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A network dedicated to building a culture of human rights

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City of Houston Launches Youth-Led Podcast “Another Step for Youth” on World Children’s Day

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As the first UNICEF-recognized Child-Friendly City in the United States, Houston is a national leader of children’s rights and continues to spearhead initiatives prioritizing the well-being of its youth. The Mayor’s Office of Education and Youth Engagement, in collaboration with the City of Houston Youth Ambassadors, developed the “Another Step for Youth” to create awareness and discuss efforts in Houston to advance children’s rights.

The podcast episodes highlight the Child Friendly City Initiative goal areas, from the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Children: safety and inclusion, youth participation, equitable social services, safe living environments and play and leisure. The goals of the podcast include:

  • Highlight the importance of youth voices
  • Empower youth to advocate for themselves and their community
  • Invite youth to join and support organizations that prioritize their rights, such as the Child Friendly Cities Initiative in the City of Houston

The City of Houston Youth Ambassadors selected the topics and rights discussed in each episode, developed the scripts and designed the artwork for the podcast. The youth ambassadors are also the podcast hosts and facilitate intergenerational conversations with child rights leaders from United Against Human Trafficking, Cherish Our Children, Mental Health America of Greater Houston, Alief Votes, Houston Public Library, and the Nature Conservancy.

The production of “Another Step for Youth” wouldn’t have been possible without the steadfast support of the Houston Community Action Council and the dedication of the City of Houston Youth Ambassadors.

We invite you to listen and share the “Another Step for Youth” podcast, episodes available below,  and join Houston in taking another significant step towards a brighter future for its youth. Once you tune in, we would appreciate your feedback! Click here to tell us what you think about the Another Step for Youth Podcast! Please find a list of the released podcast links below and enjoy!

Episode 1: Introduction to Children’s Rights – Children ages 0-17 comprise 25% of City of Houston’s population or approximately 600,000 people! Click here to listen to the podcast episode and learn more about what it means to support children and their rights.

Learn more

Webinar: How Antisemitism Animates White Nationalism

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No matter where we live, what we look like or how or whether we pray, we all deserve to learn and thrive at school. Across the country, rising antisemitism, Islamophobia and anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-Asian hate, is fueling White nationalist movements in our schools and on our campuses.

Recent incidents involving students, including the tragic murder of 6-year old Palestinian-American child, Wadea Al Fayoume in Illinois and the increasing violent threats to Jewish students on college campuses, recently prompted the Biden-Harris Administration to provide resources available from federal agencies.

In response to the heightened reports, NEA’s Center for Racial and Social Justice invites educators committed to safety and justice to join a special webinar with renowned civil rights activist and Executive Vice President of Race Forward, Eric Ward:

How Antisemitism Animates White Nationalism

December 7, 2023

7pm ET/ 4pm PT


Please click here to learn more and rsvp for this webinar, where we will grow the context and understanding of how antisemitism forms the root of White nationalist ideology. We will connect how a deeper understanding of the power of antisemitism impacts education and racial justice for all of us, whether we are White, Black or brown, Native or newcomer, LGBTQ+ or not.

Ignite and Unite for Human Rights: Support our Year-End Fundraising Campaign

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Dear Friend of HRE USA,

As we embrace the spirit of giving, we invite you to support our Year-End Fundraising Campaign. Heartfelt thanks to those who have contributed – we’ve reached $11,821! Help us achieve our goal by Human Rights Day on December 10th! Click here to donate! 

In the pursuit of defending human rights and democracy in our country, youth and educators require knowledge, skills, and support. Human Rights Educators USA is a collaborative network dedicated to learning, teaching, organizing, advocating, and innovating for human rights education in the United States. We urge you to join us in igniting and uniting for human rights!

We depend on thousands of volunteer hours every year and generous contributions from members and supporters. To sustain this vibrant and essential network, we aim to raise $20,000 by the 75th Anniversary of the UDHR on Human Rights Day 2023! Here’s how you can support us:

  • Ignite our campaign by donating here
  • Unite by joining our membership here 
  • Share this with your family and friends to magnify our efforts! 

