We are looking for volunteers to work on UDHR75 promotional materials, events, and campaigns for Fall 2023!
Contact Kristi for details, kristi@hreusa.org
Volunteers needed for UDHR75 campaign
hreusa
Learning for Justice: Virtual Professional Learning Cohorts
Participants in Learning for Justice Virtual Professional Learning Cohorts (PLCs) engage in six months of learning with educators across the United States who are committed to creating inclusive, liberatory and just educational experiences for young people. Virtual Cohorts provide educators, free of charge, the chance to deeply engage with LFJ materials, collaborate with small groups of other educators from across the country and gain insights and feedback on implementation.
After six months of learning in community, including seven synchronous sessions via Zoom, educators will present their implementation plans at a virtual Showcase.
The 2023-2024 Virtual PLCs will focus on the following LFJ resources:
- Critical Practices for Social Justice Education
- For information about Critical Practices cohorts, including schedules and requirements, view the syllabus here.
- Teaching Hard History: American Slavery
- For information about Teaching Hard History cohorts, including schedules and requirements, view the syllabus here.
Applications close: September 17, 2023
Eligibility Requirements:
- To be considered for a Virtual PLC, applicants must be an educator who will implement the relevant LFJ resources with PK-5 or 6-12 students (for example, through a classroom, higher education, non-profit or museum setting, etc.) or who directly teaches or manages other adult educators who will implement the resources with students.
- Educators across the United States are encouraged to apply, but there will be preference given to those teaching in Southern Poverty Law Center states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi.
Art and Resistance through Education: Youth Voices Lead
Youth Voices Lead is a community training program for youth organizers (ages 15-18) to strengthen their human rights knowledge and artistic tools and discover how to take action for human rights and social justice change.
In celebration of the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the world’s preeminent human rights document, ARTE’s Youth Voices Lead training program will provide emerging youth leaders with the opportunity to connect the larger concepts of human rights (as outlined in the UDHR) and social justice to the issues that directly impact their communities, e.g., mass incarceration, policing, abolition, and racial discrimination.
Application Deadline: Friday, September 15 at 11:59 pm ET
Program Dates: October 5, 2023—January 20, 2024
CivXNow: Policy Coordinator
iCivics seeks a Policy Coordinator to assist with our CivXNow project and our policy work as a whole. This individual will support policy and advocacy work, coalition-building, social media efforts, event planning, research and other departmental needs and administrative duties. This role reports to the Associate Director of Federal Policy with significant collaboration with the State Policy Director.
This is a full-time, remote position, and we are location agnostic regarding where in the US you are based.
Priority application date: Thursday, September 7, 2023
HRE USA is pleased to announce the establishment of the Youth in Action for Human Rights Awards
To encourage a new generation of human rights activists, the 2023 Youth in Action for Human Rights Awards will recognize youth leadership in the defense of, advocacy for, and awareness raising/promotion of awareness about human rights in the United States. The Awards will be made annually to one individual and one group in the United States whose work explicitly or implicitly reflects and promotes human rights values. For more information and application forms, please visit: HRE USA Youth in Action Awards website (En español).
Application Deadline: October 1, 2023; Announcement Date: December 7, 2023
CALL FOR NOMINATIONS: 2023 Edward O’Brien Human Rights Education Awards
Human Rights Educators USA (HRE USA) invites nominations for the 2023 Edward O’Brien Human Rights Education Awards. These awards were established in memory of Ed O’Brien, pioneer human right educator and valued member of HRE USA who died suddenly in 2015.
There are two awards annually. One recognizes an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to human rights education in the United States. The other honors an organization, institution, or program that has made a similarly outstanding contribution to human rights education in the United States. Please review descriptions of past winners on this page.
The 2023 Edward O’Brien Human Rights Education Awards will be presented during International Human Rights Week, December 7, 2023.
Deadline for nominations is September 15, 2023.
HRE USA September Newsletter is out!
Visit this page to get up to date on the latest HRE USA news.
Episodes 13 and 14 with Felisa Tibbitts on Human Rights Education NOW!
We are pleased to announce the availability of our latest installment of podcast episodes in Human Rights Education NOW! Felisa Tibbitts (www.FelisaTibbitts.com) is Chair in Human Rights Education in the Department of Law, Economics, and Governance at Utrecht University in the Netherlands, where she also serves as UNESCO Chair in Human Rights and Higher Education. In addition, Felisa is Human Rights Education Associates (www.hrea.org) Executive Director and co-editor with André Keet of Emancipatory Human Rights and the University: Promoting Social Justice in Higher Education (2024).
