[hr-education] Re: Asian HRE Trainer's Colloquium (Chieng Mai, 1-6 April 2001)

Dear Friends,

ARRC organized a recent successful human rights education trainers 
colloquium.  Over thirty-five participants from Asian region gathered to 
share and learn from each other's experiences in the field of human rights 
education pedagogy.  The Colloquium was held from the 1st to the 5th of 
April 2001 at Kasangdal Resort in Chieng Mai, Thailand.

Twenty-seven participants from non-government human rights organizations 
and five regional non-government human rights organizations in Asia region 
were present in the activity. The majority of participants have utilized 
the Human Rights Education (HRE) Pack 1995 edition for several years of 
human rights education practice.

Human rights education trainers in the field have articulated the need for 
an updated and friendly-user edition of the HRE Pack. The colloquium also 
provided the opportunity to identify relevant issues of concern to HRE 
trainers in the field.  Some of the suggestions of the participants in the 
content and framework of the envisioned HRE Pack 2 will be included in the 
upcoming new edition.

The colloquium was comprised of several good creative presentations, 
dialogue, and informal workshops. After each activity general discussions 
provided the opportunity for all to exchange ideas and of comment. The 
colloquium was divided into five main areas of discussion.

First, participants exchanged their experiences from using the HRE Pack in 
the field. The overwhelming feedback to the HRE Pack was positive.

Second, various HRE methodologies used throughout the region were examined 
and analyzed.  Approaches, mechanisms and methods of HRE were identified 
and explored.  Case studies were used when explaining HRE in dealing with 
domestic violence in Cambodia while an art competition highlighted the 
Rights of the Child in Nepal and the regional visual art activity 
coordinated by ARRC. In India the government was lobbied to include HRE in 
the formal school curriculum. The issue of human rights education and 
psycho-social healing was raised from Sri Lanka while representatives 
from Japan, the Philippines and Korea discussed how to effectively include 
HRE in the formal school curriculum.

Third, difficulties that non-government organizations experienced when 
dealing with HRE issues and concern in the field and possible solutions 
were identified and explored. Some HRE trainers are under-resourced and 
therefore unable to sufficiently meet the demands of the workload.

Fourth, all participants focused on recommendations for the HRE Pack Second 
Edition. The four areas of modules, methodology, text and annex were 
highlighted as requiring amendment.

Fifth, the planning, programming and tasking for the making and the testing 
of the HRE Pack was determined, delegated and given a time framework. The 
process of producing the HRE Pack second edition will strengthen human 
rights education initiatives in the region.

A regional follow-up activity will be held in September 2001 in South Korea 
in the form of training of trainers (TOT) level 1 to test some of the 
modules collected during the colloquium. For more information and queries 
about ARRC's recent concluded activity and its forthcoming follow-up 
activity in September please send email message to <arrc@ksc.th.com>.

Theresa Limpin
Coordinator
Asian Regional Resource Center for Human Rights Education (ARRC)



======== 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.