Thank you for your invaluable support, and we look forward to celebrating Human Rights Day with you on December 7th at 4:00 pm ET!

With warmest wishes,

HRE USA

Episodes 19 & 20 with Anita Yudkin-Suliveres are available on Human Rights Education NOW!

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We are pleased to announce the availability of our latest installment of podcast episodes in Human Rights Education NOW! Episodes 19 & 20 feature conversations with Anita Yudkin-Suliveres. Yudkin-Suliveres is an educator who works in the field of teacher education. She is a professor in the Department of Educational Foundations, Faculty of Education, and Coordinator of the UNESCO Chair on Education for Peace at the University of Puerto Rico. For over twenty years she has worked in human rights and peace education in formal educational settings and in collaboration with Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and community-based organizations. Her areas of interest in teaching, research, and action include education for peace and human rights, children’s rights, learning to live together in schools, and qualitative research in education from a critical perspective.

Episode 19:  Anita Yudkin-Suliveres, Part One

In Episode 19, Anita Yudkin-Suliveres discusses the origin of her interest in human rights, human rights education (HRE), and peace education. She then elaborates on her work in El Salvador and with Amnesty International regarding children’s rights in Puerto Rico. Anita describes the project, Teaching for Freedom, and her role as UNESCO Chair in Peace Education at the University of Puerto Rico. Anita, emphasizes the significance of collaborations between university departments, NGOs, and civil society organizations, as well as the growing number of young people engaged in these collaborations. Next, Anita shares her thoughts on the connections between her work and the political status of Puerto Rico, as well as issues of decolonization and self-determination. Additionally, she discusses her work in peace education and the link between Puerto Rico’s lack of political and economic autonomy, and the U. S. Congress’ creation of a fiscal oversight and management board which has had serious impacts on public policy in Puerto Rico. Anita provides suggestions around classroom strategies to address social problems in Puerto Rico, emphasizing human dignity, and her understanding of what peace means in the current Puerto Rican reality while simultaneously addressing global issues such as migration, climate change and global violence along with their interconnections.

Topics discussed:

  • Origins of her interest in human rights and peace education
  • Her work in El Salvador with Amnesty International
  • Teaching for Freedom project
  • Role as UNESCO Chair in Peace Education at the University of Puerto Rico
  • Collaborations between university departments, NGOs, and civil society
  • Connections between HRE and political status of Puerto Rico
  • Decolonization and self-determination
  • U.S. Congress’ fiscal oversight and impact on public policy in Puerto Rico
  • Classroom strategies to address social problems in Puerto Rico

Full topic listing available for PDF download HERE.

Listen on our Buzzsprout podcast website HERE.



Episode 16: Anita Yudkin-Suliveres, Part Two

In Episode 20, Anita Yudkin-Suliveres elaborates on her relationships with other scholars in Latin America, the Caribbean, and the Spanish-speaking world, as well as her Teaching For Freedom work in Costa Rica. Next, Anita discusses the lack of dialogue between the Global North and South, and the importance of accessing different ways of knowing when educating for peace, such as those from Indigenous voices. Furthermore, Anita shares her thoughts on critical pedagogy and how it has been retained as Latin American Human Rights Education (HRE). She then elaborates on the role of Paolo Freire’s work in HRE and social justice movements in Puerto Rico, along with the practice of applying a critical pedagogical lens to housing, education, and health issues in Puerto Rico. Anita also shares her thoughts on local Puerto Rican issues and their connection to global trends and issues. She then expounds upon future trends for HRE and Peace Education, such as the collaboration of scholars and activists addressing the growing trend of authoritarianism across the globe. Anita further elaborates on the development of new competencies. Lastly, Anita discusses an influential role model for her work in HRE and Peace Education – the late Dr. Betty Reardon.

