Dear friends, As Human Rights Day - 10 December - approaches, I would like to encourage us to organize activities that celebrate and honor the vision of human rights. On this day, the World Programme for Human Rights Education will be presented for approval at the UN General Assembly. This programme will call for an expansion and strengthening of human rights education in schools over the next few years. There are numerous, exciting ways to celebrate Human Rights Day in school settings. For example, you might organize school-wide special programs, music performances, public readings, a letter-writing campaign, theatre or art displays. In the classroom, we can make a special effort to reflect on the inspirational message of human rights by engaging students in a personal way with literature and art. HREA's on-line library continues numerous education and training materials that can be used in schools ( www.hrea.org/erc/Library ). In addition, I would like to recommend the following sources as being particularly helpful in getting ideas about organizing events or using humanities-oriented approaches in the classroom. United Nations Centre for Human Rights, "More than 50 ideas for commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights" [in English, French, Spanish] http://www.hrea.org/erc/Library/display.php?doc_id=348 Amnesty International - International Secretariat, "Learning Activities about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: Some ideas to help you explore images through a Human Rights lens" [in English, Spanish] http://www.hrea.org/erc/Library/display.php?doc_id=1092 Asian Regional Resource Center, "Human Rights Education Pack" (November 2003), The Need for for Popular Theatre Skills [in English] http://www.arrc-hre.com/publications_frameset.html Directorate of Youth and Sport for the Council of Europe, "COMPASS: A Manual on Human Rights with Young People", Practical Activities and Methods for Human Rights Education [in English, French, Russian] http://www.hrea.org/erc/Library/display.php?doc_id=1468 University of Minnesota Human Rights Resource Center, "Human Rights and Literature: Questions to Apply to Literature, Other Texts and Media" http://www.hrea.org/erc/Library/display.php?doc_id=1480 [in English] HREA, "Web-Based Visual Aids for Human Rights Learning" http://www.hrea.org/erc/Library/display.php?doc_id=1257 [in English] Those of us working with teachers and youth should use the opportunity of Human Rights Day to not only send out the message of human rights, but organize for a deeper and longer term commitment to HRE in our school communities. A commitment to human rights is a lifelong process but it begins with an appreciation that we acquire at an early age. Warmly, Felisa Felisa Tibbitts Executive Director, HREA ======== 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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