Human Rights Education Now! has over 5,000 podcast downloads.
We’ve published our 76th episode of Human Rights Education Now! Learn more about how our podcast has progressed over the past 3 years in our Podcast Growth & Format Analysis: 3-Year Anniversary 2023–2026 report, compiled by podcast team member, Tia Hinz. >> Read the report
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Acknowledging how educators, families, and communities are navigating rights to protest and supporting children and young adults with staying safe and understanding current events impacting our lives, here are some resources for having these conversations.
The Kemper Human Rights Education Foundation(khref.org) is offering prizes of $5000, $2500, and $1250 to high school students judged to have written the best answers to the question below. There are two contests and two sets of prizes: one for high school students who are citizens or residents of the U.S. and one for high school students who are citizens and residents of other countries.
QUESTION
When if ever do human rights violations by a country against its own citizens justify armed intervention by other countries?
CRITERIA
Essays will be judged according to how clearly and well they answer the question and the extent to which they are supported by research. They are due on or before December 10, 2026 (Human Rights Day) and should: 1. Be written in English. 2. Not including the footnotes and bibliography be 2500 words or less. 3. Be submitted as a Microsoft Word attachment to: kemperhumanrights@gmail.com or by regular mail to: KHREF, 184 Fillow Street, Norwalk, CT 06850, USA. 4. Via footnotes and a bibliography indicate the names, titles, year of publication, and page numbers for all references. 5. Include a cover page with: i. the title, ii. author’s name and grade level, iii. name and address of the author’s high school, iv. the following statement signed by a teacher at the author’s high school: “I [teacher’s name], a teacher of [subject] at [name ofthe essay author’s school] am aware of [author’s name] participation in the KHREF essay contestand to the best of my knowledge the essay [s/he] submitted represents [her/his] independent work, v. the following statements signed by the author: a. I did not use generative AI tools to brainstorm, outline, draft, rewrite, summarize sources, generate thesis statements, improve paragraphs, create citations, or in any other way to write my essay and I understand it will likely be checked to confirm that is the case. b. Prior to receivinga prize I agree to participate in a Zoom interview with members of KHREF’s board. c. “I give the Kemper Human Rights Education Foundation permission to publish thisessay.”
AWARDS
Winners will be announced, and awards presented by the end of January 2027.
The Robert & Ethel Kennedy Human Rights Center (KHRC) is launching its inaugural Student Ambassador Program—and we’re looking for the next generation of human rights activists.
The Student Ambassador Program is looking for student content creators who are ready to use their social media platform to amplify human rights in the United States and abroad. As a KHRC Student Ambassador, you’ll create original content on your social media platform that brings human rights issues to life for your audience, all while being supported by the KHRC Communications team. The program will run from July 6, 2026 – August 17, 2026 and is fully remote.
Deadline to apply is 5pm ET, Friday, June 19th, 2026.
The Transitioning to Peace Professional Certificate by King’s College London explores how societies move from conflict toward more stable, secure, and sustainable forms of peace, with a focus on protection, reintegration, counterterrorism, and post-conflict recovery. It introduces practical concepts such as civilian protection, disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration, peacekeeping, security strategy, democratic responses to terrorism, and the challenges faced by former combatants, women, girls, and child soldiers, helping learners understand how peacebuilding policies can reduce harm, support recovery, and prevent renewed conflict.
Many conversations about civic engagement focus on communication, outreach, and participation processes. But democracy is shaped just as powerfully by economic decisions. Every day, local governments make decisions about procurement, ownership, zoning, development, budgeting, workforce policy, and public investment. These decisions influence economic opportunity, stability, trust, and ultimately people’s ability to participate in civic life.
At the same time, many of today’s democratic challenges, including declining trust, political disengagement, civic apathy, and polarization, are deeply connected to broader economic realities, including rising costs of living, housing insecurity, regional economic decline, wage inequality, debt burdens, unemployment, and economic precarity.
This webinar explores the relationship between economic policy and democratic participation. Bringing together leading practitioners and scholars working at the intersection of civic engagement, economic mobility, participatory governance, and community wealth building, the conversation will examine how local governments can strengthen democracy through economic decision-making. Through case studies and practical examples, panelists will explore how economic institutions shape civic participation, trust, and community resilience, and what local governments can do differently to build stronger democratic systems
UNESCO is seeking good practices that are showing results in advancing the Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4) — ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all.
