UNICEF Child Friendly City in the country

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The City of Minneapolis puts children first, with City leaders and partners committed to creating a supportive environment for young people.

                        Recognizing this effort, The United Nations International Children’s Fund (UNICEF USA) will announce Minneapolis as the second city in the country to receive the UNICEF Child Friendly Cities designation. The recognition takes place on the 4th anniversary of the City Council’s resolution to take the steps towards becoming a UNICEF Child Friendly City.

Houston became the first Child Friendly City in August of 2023.

The UNICEF Child Friendly Cities Initiative (CFCI)

 CFCI aims to improve the safety and inclusion of children and young people, their meaningful participation and access to equitable social services, safe and healthy living environments, play and leisure opportunities.

 A UNICEF Child Friendly Cities designation:

·       Recognizes a city’s advancement of child rights.

·       Shows commitment to eliminating discrimination against children through local government policies and actions. 

·       Fosters inclusive participation through child and youth councils.

·       Indicates a thorough assessment of the community was conducted, a detailed local plan was created, and that much of the plan was implemented.

Prioritizing children in Minneapolis

 City leaders are investing in our youth’s physical and mental well-being by addressing key areas:

·       Eliminating barriers to accessible health care.

·       Providing after-school opportunities.

·       Offering mental health and substance use resources.

·       Creating job programs.

WHEN:            Wednesday, Feb. 14 at 10 a.m. 

WHERE:          RSVP to Scott Wasserman for location details
Note: The event can also be viewed on our YouTube channel

WHO:              Mayor Jacob Frey

                        Michael J. Nyenhuis, UNICEF USA President & CEO

                        Commissioner Damōn Chaplin, Minneapolis Health Department 

                        Gretchen Musicant, Former Minneapolis Health Commissioner

                        Director Kim Ellison, Minneapolis Public Schools School Board Member

Background

·       Children make up 20 percent of Minneapolis.

·       98 percent of Minneapolis residents live within six blocks of parks.

·       City leaders, community members and youth participants developed the Minneapolis Local Action Plan to become a UNICEF Child Friendly City in 2020

Guest Editors: David Donahue, Maria Autrey Noriega, Lori Selke, Mauro Sifuentes

This special issue of the International Journal of Human Rights Education (IJHRE) queers human rights and human rights education, drawing on the multiple definitions of queer: as a noun, adjective, and verb. As a noun, queer is an umbrella term for members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, intersex, asexual/aromantic/agender, two spirit (LGBTQIA2S+) community, with the plus sign in the acronym holding space for new and expanding understanding about identity related to sexuality and gender. As an adjective, queer speaks to departing from the norm, differing from expectations regarding sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and sex characteristics (SOGIESC). As a verb, queer refers to challenging all that is considered normal and natural. Queering is about troubling power and replacing binary thinking with more complex, fluid ways of understanding.

In keeping with these multiple definitions, the editors of the special issue seek articles that are about the human rights desires and celebrations of LGBTQIA2S+ people as well as the challenges and contestations of those rights. In addition, we seek articles that challenge normative thinking about human rights and HRE, particularly in terms of gender and sexuality and that trouble what it means to teach and research in the field of human rights. We welcome scholarship that not only expands what we know but questions, challenges, and complicates how we come to know something and why we think it is valuable.

We welcome contributions looking inside and outside of the classroom, across all global settings, from early childhood, primary, and secondary education to higher education, adult education, and immigrant/refugee education and their intersections with HRE curriculum and educational materials; HRE pedagogy and practices; HRE community and spaces; HRE history and scholarship; and/or HRE advocacy and policy. Visual art, poetry, and creative nonfiction are welcomed as well as texts grounded in social science. We also seek book reviews, including reviews focused on trade books and children’s literature, as well as scholarly texts, focused on SOGIESC.

Proposal deadline: April 10, 2024

>> Details and submission information

HRE USA Steering Committee Member and D.C. Regional Representative Jess Terbrueggen recently published this article with the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) December 13, 2023.

As committee members, we have contemplated what it means to be a citizen of the world and how to inspire such a simple yet complex idea in our students. Though Diogenes uttered these words some two thousand years ago, the concept of cosmopolitanism and identifying as a citizen of the world remains an influential—and at times, controversial—concept today. Cosmopolitanism has been interpreted, explicated, reimagined, and even derided; Socrates and Plato were said to have been unimpressed with Diogenes’s declaration. Whether criticized or lauded, Diogenes’s concept of world citizenship has stood the test of time, being revisited and redefined by various thinkers over the centuries. Prominent figures such as Chrysippus, Cicero, Marcus Aurelius, Seneca, Immanuel Kant, John Rawls, and Martha Nussbaum have all promoted cosmopolitanism in various forms.

>> Read here

Due to the rapid and changing nature of the current crises, HRE USA is currently establishing a committee to vet lesson plans and resources on armed conflicts and displacements. We invite educators to submit human rights education resources to be considered for the forthcoming and/or existing collections

>> Submit a lesson plan or resource

“African American art is infused with African, Caribbean, and the Black American lived experiences. In the fields of visual and performing arts, literature, fashion, folklore, language, film, music, architecture, culinary and other forms of cultural expression, the African American influence has been paramount. African American artists have used art to preserve history and community memory as well as for empowerment. Artistic and cultural movements such as the New Negro, Black Arts, Black Renaissance, hip-hop, and Afrofuturism, have been led by people of African descent and set the standard for popular trends around the world. In 2024, we examine the varied history and life of African American arts and artisans.”

>> Learn more from ASALH

Visit this page to get up to date on the latest HRE USA news.

The Youth Advisory Board (YAB) is Speak Truth to Power’s youth division, which aims to bring together young people from across the country to advance human rights in their communities and help their peers do the same. Our current network of YAB members embodies the virtues of Robert F. Kennedy with their desire to grow and learn through empathy, passion, and stewardship. If you’re a student interested in human rights advocacy, organizing, or education, we want to hear from you! Learn more and submit your application by February 12.

LEARN MORE AND APPLY