All nations use their educational systems in preparing young people for their roles as citizens. In countries that are in transition from totalitarianism to democracy, the notion of citizenship is also evolving. Civics classes are being reformed to reflect the emerging need for citizens who are informed about and supportive of democratic principles, and who will be active participants in the civil and political life of their country. It is not difficult to make a case about the necessity to reform citizenship education classes. [1]

There is also a growing international consensus that education in and for human rights is essential. References to the concept of "education in and for human rights" appear in a number of international human rights instruments, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and, most recently, the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action. The assertion is that knowledge of human rights can reduce human rights violations and action to promote human rights can help to build free, just and peaceful societies.

The United Nations established a UN Decade for Human Rights Education (1995-2004) and is encouraging countries to establish national plans of action to promote training and education in this area. The U.N. guidelines for the national plan of action encourage the development of public awareness campaigns as well as educational activities in schools and with professional groups. On the citizenship education side, several international networks are underway in order to encourage exchanges between civics educators, including CIVITAS.

The necessity of reformed citizenship education in emerging democracies and the rights to human rights education presents us with imperatives for new educational programming. These reforms can be organized within the schooling sector, including preschool, primary, secondary and university education levels, as well as technical, vocational and professional training. Them may also be organized for informal educational settings, like after-school programs, youth groups, or summer camps.

Human rights education intends to affect learners in three areas:

- Knowledge: by providing information about political systems and processes, human rights and mechanisms of protection;

- Values, beliefs and attitudes: in developing values and attitudes that uphold democratic practices, the rule of law and human rights principles; and

- Action: skills for promoting a democratic culture, for participating in civil and political society, and for taking action to defend human rights and prevent human rights offenses.

Teaching democratic citizenship involves instilling a commitment to a system of government, valuing the rule of law and showing tolerance towards other people's opinions. The related attitudes conveyed by human rights education are that human rights are important, that human dignity is inherent in all people, that rights should be respected, that cooperation is better than conflict, that we are responsible for our actions, and that we can improve the world if we try. [2]

The three dimensions of democratic and human rights education, and the associated teaching methods, are presented in much more detail in the resources that are summarized in this primer.

This primer contains samples from ten exemplary human rights education materials. These are intended to give the reader a flavor both for the particular text resource, as well as for the field more generally.

The individual texts chosen met the following criteria:

- The texts have high-quality lessons that use interactive teaching methods and address the three dimensions of knowledge, attitudes, and skills/action.

- The lessons address a variety of citizenship and human rights themes and topics.

- The texts include at least 18 lessons that could be used as the core materials for a course or series of lessons.

- The text has a distinctive approach or addresses a unique topic or audience.

- The lessons are clearly explained.

- The activities can be used directly, or adapted for, a variety of national settings, and particularly for the region of Central and Eastern Europe.

The specific model lessons were chosen so as to represent diversity for teaching method (e.g., discussion, role play, drawing, project work) and topic (e.g., rights and responsibilities, tolerance, conflict resolution)

The texts as a collection address primary, secondary and postsecondary levels. Some resources were designed as full-year curriculums, others as activities that could be used in a variety of educational environments and subject areas. The resources come from different countries in Central and Eastern Europe, as well as from North America and Western Europe. The authors are based in governmental organizations, national non-governmental organizations, universities, international non-governmental organizations, inter-governmental agencies.

I am indebted to all the human rights education authors and teachers who have contributed to the texts that are included in this primer. I hope that in a spirit of generosity they will forgive me for attempting to characterize their wonderfully rich and complex texts through a single example.

This primer is intended to give a concrete taste of models that might be adapted to your needs. I also hope that it whets your appetite to learn more about human rights education and to be create in designing your own unique programming.