This open call aims to identify and showcase transformative actions and success stories that can inspire cross-country learning and cooperation and accelerate progress toward SDG 4.
What does SDG 4 aim at?
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted at the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit in 2015, is a comprehensive “plan of action for people, planet and prosperity” aimed at ending poverty, protecting the planet, tackling inequalities and fostering global peace. The ambitious 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 169 targets adopted as part of this universal agenda are to stimulate action in areas of critical importance.
SDG 4 aims to transform lives through quality education, recognizing the critical role of education as the key catalyst for progress and enabler for achieving all SDGs. By equipping all people with the values, knowledge, skills and competencies needed to contribute to today’s rapidly changing world, education helps eradicate poverty; reduce inequalities; improve health and wellbeing; enhance productivity and decent employment; protect and promote cultural diversity; build peace and security; drive the green and digital transition and sustain the environment for current and future generations.
With a few years remaining 2030, the world is facing significant challenges to achieve SDG 4. Upscaled, collective and transformative actions are needed to accelerate progress by reaching the most vulnerable and marginalized and taking qualitative leaps in education and lifelong learning.
What is a good practice?
Governments and organizations have increasingly recognized the value of collecting and sharing good practices as a means of identifying and scaling effective policies and programmes, encouraging peer learning and driving social and economic progress. A ‘good practice’ is commonly defined as a technique or method that, through experience and research, has proven to reliably lead to a desired result.
In the context of education policy, programming and services, a practical definition of good practice is knowledge about what works in specific situations and contexts, without using excessive resources to achieve the desired results, and which can be used to develop and implement solutions adapted to similar education challenges in other situations and contexts.
The Edmonds Summer Fellowship is supported in partnership with the Dorothy Cotton Institute (DCI) which carries on the legacy of civil rights legend Dorothy F. Cotton. Kirby served DCI as a Senior Fellow and Program Coordinator. DCI’s vision is a just and peaceful beloved community in which all people understand, protect and exercise full human rights. Their mission is to develop and train leaders for a global human rights movement and build a network of civil and human rights leadership.
2026 Edmonds Summer Fellow: Caitlyn Krueger
Caitlyn Krueger is a Master’s student in International Education Development at Teachers College, Columbia University, with a focus on human rights and peacebuilding. She is passionate about advancing equitable and sustainable educational practices, with a particular interest in teacher advocacy and the use of storytelling to elevate educator and learner voices. Her work explores the intersections of memory, education, and professional learning.
Currently, Caitlyn serves as a Professional Development Coach with the Center for the Professional Education of Teachers, where she supports educators in implementing student-centered and participatory practices. Prior to her graduate studies, Caitlyn taught General and Instrumental music in upstate New York, integrating human rights education into the elementary classroom. Her experience in the classroom led her to explore the unique relationship between conflict resolution and the arts, particularly in emergency and post-conflict contexts. Additionally, she has also worked with the International Rescue Committee as an Adult Education Intern, supporting learners in refugee and resettlement settings. Caitlyn holds a Bachelor of Music in Music Education, along with a minor in Atrocity Studies and Practices of Social Justice, from Syracuse University. In addition to her academic and professional pursuits, she remains an active music educator and woodwind performer.
Caitlyn is excited and grateful for the opportunity to join HRE USA this summer as a Human Rights Education Now! Podcast and Advocacy Fellow!
2026 Edmonds Summer Fellow: Erin Ostlund
Erin Ostlund is a second year History PhD student at the University of Minnesota and is also obtaining a graduate minor in human rights. Her historical work centers gender and labor in export production in Latin America during the late twentieth century. More broadly she examines U.S. economic, political, and military ties to Latin America during the second half of the twentieth century. Prior to returning to graduate school full-time at the University of New Mexico in 2022 where she obtained her second Master’s degree, Erin was a full-time secondary Spanish and Social Studies teacher for fourteen years. In her current and past work, she has always centered social justice and human rights. Most recently, her interest in immigrant rights led her to a part-time internship with the ACLU of Minnesota where she has been working on the campaign to abolish 287(g) agreements with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the state of Minnesota. Lastly, during the ICE occupation of Minnesota, Erin became heavily involved in her local community response by helping with organizing, rapid response, constitutional observer training, and more.
As a Kirby Edmonds Summer Fellow with HRE USA, Erin will develop the virtual 2026-27 Training As Action Series.
