Sandy Sohcot is the Director of The World As It Could Be Human Rights Education Program (TWAICB) since January 2014, which is now a program of the Alameda County Deputy Sheriffs’ Activities League. In July 2001, Sohcot became Executive Director of the Rex Foundation and served as ED through 2013. With an MBA in finance, she has worked on a managerial level since 1976, founding Sohcot Consulting in 1984. As Principal of Sohcot Consulting, she provided planning, control, and project management expertise to businesses and not-for-profit organizations across a wide range of industries and service sectors. Sohcot has been an active participant in the small business and women’s communities of San Francisco. She is past president of the San Francisco Small Business Network, Co-Founder of the Women’s Leadership Alliance, and past president of the San Francisco Bay Area Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners. In July 1999, the San Francisco Commission on the Status of Women honored her with their Women Who Make a Difference Award. Sohcot has served as a Commissioner on the San Francisco Human Rights Commission, appointed by Mayor Gavin Newsom in March 2004, and completed her term in September 2008. Sohcot holds a California Lifetime Teaching Credential for Grades K-6.
Episode 9: Sandy Sohcot, Part One
In Episode 9, Sandy Sohcot, founder and director of the The World As It Could Be Human Rights Education Program, discusses her initial interest in human rights, and her work with the Women’s Leadership Alliance. She shares her background as the Executive Director for the Rex Foundation, and about the creation of The World As It Could Be. She expounds upon the significance of using the arts to advance human rights education (HRE), and how projects can help students connect in a more visceral way to human rights issues. She touches on the problem of cutting funding for arts education in the USA, and the importance of having administrator advocates in promoting arts and HRE. She then shares a bit about her work with the San Francisco Human Rights Commission, and the ongoing obstacle to using human rights language in public forums. She further explains the importance of creating language that connects HRE to social justice movements – emphasizing how the Universal Declaration of Human Rights relates to local issues and can be useful in advancing grassroots activism.
Topics discussed:
- Initial interest in human rights
- Women’s Leadership Alliance and connections to HRE
- Work as the Executive Director for the Rex Foundation
- Creation of The World As It Could Be
- Significance of arts in education and its role in advancing HRE
- Work with the San Francisco Human Rights Commission
- HRE and its connections to social justice movements
Full topic listing available for PDF download HERE. Listen on our Buzzsprout podcast website HERE.
Episode 10: Sandy Sohcot, Part Two
In Episode 10, Sandy Sohcot, founder and director of the The World As It Could Be Human Rights Education Program, shares more about her work with the Women’s Leadership Alliance and connections to human rights education (HRE). She discusses her ideas around what she thinks ought to be future priorities in human rights education, as well as collaborations between HRE and social justice organizations. In addition, Sandy shares her ideas around the importance of forging links between HRE and social and emotional learning. She discusses co-authoring a book chapter with Rosemary Blanchard in Mindful Social Studies, and how Eleanor Roosevelt has been her most influential role model. Sandy shares her thoughts around one critical change she thinks would help advance human rights education, and what she sees as the federal government’s weak commitment to educating about human rights. Finally, Sandy shares a 2nd grade project as an example of how educators can integrate human rights education to help young people learn about human rights from an early age.
Topics discussed:
- Work with Women’s Leadership Alliance and connections to HRE
- Future priorities of HRE and collaboration with social justice movements
- Forging links between HRE and social emotional learning
- Co-authored chapter in Mindful Social Studies
- Eleanor Roosevelt as a role model for HRE
- Federal government’s weak commitment to HRE
- 2nd grade project highlighting the importance of HRE integration
Full topic listing available for PDF download HERE.Listen on our Buzzsprout podcast website HERE.
HRE USA 