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HRE USA is a project of the Center for Transformative Action.
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Voting Rights: Teaching Resources and Book List
Voting means more than casting ballots; voting means securing political and economic power, civil rights, prison reform, juvenile justice, international human rights and more. But the United States has a long history of limiting the right to vote of women and people of color through property ownership, taxes, registration and residency laws, and tests.
The readings and lessons in our book, Putting the Movement Back Into Civil Rights Teaching, and companion website will empower students to think critically about recent events and continue the fight to ensure voting rights for all Americans.
Books on Voting Rights
To engage young people, check out the list of recommended books for pre-K-12 from our Social Justice Books website. Booklist
HRE USA is a project of the Center for Transformative Action.
TAAS Module 1: Campus Organizing and Resistance Mechanisms
SUMMARY
Current and past university students will discuss their recent and past efforts to organize around human rights issues in a university setting as well as where their organizing has taken them beyond the university.
- OBJECTIVES
- Participants will understand past and ongoing efforts by university students to address contemporary human rights abuses.
- Participants will gain knowledge about campus organization models for organizing around human rights abuses.
- Participants will learn about how university students approach their activism and organizing beyond their undergraduate years.
- Participants will learn from Minnesota youth about the ICE occupation of Minnesota, how they have been and continue to be affected by it, and their response to it.
The 2026–2027 Training as Action Series will center on the theme, “Voices for Justice: Human Rights, Civic Action & Creative Resistance.” This year’s sessions will explore urgent issues such as immigration reform, protecting democracy, protest rights, and various forms of creative resistance, highlighting how human rights education can equip communities to respond with clarity, courage, and collective action.
Those who attend six or more sessions will receivea certificate from HRE USA. 2026-27 TAAS Flyer
HRE USA is a project of the Center for Transformative Action.
Teach Central America Week: October 5–9, 2026
To focus attention on Central America during Latinx Heritage Month, Teaching for Change has hosted Teach Central America Week the first week of October each year since 2019. Learn how you can participate in the week of action in your classroom and your community and read about past years on our website.
HRE USA is a project of the Center for Transformative Action.
The 2026-2027 Training As Action Series (TAAS) is back in September!
Human Rights Educators USA’s annual Training as Action Series (TAAS) is a virtual training series focused on bridging personal and collective action on some of the most critical human rights issues of today. TAAS creates an educational space to connect and collaborate with others in human rights education and training. It also gives participants the skills and information needed to take action on rights issues of today.
The 2026–2027 Training as Action Series will center on the theme, “Voices for Justice: Human Rights, Civic Action & Creative Resistance.” This year’s sessions will explore urgent issues such as immigration reform, protecting democracy, protest rights, and various forms of creative resistance, highlighting how human rights education can equip communities to respond with clarity, courage, and collective action.
Those who attend six or more sessions will receivea certificate from HRE USA. 2026-27 TAAS Flyer
Monday, September 14th, 7 pm ET
Module 1: Campus Organizing and Resistance Mechanisms
Register here
SUMMARY
Current and past university students will discuss their recent and past efforts to organize around human rights issues in a university setting as well as where their organizing has taken them beyond the university.
- OBJECTIVES
- Participants will understand past and ongoing efforts by university students to address contemporary human rights abuses.
- Participants will gain knowledge about campus organization models for organizing around human rights abuses.
- Participants will learn about how university students approach their activism and organizing beyond their undergraduate years.
- Participants will learn from Minnesota youth about the ICE occupation of Minnesota, how they have been and continue to be affected by it, and their response to it.
HRE USA is a project of the Center for Transformative Action.
CORE Playbook: Continuity & Operational Readiness for Elections
When it comes to safeguarding our democratic processes, collaboration is our strongest asset. That is why NCL’s Local Policy Lab and partner organizations launched the CORE Playbook: Continuity & Operational Readiness for Elections. The playbook provides a modular, scalable framework with customizable templates to strengthen partnerships between election officials and emergency management teams. Its all-hazards, risk-informed approach helps local teams prepare for risks before, during, and after each election cycle. Read More.
HRE USA is a project of the Center for Transformative Action.
Episode 79 with Maddy Wegner is available on Human Rights Education Now!
Maddy Wegner is an educator and communications specialist with extensive experience in service-learning, youth engagement, communications, and human and child rights education. She has served in multiple roles with the National Youth Leadership Council, including Director of Content and Engagement and Director of Communications. Her work has included developing resources for service-learning practitioners, integrating human and child rights frameworks into educational practice, and creating educational materials inspired by Nobel Peace Prize laureates and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. She also serves on the Executive Committee for Minneapolis’ Child Friendly Cities Initiative and has been recognized for her contributions to service-learning.
Episode 79: Summary
In this episode of Human Rights Education Now!, Maddy Wegner reflects on the experiences that shaped her commitment to human rights and human rights education. She discusses her early exposure to Indigenous rights issues while growing up in South Dakota, her experiences studying in Norway, and how immigration, equity, and children’s rights became increasingly central to her work. She also reflects on how observing children’s rights in practice in Nordic communities influenced her understanding of young people as rights holders.