GSAS headshots, Wednesday, August 27, 2025. (Photo by Diane Bondareff)
2026 Edmonds Summer Fellow: Madison Plemens-Schunk
Madison Plemens-Schunk (they/them) is a Master’s candidate in Human Rights Studies at Columbia University. Originally from Minnesota, Madison spent two and half years working as the Program Assistant for the University of Minnesota Human Rights Program while completing their undergraduate degree there. During that time, they helped to establish the Minnesota Human Rights Archive and rebuild the undergraduate human rights student group, all while gaining deep insights into the role of human rights institutions in higher education.
Madison’s interests and current research center on the role of dialogue in human rights education and organizing, which they see as a tool not only to foster collective solidarity but also to encourage people to be actors in their own meaning-making. They believe that life-long learning is an essential component of human rights activism, and they hope to continue learning from all of their colleagues at HRE USA this summer.
As a Kirby Edmonds Summer Fellow with HRE USA, Madison will creatively document the benefits and impact of human rights education and showcase the 15-years of Human Rights Educators USA’s accomplishments.
2026 Edmonds Summer Fellow: Devira Ayuni P. Sari
Devira Ayuni P. Sari is a Master’s student in Human Rights Studies at Columbia University, whose work bridges grassroots advocacy and global policy across Indonesia, Japan, and the United States. With a focus on business and human rights, Indigenous rights, climate justice, and education, she brings both academic and on-the-ground experiences to the pursuit of universal human rights. Her advocacy work began in rural Indonesia, where she founded the Period Poverty Project, an initiative that brought reproductive health education and women’s health rights to marginalized young women and girls. That experience deepened her commitment to human rights education as a tool of empowerment, particularly for communities whose rights have long been denied. At Columbia University, Devira continues to center the voices of local communities while engaging with diverse, global teams working toward shared human rights goals.
As a Kirby Edmonds Summer Fellow with HRE USA, she is expanding her expertise in community engagement, public policy, and human rights advocacy at both domestic and international levels. When she’s not advocating for a more just world, Devira can be found with a good book, a warm cup of coffee, and a cozy candle burning nearby.
Our annual video contest encourages students to use film as a powerful tool to engage with human rights issues and create change. Filmmakers learn teamwork, research and interview techniques, and editing skills.
Register to join for a special showcase in conjunction with the annual Tribeca Festival event in New York City.
Our annual video contest encourages students to use film as a powerful tool to engage with human rights issues and create change. Filmmakers learn teamwork, research and interview techniques, and editing skills.
Register to join us on June 6 from 5–7 p.m. for a special showcase in conjunction with the annual Tribeca Festival event in New York City.
About the Video Contest
In partnership with the American Federation of Teachers and the Tribeca Festival, Robert & Ethel Kennedy Human Rights created the annual Speak Truth to Power Video Contest, encouraging middle, high school and college students to use film as a tool to discuss human rights issues that resonate with them. In creating these short three- to five-minute videos, whether they be documentaries, narrative films, or experimental, students not only learn about human rights but also become champions of change and social justice. Students from all backgrounds can participate in the contest without needing expensive equipment or prior video editing skills.
The Connect to Protect – Children & Youth at Risk Conference is an international forum dedicated to strengthening child protection and improving outcomes for vulnerable children, adolescents, and young people. Organised by IASIS NGO, the conference brings together researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and organisations working across sectors to address the most pressing challenges affecting children and youth today.
The event focuses on advancing academic dialogue, evidence-based practice, and prevention-oriented policies that respond to the evolving risks faced by children worldwide. Website is here – connecttoprotect.eu
Why This Conference Matters
Children and young people are increasingly exposed to complex and interconnected risks, including violence, neglect, exploitation, mental health challenges, social exclusion, displacement, and digital harm. At the same time, child protection systems across Europe and beyond face growing demands and significant gaps between policy frameworks and frontline implementation. Connect to Protect responds to this need by creating a space for shared knowledge, interdisciplinary exchange, and coordinated action.
Conference Approach
The conference promotes a rights-based and trauma-informed perspective, recognising children and young people as active rights holders whose voices and experiences are essential in shaping effective safeguarding systems. It highlights the importance of prevention, early intervention, community resilience, and multi-agency collaboration across social welfare, education, healthcare, justice systems, and civil society
Yvonne will be a Keynote Speaker at this conference, which has substantial international support from the EU, UN, government officials, NGOs, and celebrities who are committed to the protection of children and youth. Think about joining us in beautiful Athens!
HRE USA 