Dear HRE Colleagues, First of all thank you for the thoughtful contributions that have been made to this discussion. It is a good example of the kind of "communicating and coordinating HRE efforts" which benefit us all. Alas, however, it is also a rare example. These valuable exchanges occur far too infrequently. They whet my appetite for more! I describe below two communication challenges that I think apply at every level and offer some suggestions for addressing them. In an earlier communication I have already discussed the need for opportunities for HRE training, which is certainly another critical aspect of communication among human rights educators. 1. Identifying Human Rights Educators In my experience there are many individuals and institutions in both the formal and informal education sector who are doing human rights education without giving it that name. They are committed to creating social change by making people aware of their right, whether to a living wage, to justice, or to basic human dignity. They usually share values, methods, and goals with human rights educators. They differ, however, in one major respect: they don't recognize that the work they do as HRE. In the USA, for example, I find many of those working on social, economic and cultural issues are unaware that these are human rights, since these are not recognized in the US Constitution. One critical step in communicating and coordinating HRE efforts is to reach out to these unidentified colleagues in order to show them how our work is their work. We have much to learn from them! And we have solidarity to offer them. I believe both groups need each other! How to reach these unidentified human rights educators? I suggest that we all have a personal responsibility to seek out such groups. I also think that systematic human rights educational outreach to activists should be an important part of the UN's plan of action for HRE. They may be social workers, journalists, trade unionist, community organizers, or people joined to address a specific issue (e.g., migrant workers, people with disabilities, minorities of all kinds). Seeing their particular work as directly linked to universal human rights can be hugely empowering and provide a new and potent tool for advocacy. I my own country, I am encouraged by the new formation this year of the US Human Rights Network (USHRN). The Network strives towards building a human rights culture in the United States that puts those directly affected by human rights violations, with a special emphasis on grassroots organizations and social movements, in a central leadership role. USHRN has established an Education Caucus, which has great potential to further develop HRE in the USA. For more on USHRN see www.ushrnetwork.org/ . 2. Linking Human Rights Educators A. Databases for Human Rights Educators Even those who identify themselves as human rights educators often feel isolated and sometimes vulnerable, and indeed they often are. In some regions organizations like the Asian Regional Resource Center for HRE (ARRC) provide a central point of communication, but in most of the world we human rights educators know each other by hearsay or through communications like the invaluable international and regional networks provided by HREA. Speaking for North America, even a relatively simple electronic directory of human rights educators would be a great advantage. We don't know how to find each other! We don't know what groups and individuals are going this work. And we often duplicate efforts when we could be combining our resources. Initial steps are already underway to establish such a directory. I am sure such a database would be useful in every part of the world. I encourage the Plan of Action for the World Programme for HRE to foster the development of national and regional databases for HRE, including individuals and organizations, trainers, materials and other resources, and opportunities such as degree programs, conferences, and trainings. B. Meetings for Human Rights Educators However much we can benefit from electronic communications, human beings also need to meet face to face whenever possible. Some of my own most transformative learning in this field has come from opportunities to sit and talk to colleagues and observe their work. Asked in a recent telephone survey about what would enhance their work, the dozen US human rights educators interviewed all mentioned first that they want the chance to meet with colleagues, to discuss challenges and educational theory as well as to exchange experience and ideas. I sense human rights educators worldwide are truly starved for this personal contacts. Providing such opportunities seems another influential role that can be played by individual UN agencies, as well as IGOs and NGOs. To illustrate this need with an example of a missed opportunity, I attended the World Conference Against Racism in 2001, eager to learn how people in different parts of the world were using HRE to combat discrimination. Although there were a few excellent workshops offered on HRE and some good materials available, mainly from South African NGOs, there was no HRE focus at the meeting. No forum to meet human rights educators. No specific HRE component in the Declaration and Programme of Action from the conference. The "Education Caucus" of the conference dealt primarily with issues of discrimination in education, which though relevant to is certainly not the same as HRE. I would hope that future UN regional and world conferences will include a HRE focus as a matter of course. C. Communications among Human Rights Educators HREA has been the inspired and creative pioneer in this effort. Before the crucial link HREA provides us, our regional and international communications were haphazard and largely limited to a privileged few who managed to get themselves to conferences. Now we have access to news about issues, opportunities, new resources, and even job openings both internationally and regionally. Some hard copy and electronic newsletters also exists (e.g., the very useful HRE Newsletter in the UK. Some NGOs like Amnesty international's International Secretariat and many of Amnesty's national sections also produce periodic bibliographies and HRE newsletters or regular HRE pages in their publications. However, these excellent resources reach only a fraction of human rights educators, especially excluding those not affiliated with a particular organization. As part of this Plan of Action, I would strongly recommend the encouragement of national and provincial HRE newsletters that reach all human rights educators, as well as the strengthening of electronic communications like HREA. Unfortunately most of us will never meet face to face, but through these communications we can still learn from each other's experience! Appreciatively, Nancy Flowers ======== North American Human Rights Education listserv ======== Send mail intended for the list to <hr-education-na@hrea.org>. Archives of the list can be found at: http://www.hrea.org/lists/hr-education-na/markup/maillist.php If you have problems (un)subscribing, contact <owner-hr-education-na@hrea.org>. **You are welcome to reprint, copy, archive, quote or re-post this item, but please retain the original and listserv source.
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