| Advocating progressive values and equality for humanists, atheists, and freethinkers |
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| Advocating progressive values and equality for humanists, atheists, and freethinkers |
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Produced by the Educators in Human Rights Network and Amnesty International (UK), this resource is for use with children ages 8 to 12. The intent is to introduce children to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It includes 20 lessons that can be used in out-of-school setting. Although designed primarily for use in the UK, educators from other countries will be able to extract and adapt lessons to fit their local context. The book contains four sections: background information on the organization of human rights education lessons; a lesson section; suggestions for organizing whole school events; and a section outlining actions to undertake to promote human rights. A range of teaching methods are presented, including team work, storytelling, visual aids, artistic expression, and role plays. There also are reproducible worksheets. A link to the lesson "Because I can, I should" introduces the ideas of rights and responsibilities to young children.
Source: Our World, Our Rights by Margot Brown. London: Educators in Human Rights Network. London, 1995. For additional information about this resource, contact Amnesty International British Section, 99-119 Rosebery Avenue, London EC1R 4RE, United Kingdom. See also: www.hrea.org/pubs/Primer/our_world.html
This extensive resource provides a detailed look at all aspects of human rights and refugees. It defines the term “refugees” and provides data on the number and extent of refugees (over 9.2 mainly in Africa and Asia.) It also describes the work being done by the UNHCR involving protection and material assistance. Posters and a video on "Refugee Rights Are Human Rights"are available for teachers by contacting -- usawaedu@unhcr.org.
Most importantly, suggested activities and detailed suggestions for using the posters are presented. The following is a brief listing of the topics on the web site: Introductory questions for the students; Spot the Refugee and describe how they came up with their identification; Comprehension and discussion questions (several sets); How Does It Feel? What’s The Difference? (Refugees have frequently been successful in finding asylum in countries in the industrialized world. Having found asylum, the refugees are safe from the persecution that they feared in their own home countries, but they may face the problem of not being thoroughly accepted in their new country.) Conclusions (Do the students sense any attitudinal changes in themselves towards refugees? What changes are there?)
You also can print the four posters which have been reissued with an accompanying teacher’s guide to mark the 50th anniversary in 1998 of the proclamation by the United Nations General Assembly of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The guide has been designed to help teachers to prepare lessons to demonstrate the relationship between refugee protection and human rights. The posters are an ideal stimulus for students between the ages of 9 and 14. For older students, a series of articles are used as a basis for. The video also is a useful teaching tool for this age group. Be sure to view the lesson plans for 9 -11, 12 -14, and 15 -18 year olds. More detailed information is available at www.usaforunhcr.org/usaforunhcr/dynamic.cfm?ID=333
Students describe problems of refugee populations around the world and related human rights issues. They explore how the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Convention of the Rights of the Child act to protect human rights. Understanding that refuges exist on all populated continents, students gain a wider understanding of the basic human rights for dignity that all refugees feel. A service experience also can be included, e.g., the UN General Assembly has designated June 20th as “World Refugee Day” and each tear events around the world are organized to raise awareness and funds for refugees. For the detailed lesson plan, see: www.learningtogive.org/lessons/unit189/lesson4.html.
A member of The Humanist Community in Silicon Valley, California has shared several resources for educating both children and adults in this important area. The links to these materials developed by the American Civil Liberties Union are: http://aclu.tv/ -- and -- http://aclu.tv/episodes/
The teachers' guide is at: http://aclu.tv/sites/aclu2.
The Freedom Files TV series draws true stories to highlight civil liberties issues and inspire people to take action. The ½ hour documentaries feature firsthand accounts of people who have taken on "the powers that be", often at great risk to themselves, in order to preserve their precious constitutional rights. The Season 1 episodes include: religious freedom; voting rights; gay and lesbian rights; women's rights; youth speak (young people whose rights were violated and who fought back); drug wars (which often has diverted resources from fighting other crimes, fostered racial profiling and led to the imprisonment of millions); beyond the Patriot Act (how a law and other government overreactions to 9/11 restrict basic constitutional freedoms); the Supreme Court ((the story of a teenage girl from Oklahoma who stood up for something she believed in only to find herself in the highest court in the country); dissent (issues of freedom of speech); and racial profiling. [The religious liberty DVD also has been used by the Humanist Community for a presentation to adults on the separation of church and state. The AHA chapter also has distributed DVDs to both public and high school libraries.]
The Freedom Files Season Two Teacher's Guide presents resources to help teachers and students delve more deeply into the issues raised in the videos. It includes pre-viewing activities, discussion questions, student handouts, reading and writing assignments, group projects, resources and a glossary.
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