Topics discussed:

  • Her relationships with scholars in Latin America and the Caribbean
  • Teaching for Freedom work 
  • Lack of dialogue between the Global South and North
  • Importance of accessing different ways of knowing 
  • Critical pedagogy 
  • Paolo Freire’s impact on social justice movements in Puerto Rico
  • Future trends in HRE and Peace Education
  • Development of new competencies
  • Influential role model, Dr. Betty Reardon

Full topic listing available for PDF download HERE.

Listen on our Buzzsprout podcast website HERE.

Episodes 19 & 20 with Anita Yudkin-Suliveres are available on Human Rights Education NOW!

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We are pleased to announce the availability of our latest installment of podcast episodes in Human Rights Education NOW! Episodes 19 & 20 feature conversations with Anita Yudkin-Suliveres. Yudkin-Suliveres is an educator who works in the field of teacher education. She is a professor in the Department of Educational Foundations, Faculty of Education, and Coordinator of the UNESCO Chair on Education for Peace at the University of Puerto Rico. For over twenty years she has worked in human rights and peace education in formal educational settings and in collaboration with Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and community-based organizations. Her areas of interest in teaching, research, and action include education for peace and human rights, children’s rights, learning to live together in schools, and qualitative research in education from a critical perspective.

Episode 19:  Anita Yudkin-Suliveres, Part One

In Episode 19, Anita Yudkin-Suliveres discusses the origin of her interest in human rights, human rights education (HRE), and peace education. She then elaborates on her work in El Salvador and with Amnesty International regarding children’s rights in Puerto Rico. Anita describes the project, Teaching for Freedom, and her role as UNESCO Chair in Peace Education at the University of Puerto Rico. Anita, emphasizes the significance of collaborations between university departments, NGOs, and civil society organizations, as well as the growing number of young people engaged in these collaborations. Next, Anita shares her thoughts on the connections between her work and the political status of Puerto Rico, as well as issues of decolonization and self-determination. Additionally, she discusses her work in peace education and the link between Puerto Rico’s lack of political and economic autonomy, and the U. S. Congress’ creation of a fiscal oversight and management board which has had serious impacts on public policy in Puerto Rico. Anita provides suggestions around classroom strategies to address social problems in Puerto Rico, emphasizing human dignity, and her understanding of what peace means in the current Puerto Rican reality while simultaneously addressing global issues such as migration, climate change and global violence along with their interconnections.

Topics discussed:

  • Origins of her interest in human rights and peace education
  • Her work in El Salvador with Amnesty International
  • Teaching for Freedom project
  • Role as UNESCO Chair in Peace Education at the University of Puerto Rico
  • Collaborations between university departments, NGOs, and civil society
  • Connections between HRE and political status of Puerto Rico
  • Decolonization and self-determination
  • U.S. Congress’ fiscal oversight and impact on public policy in Puerto Rico
  • Classroom strategies to address social problems in Puerto Rico

Full topic listing available for PDF download HERE.

Listen on our Buzzsprout podcast website HERE.



Episode 16: Anita Yudkin-Suliveres, Part Two

In Episode 20, Anita Yudkin-Suliveres elaborates on her relationships with other scholars in Latin America, the Caribbean, and the Spanish-speaking world, as well as her Teaching For Freedom work in Costa Rica. Next, Anita discusses the lack of dialogue between the Global North and South, and the importance of accessing different ways of knowing when educating for peace, such as those from Indigenous voices. Furthermore, Anita shares her thoughts on critical pedagogy and how it has been retained as Latin American Human Rights Education (HRE). She then elaborates on the role of Paolo Freire’s work in HRE and social justice movements in Puerto Rico, along with the practice of applying a critical pedagogical lens to housing, education, and health issues in Puerto Rico. Anita also shares her thoughts on local Puerto Rican issues and their connection to global trends and issues. She then expounds upon future trends for HRE and Peace Education, such as the collaboration of scholars and activists addressing the growing trend of authoritarianism across the globe. Anita further elaborates on the development of new competencies. Lastly, Anita discusses an influential role model for her work in HRE and Peace Education – the late Dr. Betty Reardon.

