Thursday, November 14
12:00 – 1:00 PM
Join us for an informational webinar to learn more about the Master in Human Rights (MHR) program and the application process. This will be a great way to learn more and ask questions about possible next steps to get involved in the human rights field.
Teaching for Change is pleased to announce the release this month of the second edition of Putting the Movement Back Into Civil Rights Teaching. The Civil Rights Movement is one of the most commonly taught stories about the fight for democracy and equal rights. However, the powerful stories of everyday people organizing and working together for social change are lost in the focus on a few major heroes and dates.
Our book and companion website offer free lessons and other resources to teach a people’s history of the Civil Rights Movement.
As co-editor Jenice L. View says in the book’s introduction:
We have published this new print and online edition to challenge the typical story of the Civil Rights Movement, which, in the name of honoring Black history, is actually a disempowering narrative. By moving beyond “heroes and holidays,” we uncover and humanize the stories of all the many ordinary people who performed heroic acts in the name of social justice, and at the local level as well as nationally.
In doing so, readers are able to learn useful lessons about their roles in this world, to develop strategies to address pressing problems in their lives and community, and to see themselves as agents of change.
In honor of our 35th anniversary, we offer you a pre-order discount of $7 with the code TFC35. The books will ship by mid-October.Pre-Order Book
This book comes at a time when we need young people to learn from history how to defend voting rights and to organize to address a myriad of burning issues, including climate justice, mass incarceration, war, the freedom to learn, and much more.
The UN Human Rights Council has issued a public call for inputs to prepare the report Ensuring quality education for peace and tolerance for every child (res. 54/5).
The purpose is to inform the UN Human Rights Office’s report on how to develop accessible, inclusive, equitable and quality education for peace and tolerance for every child, especially children in the most vulnerable situations, and how to incorporate it into educational programs. This report will be presented at the 59th session of the Human Rights Council in June/July 2025.
Input/comments may be sent by e-mail/fax/postal mail. They must be received by 8 November 2024 18:00 CET. Please click here for further details.
The Kemper Human Rights Education Foundation (khref.org) is offering prizes of $4000, $2000, and $1000 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 in the U.S. and one for high school students who are citizens and residents of other countries.
Click here for more information.
QUESTION
Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights stipulates: Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers. Yet António Gueterres, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, has identified hate speech as a formidable threat to human rights. Do you agree and if so, how do you think governments should deal with that threat? If you disagree explain the reason you disagree.
CRITERIA
Essays will be judged according to how clearly and well they answer the question posed and the extent to which they are supported by research. They are due on or before December 10, 2024 (Human Rights Day) and should:
1. Be written in English.
2. Be 2500 words or less (not including the footnotes and bibliography) in length.
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 on which it is based.
5. Include a cover page with: i. the title, ii. author’s name and grade level, iii. name and address of author’s high school, iv. name of a teacher at the high school, v. the following statement signed by the teacher: “I [teacher’s name], a teacher of [subject] at [name of the essay author’s school] am aware of [author’s name] participation in the KHREF essay contest and to the best of my knowledge the essay [s/he] submitted represents [her/his] independent work, vi. the following statement signed by the essay’s author: My essay is based on the research cited in its footnotes and bibliography and represents my own thoughts on the subject and prior to receiving a prize I agree to participate in a Zoom interview with members of KHREF’s board regarding my essay and, vii. the following statement signed by the essay’s author and essay author’s parent or guardian: “I give the Kemper Human Rights Education Foundation permission to publish this essay.”
Gain new insights and develop strategies to strengthen civic and history education in your classroom and school! The Civic Learning Institute offers engaging, interactive online courses for teachers and leaders in K-12 and higher education in which you will:
The first course, Our Declaration: “We the People” and the Declaration of Independence, taught by Harvard professor Danielle Allen, will begin October 7.
Registration for Our Declaration: “We the People” and the Declaration of Independence online course closes on October 4th!
Each course is aligned with the Roadmap to Educating for American Democracy. Developed by a cross-ideological group of 300 educators, scholars, and practitioners, the Roadmap provides guidance for creating powerful civic and history learning experiences to support students in becoming skilled, motivated, and responsible participants in US constitutional democracy.
THE premiere of CITIZEN NATION! wil take place on October 8 at 9 p.m. ET. This captivating four-part documentary series will debut on PBS, YouTube, and Amazon Prime Video.
The four-part documentary follows high school students from across the country as they participate in the We the People competition, exploring essential questions about democracy and citizenship. This series offers an inspiring look at their journey to the National Finals in Washington, D.C.
To celebrate this exciting premiere, you have a few ways to join in the fun:
You can register to join the Center for Civic Education’s virtual watch party on premiere night. Connect with others from across the country as we watch CITIZEN NATION together.