Maddy explores her extensive work engaging young people through PeaceJam, Youthrive, the National Youth Leadership Council, and the Nobel Peace Prize Festival. She describes projects that enabled young people to learn from Nobel Peace Prize laureates, participate in service-learning and civic engagement, create bilingual and child-rights books, and connect human rights principles to issues in their own communities. The conversation also highlights Minneapolis’ UNICEF Child Friendly Cities Initiative and the importance of meaningful youth participation in building communities that respect children’s rights.
The episode concludes by examining some of today’s most pressing human rights concerns, particularly immigration and the rights to equality, movement, asylum, nationality, and freedom from arbitrary arrest. Maddy reflects on the people who have inspired her work, including Kailash Satyarthi, and emphasizes the importance of transforming young people’s sense of injustice into constructive action. Her central recommendation for advancing children’s rights is clear: the United States should ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, and every child should have the opportunity to know and understand their rights.
Topics discussed:
- Origins of Maddy Wegner’s interest in human rights and human rights education
- Indigenous rights and the American Indian Movement
- Immigration, equity, and human rights
- Children’s rights in the United States and Nordic countries
- Youthrive, PeaceJam, and Nobel Peace Prize education
- Minneapolis’ Child Friendly Cities Initiative
- Reach Out and Read and child-created rights books
- Service-learning and civic engagement
- National Youth Leadership Council
- Youth voice and community-based education
- Human rights and the Sustainable Development Goals
- Immigration and immigrant rights
- Kailash Satyarthi and youth activism
- Ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
Full topic listing available for PDF download HERE.
Listen on our Buzzsprout podcast website HERE.
Thank you for supporting the Human Rights Education NOW! podcast!.
All episodes of Human Rights Education Now! are available on:
Buzzsprout, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Deezer, PlayerFM, Pocket Casts, and the HRE USA website,
HRE USA would love to learn how listeners are using episodes in their classrooms and with their communities. Please send comments and ideas for classroom use to kristi@hreusa.org.
The HRE USA Podcast Team
HRE USA is a project of the Center for Transformative Action.
Apply to the Fall 2027 and Spring 2028 Human Rights Advocates Programs (HRAP)!
The Human Rights Advocates Program (HRAP) is now accepting applications to the Fall 2027 and Spring 2028 programs.
Founded in 1989, HRAP leverages the resources of Columbia University and those offered by NYC as a hub of NGOs and international organizations to provide human rights advocates with academic, skill-building, mentoring, and networking opportunities. Through seminars, participation in University courses, and workshops led by staff from leading human rights organizations as well as meetings with policymakers and funders, advocates share their experiences, reflect critically on their work, and plan future campaigns.
More than 350 advocates from nearly 100 countries have attended the program since it was created in 1989. The cumulative reach of HRAP participants is extraordinary: alumni have worked with organizations whose memberships range from the thousands to the millions. They can be found at prominent human rights organizations, serving in their national governments and at the UN, teaching at universities around the globe, and serving on the frontlines of human rights in an effort to make a more just and peaceful world.
Click here to apply. Please go to the Admissions page to review the application instructions and Frequently Asked Questions.
The deadline for application is October 15, 2026.
HRE USA is a project of the Center for Transformative Action.
SIMA x MasterPeace: Bring International Day of Peace to Your Community
This International Day of Peace, SIMA Academy and MasterPeace Global are joining forces to bring powerful documentary storytelling to communities around the world.
Through a curated collection of five award-winning SIMA Academy films, MasterPeace members and young leaders everywhere are invited to come together to explore the people, ideas, and movements shaping more just, peaceful, and connected societies.
HRE USA is a project of the Center for Transformative Action.
Master of Arts in Human Rights Practice (MA)
Master of Arts in Human Rights Practice (MA) University of Arizona · United States · Fully Online · 18 months
Learn from experienced human rights practitioners and gain practical tools to analyze complex issues, design effective solutions, and support communities and organizations working on the ground.
Transform your passion for justice into impact with the Master of Arts in Human Rights Practice from Arizona Online. This fully online, professionally oriented program equips you with foundational knowledge, critical perspectives, and real-world skills to advance human rights around the globe. You’ll learn directly from experienced human rights practitioners, gaining practical tools and real-world experience that help you analyze issues, design solutions, and support communities and organizations working on the ground.
In just 18–24 months, you’ll graduate with a robust portfolio of applied work, a network of global practitioners, and marketable skills like project management, data analysis, and social media strategy.
Financial support is within reach. Admitted students can access thousands of dollars in internal and external scholarships through Scholarship Universe, the University of Arizona’s scholarship-matching platform.
Whether you work for an NGO, government, or grassroots organization – or plan to pursue law or doctoral studies – this MA accelerates your capacity to create meaningful change.
HRE USA is a project of the Center for Transformative Action.