[hr-education-na] World events spark interest in human rights careers

thought this might be of interest----


May 27

World Events Spark Interest in Human Rights Careers; Growing Number of
Students Interested in Working for Justice


Pope Paul VI once said, "If you want peace, work for justice."

For years, college students have volunteered their time to greater causes.
Now, graduates of the University of Dayton's human rights program are
finding a way to get paid for their efforts.

In the 1980s, a healthy stock market lured students to business and finance
jobs. The information technology boom in the 1990s drove the Internet and
tech market. In the new millennium, world events may create jobs in the
human rights field.

Five years ago, Mark Ensalaco, University of Dayton's director of
international studies, recognized the growing "professionalization" of human
rights. He started the nation's first human rights program to prepare
students to work for organizations like Franciscans International, Human
Rights Watch or Amnesty International.

The curriculum includes classes in social justice, economic development,
philosophy of different cultures, ethics, global politics, civil liberties,
health care issues, and immigration, among others.

"We wanted to develop a distinctive graduate who can be a human rights
defender of the future," Ensalaco said. "We believe the human rights field
has become so professionalized over the past 20 years that we need to
prepare people for the future. It's akin to a pre-law or pre-medicine
program."

The number of human rights majors has blossomed to 41 students. Two- thirds
of the students are in the University's honors program. Fifteen graduates
from first class are in prestigious law or graduate programs specializing in
human rights.

And since then, other colleges have followed the University of Dayton model
to create similar programs. In 2000, Ensalaco helped create the
International Human Rights Education Consortium.

"The consortium reflects the recognition by some very prestigious scholars
of the need to teach human rights at the undergraduate level," Ensalaco
said.

Founding members include Utica College of Syracuse University, Florida State
University, the University of Cincinnati College of Law, St. Thomas
University in Canada's New Brunswick province, Abo Akadami University in
Finland, the United Kingdom's University of Essex and Taiwan's Soochow
University.

A year ago, Julie Reiter was among the first class of UD human rights
graduates. She landed a yearlong internship with Geneva-based Franciscans
International, a nongovernmental organization that does advocacy work at the
United Nations on behalf of the poor.

This spring, she worked on behalf of Franciscans International during the
annual session of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in Geneva.
But getting from diploma to diplomacy takes more than a caring heart and
humanitarian spirit.

"UD's program gave me a head start," Reiter said. "The program helps
professionalize my passion, helps with office language and helps in
day-to-day duties like writing a position paper for the UN, attending UN
meetings or scheduling meetings with diplomats."

It was a head start on an unconventional path. After entering the University
of Dayton undecided on a major and then choosing education, Reiter changed
her mind after working in a home for street children in Colombia.
"That's when I knew I wanted to do this," she said.

According to Ensalaco, the program's reputation has spread to the point that
high school students are contacting the University of Dayton as early as
their junior years to express an interest in the program.

It was because of that reputation that Franciscans International approached
Ensalaco about creating an internship specifically for UD human rights
majors.

The Rev. John Quigley, director of the Geneva office, said, "UD provides the
perfect educational program to coordinate with our work for human rights at
the United Nations in Geneva."

While Reiter appreciates the educational basis for her career, she says
there are intangible attributes one needs to succeed in this field.
"One needs to understand human rights issues, have a sense of the whole
person and carry out a grassroots campaign on an international level,"
Reiter said. "It also helps to be really good at networking as we try to
create a lot of dialogue to keep topics going."

(source:  PR Newswire)




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