Topics discussed:

  • Her relationships with scholars in Latin America and the Caribbean
  • Teaching for Freedom work 
  • Lack of dialogue between the Global South and North
  • Importance of accessing different ways of knowing 
  • Critical pedagogy 
  • Paolo Freire’s impact on social justice movements in Puerto Rico
  • Future trends in HRE and Peace Education
  • Development of new competencies
  • Influential role model, Dr. Betty Reardon

Full topic listing available for PDF download HERE.

Listen on our Buzzsprout podcast website HERE.

2023 YOUTH IN ACTION FOR HUMAN RIGHTS AWARDS WINNERS ANNOUNCED

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Human Rights Educators USA (HRE USA) is pleased to announce the winners of its newly established Youth in Action for Human Rights Awards. To encourage a new generation of human rights activists, the Awards recognize youth leadership in the defense of, advocacy for, and awareness of human rights in the United States. The Awards annually honor the work of both an individual and a group of young people of high school age. This year’s winners will receive a $500 award and be recognized at HRE USA’s national Human Rights Day Celebration on Thursday, December 7, at 4:00 p.m. ET.*
The 2023 individual awards go to two young activists, Reem Kamil Kirja, a student at Iowa City West High School in Iowa City, Iowa, and Clementine Causse, a student at Palisades Charter High School in Pacific Palisades, California.

Before she even reached high school, Reem Kirja was an activist for equality. As a pre-teen she led an effort to include two of the holiest Muslim holidays in the Iowa City Community School District (ICCSD) calendar. After a four-year campaign, she achieved her goal and paved the way for the inclusion of other cultural/religious holidays such as Lunar New Year and Yom Kippur. An immigrant born in Sudan, Reem’s experience of discrimination has led her to give a voice to under-represented individuals in her school community. To create an equitable access to extracurricular activities, she and a friend started the West Student Fund, A scholarship-based program that offers financial aid to students who could not otherwise afford to participate in school sports and clubs.

Clementine Causse’s human rights advocacy started during her freshman year as an active member of the Human Rights Watch Student Task Force (HRWSTF). Throughout her four years of high school she has prioritized educating and inspiring individual and communal action against various human rights issues, especially the climate crisis. She has organized protests, led school-wide letter-writing campaigns, and headed the Pali Clean Energy Task Force, which encourages her school to keep its promises regarding renewable energy, climate education, and energy efficiency. She successfully advocated for the first-ever student resolution, which committed Palisades Charter High School to 100% renewable energy, climate education, and energy efficiency. Now a senior, she hopes to continue her studies in the environment and human rights in college.

The 2023 group awards go to Kittatinny Regional High School Holocaust and Genocide Resource Center in Kittatinny, NJ. Inspired by their study of Elie Wiesel’s Night, students wanted to know more about the Holocaust and other genocides and to do something, especially to educate others in their community. The result was the Resource Center, a dedicated space adjacent to the school library. In addition to books, films, and other resources, the Center includes student-created visuals such as a world map showing where genocides have occurred, a “Wall of Hope,” where people can leave encouraging messages and quotations, and exhibits by local artists, including a Holocaust survivor. More than just a location for learning, the Resource Center serves as a place of empowerment where students come together to do the hard work of making a difference here and now. They host many fundraisers to give to the less fortunate in their community. For their immediate school population, they have developed a “Take What You Need” corner, stocked with school supplies, hygiene necessities, and food for students who may not be able to afford them.

HRE USA is proud to honor these young people for their dedication to furthering human rights principles in their community. 

*Register for the virtual Human Rights Day celebration at https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJMsfumgpzguH9NIpwGToV_nXoe0ET3YFinL#/registration

For more information:

Youth in Action for Human Rights Awards

Human Rights Educators USA: Dr. Alex Red Corn Receives 2023 O’Brien Award for Human Rights Education

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November 29, 2023

Human Rights Educators USA (HRE USA) announced today the winner of its 2023 O’Brien Award for Human Rights Education, Dr. Alex Red Corn, Coordinator for Indigenous Partnerships and Co-Chair Indigenous Faculty and Staff Alliance at Kansas State University.

