguishing between fact and opinion Managing conflict Discussing public affairs Performing school or community service |
Prejudice Discrimination Poverty Injustice Selfishness |
Community standards Convention on the Rights of the Child Universal Declaration of Human Rights History of human rights |
Adolescence Upper primary |
Natural rights Rule of law Justice Equity Security Global responsibility International law Interactions among nation-states |
Understanding other points of view Citing evidence in support of ideas or position Using print and electronic resources to acquire, share information Questioning public officials/experts/others, gathering information from officials and agencies |
Ethnocentrism Racism/Sexism Ignorance Authoritarianism Cynicism Powerlessness Hunger Colonialism |
Regional human rights conventions U.N. covenants/ conventions: Civil & Political Rights; Economic, Social & Cultural Rights; Elimination of Racism; Discrimination Against Women. Indivisibility of human rights Three generations of rights |
Youth Secondary School |
Moral exclusion/moral inclusion Moral responsibility Civil society/role of voluntarism Global citizenship Ecological responsibility Global political demographics, environmental developments Peace |
Civic problem-seeking/ problem-solving Participation in civic organizations, political parties, interest groups Writing letters, petitioning, speaking, testifying on political issues Fulfilling minimal civic responsibilities, voting |
Apathy Political repression Civil disobedience Environmental abuse Genocide Torture |
Nuremberg principles U.N. Conventions: Prevention & Punishment of Genocide; Prevention & Elimination of Torture National and international mechanisms for human rights protection Evolving human right standards |
* Portions of these goals were adapted from Betty A. Reardon, Educating for Human Dignity (University of Pennsylvania Press, 1995), p. 12.