From PBS: November is Native American and Alaska Native Heritage Month. The celebration of Indigenous cultures began as a week-long celebration in 1986, when President Reagan proclaimed the week of November 23-30, 1986 as “American Indian Week.” Every President since 1995 has issued annual proclamations designating the month of November as the time to celebrate the cultures, accomplishments, and contributions of Native American and Alaska Native communities.
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Human Rights Begin with Education!
Join us for our annual virtual International Human Rights Day event We will present awards from HRE USA and UCCHRE, showcase projects, and celebrate and connect with the HRE community working on important issues across the country and around the world.
Wednesday, December 10, 2025 at 1pm (PT)/4pm (ET)
Next Generation Climate is an interdisciplinary six-lesson climate change curriculum that uses the Next Generation Science Standards as a framework. Access here
The Next Generation Climate (NGC) curriculum was first developed in 2015 to meet a growing need for curricular materials that develop students’ climate literacy while supporting the Next Generation Science standards (NGSS). Over a decade later, climate change education has grown more comprehensive, but it remains no less important to educate students about the foundations of climate change and solutions to the crisis. The 2025 update includes current graphs and data sets, plus more interdisciplinary approaches that highlight climate justice leaders and perspectives.
This curriculum’s main purpose is to build students’ climate literacy. According to the 2024 Climate Literacy Guidelines, a climate-literate person: “Understands the essential principles of Earth’s climate system and the options to address human-caused climate change; recognizes credible information about climate change and knows where to find it; communicates about climate change in accurate and effective ways; and is able to make informed decisions related to climate change.”
We hope that NGC can serve as both an introduction to climate change and as a source of activities that deepen and broaden students’ climate literacy. Formal and non-formal educators will find that NGC aligns with their frameworks and can spark climate conversations in any subject area. We invite you to dive in!
November 20, 2025 • 7:00-8:00 pm EST
Who decides what patriotism looks like? Join the Center as we moderate a discussion between Danielle Allen of Harvard University and Paul Carrese of Arizona State University. This timely conversation on reflective patriotism will explore how the line between patriotism and dissent has shifted throughout American history. This session explores the intersections of protest, civic identity, and constitutional rights—key themes in Unit 6 of We the People: The Citizen & the Constitution. Cosponsored by ASU’s Center for American Civics and Harvard’s Allen Lab for Democracy Renovation, this program is part of the Center for Civic Education’s ongoing 60-Minute Civics webinar series. Register here and explore more offerings on our webinars homepage.
Order your copies of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) at our shop!
For over a decade, the Speak Truth to Power video contest has empowered students to use filmmaking as a tool for social change. Screened at the Tribeca Film Festival, these films shine a light on pressing human rights issues, celebrate the defenders working to create change across the nation, and drive real action and advocacy.
Students from all backgrounds can participate in the contest by submitting short three- to five-minute videos—whether they be documentaries, narrative films, or experimental—without needing expensive equipment or prior video editing skills.
Students interested in participating should submit their films for consideration by May 3, 2026.
LEARN MORE AND SUBMIT TO THE CONTEST →
Students should follow the guidelines for their category, grades 6-12 or College Guidelines. Submissions are judged by a panel of film industry experts, actors, and educators.
Questions? Email Benjamin Higgins at Higgins@rfkhumanrights.org.
GENEVA – The United Nations Human Rights Council today called on the United States to resume its cooperation with the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), a mechanism that calls for each UN Member State to undergo a peer review of its human rights record every five years. In its decision, the Human Rights Council also announced that it would reschedule the UPR of the U.S. for 2026, while leaving open the possibility for it to be scheduled sooner. Read more
Recording of the Information Meeting on the UPR process in the United States of America
Monday, November 10th, 7 pm ET
This module explores how Human Rights Education (HRE) equips educators and organizers to address controversial issues while promoting dialogue and free expression. Participants will learn strategies to engage diverse perspectives, mediate conflict, and create safe spaces for open discussion. The module highlights how HRE can reduce polarization, foster empathy, and encourage constructive civic engagement.
Register here
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 2025–2026 Training as Action Series will center on the theme, “Defending Democracy and
Human Rights in a Changing World.” This year’s sessions will explore urgent issues such as misinformation, protest rights, climate justice, and digital surveillance, highlighting how human rights education can equip communities to respond with clarity, courage, and collective action. Those who attend six or more sessions will receive a certificate from HRE USA. 2025-26 TAAS Flyer
HRE USA is a project of the Center for Transformative Action.