Established in 2015 in memory of Edward O’Brien, pioneer human rights educator, the O’Brien Awards annually honor outstanding contributions to human rights education (HRE) in the United States. The 2023 award will be presented to Dr. Red Corn as part of HRE USA’s virtual Human Rights Day Celebration on Thursday, December 7, at 4:00 ET.* 

Alex Red Corn, 2023 O’Brien Award Winner 

Dr. Alex Red Corn is a citizen of the Osage Nation in what is now Oklahoma. He is an Associate Professor of Educational Leadership at Kansas State University (K-State) in what is now the state of Kansas, historically home to many Native nations. Dr. Red Corn specializes in teaching qualitative research courses and shares his research about the needs of American Indians in education in the university setting and well beyond. 

In addition to his full-time university position, he serves as Executive Director of the Kansas Association for Native American Education (KANAE), whose mission “is to support, promote, and advocate for the unique educational needs of American Indian/Alaska Native students, families, nations and educators in Kansas.” He has collaboratively created the Osage Nation Educational Leadership Academy, and he serves as the K-State Indigenous Faculty and Staff Alliance co-chair. He is also the Chair of the new Kansas Advisory Council for Indigenous Education Working Group (KACIE-WG). 

Dr. Red Corn’s passion for advocacy and education has taken him across Kansas as well as across the country. He has helped current and future educators reexamine curriculum and resources to dispel myths and reframe thinking by including past and present Native American contexts. His work clearly reflects his belief in education as a means for social change. He has said, “Once people start learning and peeling back the labels, that’s when the actual change starts to occur.” 

One nominator said of him, “He brings together communities to learn [and] urges educators to move beyond land acknowledgements to taking action: ‘Do you actually want to improve learning about Indigenous peoples and nations? Or are you just trying to check a diversity box? To go beyond the acknowledgement and make them meaningful, we need to have action to go with it.’” 

Dr. Red Corn’s own words best summarize his dedication to this work: “Just as our ancestors have always done, we are persistent in asserting our rights to exist as a people. Our persistence must triumph [over] the pernicious status quo we are constantly enduring, because our future depends on it. So we press on.” 

HRE USA is proud to honor Alex Red Corn for his commitment and service to human rights education in the United States. 

*The HRE USA Human Rights Day Celebration on December 7, 2023 at 4 pm ET: Registration link.

Learn more about –

HRE USA: https://hreusa.org 

O’Brien Human Rights Education Awards: https://hreusa.org/awards-and-grant-opportunities/edward-obrien-award/

Press release contact: nancymaryflowers@gmail.com

Ignite and Unite for Human Rights!

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Human Rights Educators USA depends on thousands of volunteer hours every year and generous contributions from members and supporters. To sustain this vibrant and essential network, we aim to raise $20,000 by the 75th Anniversary of the UDHR on Human Rights Day 2023!

This is how you can support:
Ignite our campaign by donating here: https://lnkd.in/eKPXmf49
Unite by joining our membership here: https://lnkd.in/eGN8bFkB
Share this with your family and friends to magnify our efforts!

Social media image with donation link attached below + shareable letter linked here: https://lnkd.in/e8rBfHPB

Also, join us December 7th at 4 pm ET at our Human Rights Day Celebration! Register here: https://lnkd.in/eNuRaF88

Thank you so very much for your support!

We are grateful for the generous support of our members, individual donors, and The Puffin Foundation Ltd
The core values of HRE USA and its partner organizations include transparency and critical thinking skills. We believe that human rights--and human rights education--belong to everyone, and that the full realization of human rights means that access to human rights education materials must never be conditioned upon the subscription to any particular religious faith, ideology, political affiliation, or membership in any particular organization and that any organizational connections should be openly acknowledged.