[hr-education] Re: Request for information: training of trainers materials

Dear Colleagues:

Sisterhood is Global has published an excellent small manual for trainers
written by Nancy Flowers, which has numerous useful ideas. I also perhaps
can be of help. You can reach us in Montreal at 846-9366 (tel) or
sigi@qc.aibn.ca (e-mail).

Regards,

Greta Hofmann Nemiroff, President SIGI


[*** Moderator's note: Greta is referring to the following publication:

In Our Words: A guide for human rights education facilitators. Prepared by
Nancy Flowers for Sisterhood Is Global Institute. Sisterhood Is Global
Institute, 1999. ISBN: 0-9669778-9-0 (v+45 p.)

Copies can be purchased from the Sisterhood Is Global Institute (SIGI).
For more information or to obtain an order form contact SIGI via e-mail:  
<sigi@qc.aibn.com>.

Below follows a description of the publication, taken from the SIGI web 
site (http://www.sigi.org):

"Incorporating the suggestions of several education experts, SIGI prepared
a leadership training guide for human rights education facilitators.  
Written by Nancy Flowers, In Our Own Words: A Guide for Human Rights
Education Facilitators serves as a companion tool to previous SIGI
publications: Claiming Our Rights: A Manual for Women's Human Rights
Education in Muslim Societies by Mahnaz Afkhami and Haleh Vaziri, and Safe
and Secure: Eliminating Violence Against Women and Girls in Muslim
Societies by Mahnaz Afkhami, Greta Hofmann Nemiroff, and Haleh Vaziri.  
However, the participatory methodology, human rights information, and
suggestions for ways of adapting the materials to local contexts provided
by In Our Own Words, make the book useful to any individual or group
seeking to promote human rights, especially among women and girls.

In Our Own Words, Part I, describes facilitation as an effective
alternative to the more traditional teaching methods, particularly to
convey human rights in workshop settings. In a workshop context where all
are peers, a group can analyze their own experiences and come to
individual conclusions about their own human rights or about other issues.
The goal is not some "right answer" or even consensus, but collaborative
exploration. Such collaborative methods are increasingly used throughout
the world in adult education. Because SIGI's education methodology takes
into account the various cultural contexts and allows for dialogue and
participation, it has proven effective and adaptable to different settings
and communities. SIGI workshops' democratic structure engages each
individual and empowers her to think and interpret for herself. It
encourages critical analysis of real-life situations and can lead to
thoughtful and appropriate action to promote and protect human rights.

The guide's Part II covers basic human rights queries, among them: What
are human rights? What is human rights law? How is international human
rights law created? What are NGOs and how do they influence human rights
policy?  What is CEDAW? The purpose of this section is to acquaint the new
human rights education facilitator with sample answers to some of the most
frequently asked questions of participants in SIGI's workshops.

Part III gives suggestions for adapting and supplementing workshop
sessions to relate to participants' actual lived experience, as well as
strategies for dealing with difficult issues, situations, and cultural
relativism as an impediment to rights. Appendices offer additional
resources, including "ice breakers and energizers," a bibliography of
printed and electronic resources, and a glossary of human rights terms.

The guide's author, Nancy Flowers, has worked to develop Amnesty
International's program in human rights education and has conducted human
rights seminars and training courses in the United States, Africa, Asia,
Eastern Europe, and the Middle East. She is author of several books and
articles on human rights." ***]




======== Global Human Rights Education listserv ========
Send mail intended for the list to <hr-education@hrea.org>.
Archives of the list can be found at: http://www.hrea.org/lists/hr-education/
To subscribe to the list, send a message to <majordomo@hrea.org>,
with the following text in the message: subscribe hr-education
To unsubscribe from the list, send a message to <majordomo@hrea.org>,
with the following text in the message: unsubscribe hr-education
If you have problems (un)subscribing, contact <owner-hr-education@hrea.org>.
*Por información en espanol, por favor contactar <owner-hr-education@hrea.org>.
Pour assistance en francais, merci de contacter <owner-hr-education@hrea.org>.
**You are welcome to reprint, copy, archive, quote or re-post this item,
but please retain the original and listserv source.