Episode 13: Felisa Tibbitts, Part One
In Episode 13, Felisa discusses her initial interest in human rights and Human Rights Education (HRE) and how the Cold War influenced her outlook on the world. She elaborates on her research in Central and Eastern Europe along with her early work in HRE with the Dutch Helsinki Committee. Next, Felisa shares her views on the changes occurring within the field of human rights study in pre-collegiate education, and how ad hoc approaches to HRE remain a challenge moving forward. Felisa then discusses how the lack of a centralized system in the US presents both problems and opportunities, and the challenge of American exceptionalism as an obstacle to HRE development. Felisa addresses globalization and how it may make it more desirable to discuss and apply human rights-based approaches in the USA at the national and local levels. Finally, she explains how rights language is becoming more commonplace in the US, demonstrated by the importance of critical pedagogy and feminist scholarship, as well as her work on three conceptual models for HRE.
Topics discussed:
- Initial interest in human rights and HRE
- The Cold War and impact on world view
- Research and work in Central and Eastern Europe
- Human rights work with Dutch Helsinki Committee
- Changes occurring within the field of HRE
- Lack of a centralized education system and HRE challenges/obstacles
- American exceptionalism and HRE
- Globalization and HRE
- Importance of critical pedagogy/feminist scholarship
- Three conceptual models for HRE
Full topic listing available for PDF download HERE.
Listen on our Buzzsprout podcast website HERE.
Episode 14: Felisa Tibbitts, Part Two
In Episode 14, Felisa discusses issues-based education and HRE and her work in developing Human Rights Education Associates. She then elaborates on the role of the internet in fostering online HRE learning and the challenge of engaging local and universal issues through HRE teaching. She explains the relationship of HRE to social justice scholarship and issues and shares her views on the setbacks for human rights discourse in South Africa as tensions between universalism and particularism on a local level. Felisa then shares her thoughts on the need to revitalize and refresh the field, and the importance of connecting HRE to social problems by using disciplinary approaches from various fields. She describes her perspective on using HRE to create new pathways for research in disciplines and to inform public discourse about social problems and solutions. Felisa then proposes future trends in HRE and elaborates on the progress of human rights, and how human rights are at the forefront of the Ukraine War. Felisa concludes the conversation with her most influential HRE role model along with an inspiring quote.
Topics discussed:
- Issues-based education and HRE
- Human Rights Education Associates
- Role of the internet in fostering HRE
- Challenge of engaging local and universal issues in HRE
- Relationship of HRE to social justice scholarship and issues
- Setbacks for human rights discourse in South Africa
- Connecting HRE to social problems via disciplinary approaches
- Future trends in HRE
- HRE and the Ukraine War
Full topic listing available for PDF download HERE.
Listen on our Buzzsprout podcast website HERE.
HRE USA Announces 2023-2024 Training as Action Series (TAAS)
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 in their communities. The 2023-2024 training series will celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and center on the theme, “Protecting Democracy, Promoting Human Rights.” Sessions will discuss topics such as voting rights, facilitating difficult conversations, organizing an advocacy campaign, communicating with decision makers, protesting, and mental wellness.
Sessions
- Introduction to HRE USA and Human Rights Education (Thursday, September 28th, 7-8 pm ET)
- Protecting Democracy, Promoting Human Rights (Thursday, October 5th, 7-8:30 pm ET)
- Voting Rights: What You Can Do to Combat Voter Suppression (Thursday, October 12th, 7-9 pm ET)
- Calling In: Facilitating Difficult Conversations (Thursday, October 19th, 7-9 pm ET)
- Human Rights in Action: Organizing an Advocacy Campaign (Thursday, October 26th, 7-9 pm ET)
- Communicating with Decision Makers: How to Contact Influential Figures (Thursday, November 2nd, 7-9 pm ET)
- Protest and Beyond: Powerful Ways to Promote Your Message (Thursday, November 9th, 7-9 pm ET)
- Finding Joy: Integrating Mental Wellness into Your Advocacy Strategies (Thursday, November 16th, 7-9 pm ET)
HRE USA is grateful for the 2023-24 TAAS Co-Sponsors to make this series possible:
Girls Leading Change: the White House is seeking nominations
In honor of International Day of the Girl on October 11, 2023, the White House is seeking nominations for girls in the United States (ages 14 to 18) who are leading change by tackling important issues facing their communities.
To nominate a young leader, please fill out this form by 11:59pm ET on Friday, August 25, 2023.
HRE USA 