International Association for Human Rights Education
3rd International Conference: IAHRE 2026
Re-imagining Human Rights Education in a Turbulent World
26-27 May 2026
Venue: Zfsl Münster
Germany
Conference Announcement and Call for Papers
Abstract Deadline Extended until 17 November 2025
The International Association for Human Rights Education (IAHRE) was established in 2023 at the 15th International Conference for Education and Democratic Citizenship (ICEDC) hosted by Sutherland School of Law at University College Dublin, Ireland. IAHRE’s goal is to support the development of human rights education research, scholarship and practice. IAHRE’s scholarly journal is the award-winning Human Rights Education Review founded in 2018 and published by Taylor and Francis.
The IAHRE Conference is a meeting place for scholars, researchers, graduate students, education policymakers, and civil society activists from across Europe and internationally. It builds on the work of the WERA International Research Network on Human Rights Education, coordinated by Professors Audrey Osler and Hugh Starkey. It provides a unique opportunity to present and discuss current research and policy relating to human rights education and questions of human rights within education. There is an expectation that presenters will submit their final revised conference papers to Human Rights Education Review.
Call for papers
We invite papers for the 2026 IAHRE Conference Re-imagining Human Rights Education in a Turbulent World. IAHRE 2026 is an interdisciplinary conference, and we welcome scholars fromsociology, education, law, history, politics, geography and other relevant disciplines. Papers should review and critically reflect on human rights education policy and practice, child rights education and the wider area of education and human rights. NGO colleagues who have case studies of campaigns are likewise invited. We welcome contributions from researchers at all stages of their careers.
IAHRE 2026 is taking place in a world that is increasingly unstable, with growing authoritarianism and challenges to human rights and democratic values in all regions. Climate change, disinformation, terrorism, war and conflict, hate speech and xenophobia confront us in the starkest terms. Educators and activists are working in an unstable world where human rights and international standards are called into question and increasingly derided by political leaders from both right and left.
In many democratic countries the public is ill-informed about human rights standards and their relevance to our daily lives. Human rights educators need to be creative in their efforts to ensure that both teachers and students know their rights and are ready to defend the rights of others. In selecting our IAHRE 2026 theme – Re-imagining Human Rights Education in a Turbulent World –we are mindful of both the challenges and the opportunities that educators in varied contexts face.
Human rights education (HRE) is supported by UN Sustainable Development Goal 4. HRE has a vital role in maintaining hope and enabling people of all ages to reimagine a positive future. Children and young adults frequently struggle to make their voices heard and children face barriers to democratic participation since they are excluded from formal political mechanisms and decision-making processes. HRE has a key role to play in addressing and challenging intergenerational justice.
Any vision of a sustainable future necessarily includes ‘sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development’ (SDG 4.7). IAHRE 2026 invites contributions that build on these themes and includes but is not limited to papers addressing:
Abstracts of no more than 300 words including paper title, your name, institutional affiliation and contact email should be sent, no later than Monday 3 November 2025 to: Professor Frauke Matz frauke.matz@uni-muenster.de
All abstracts will be peer reviewed by members of the IAHRE Conference Steering Committee. Please indicate whether you would prefer to give an oral or a poster presentation. Applicants will be informed of the outcome of the review by the end of November 2025.
A full draft of accepted papers should be submitted by 30 March 2026. Your revised paper should be submitted to Human Rights Education Review by 6 July 2026.
Registration will open in October 2025
Conference fees:
IAHRE Annual Members should pay or renew their membership for 2026 (£65 GBP) prior to registration to benefit from IAHRE member conference rates
Earlybird rates (registration by 4 March 2026)
IAHRE members £295 (GBP)
Non-members £395
A limited number of bursaries may be available for unwaged/ low-waged PhD candidates who are IAHRE members and whose proposal (poster/oral) is accepted for presentation.
Standard rates (after 4 March 2026)
IAHRE members £395
Non-members £495
Conference Steering Committee:
Professor Frauke Matz Conference Co-Director, University of Münster
Professor Audrey Osler Editor-in-Chief Human Rights Education Review, University of Leeds
Professor Hugh Starkey IAHRE Treasurer+ corresponding committee member for academic questions, University College London h.starkey@ucl.ac.uk
Dr David Rott Conference Co-Director, University of Münster
HRE USA 