Host your own watch party and engage your school or local community in this exciting event. The Center will provide you with the resources and support you need to host.
The Nevada Center for Civic Engagement will be hosting two watch parties. The Southern Nevada event will take place on October 9 at 6 p.m., and the Northern Nevada event is set for October 22 at 5:30 p.m. RSVP by October 7 (Las Vegas) and October 20 (Reno) at this link.
Visit this page to get up to date on the October events!
We are pleased to announce the availability of our latest installment of podcast episodes in Human Rights Education NOW! Episodes 40 & 41 feature conversations with Sam Totten. Sam Totten is professor emeritus at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. His areas of research are: crimes against humanity and genocide in Sudan; the current war in Ukraine; the impact of genocide on the individual and the local community; the intervention and prevention of genocide; and the denial of genocide. Sam has served as an investigator with the U.S. State Department’s Atrocities Documentation Project, and as a Fulbright Scholar at the Centre for Conflict Management at the National University of Rwanda. His publications include: We Cannot Forget: Interviews with Survivors of the 1994 Genocide in Rwanda; Genocide by Attrition: Nuba Mountains, Sudan; Conflict in the Nuba Mountains: From Genocide by Attrition to the Current Crises; Sudan’s Nuba Mountains People Under Siege: Accounts by Humanitarians from the Battle Zone; Dirty Hands and Vicious Deeds: The U.S. Government’s Complicity in Crimes Against Humanity and Genocide; Centuries of Genocide: Critical Essays and Eyewitness Accounts; and All Eyes on the Sky – The Nuba Mountains, Sudan.
In Episode 40, Sam Totten discusses the origins of his interest in human rights issues, as well as his transition into human rights education. Sam then describes his publications on HRE, along with his work with the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council/Museum and the Guidelines for Teaching about the Holocaust. Next, Sam shares his engagement with high school Amnesty International Chapters, before briefly touching on the fall of Communism and the opening of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. Sam examines the evolution of the field of genocide studies, debates about definitions of genocide, and the growth of journals and electronic media sites in genocide studies. Sam expands on his work as an a scholar-activist, including his investigative work in Darfur with refugees and humanitarian work in the Nuba Mountains in Sudan.
Topics discussed:
Full topic listing available for PDF download HERE.
Listen on our Buzzsprout podcast website HERE.
In Episode 41, Sam Totten discusses the Genocide Studies Program in Rwanda and the challenges of implementing a masters curriculum. Sam then describes revisionist history, the Rwandan genocide, and issues-centered curriculum and human rights education. Next, Sam shares his thoughts on censorship issues in the United States, and his concerns about curriculum restrictions in K-12 and higher education. Sam analyzes issues around book banning and attacks on teachers, as well as self-censorship by educators. Sam then highlights his role models in human rights education (HRE) and key quotes which epitomize his views on HRE. Lastly, Sam concludes with his recommendation for advancing HRE in the United States, along with his concerns about the implications of Project 2025 if Donald Trump is re-elected and the importance of educators resisting censorship.
Topics discussed:
Full topic listing available for PDF download HERE.
Listen on our Buzzsprout podcast website HERE.
Thank you for supporting the Human Rights Education NOW! podcast!
In collaboration with Pedagog.ai, HREA will be offering the online course AI, Human Rights and Education from Oct 10- Nov. 20th, 2024. https://lnkd.in/drkTiy2j
This course will be co-taught by HREA Director Felisa Tibbitts (she/her) and Pedagog.ai Curriculum Director Nina Bamberg and will introduce the six-lesson curriculum developed collaboratively. In each of the weekly webinars, one of the lessons will be presented and discussed, and an activity will be carried out to facilitate educator learning and practice with the topic. In addition, the course offers supplemental, practical readings that are connected with course topics.
Weekly themes are:
– The Basics of AI and Ethical Frameworks
– The Basics of Human Rights and Assessing the Impacts of AI using the Human Rights Framework
– AI Governance and its Role in Protecting Human Rights
– AI and the Right to Education
– AI and Human Rights Literacy Building
– Research Project and Wrapping Up the Unit
For more information about this course, including fees and how to register, visit https://lnkd.in/dWYdjKM4 Queries may be directed to ai-hre-course@pedagogy.cloud Enrollment deadline is Friday, October 4th.
One of HRE USA Steering Committee members, Adrianna Zhang, is showcased on the episode of Teen Kid News, a nationalized television show. This is exciting news and you can watch it on Saturday, September 28, 2024
Website www.teenkidsnews.com,
YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@TeenKidsNewsTV
HRE USA 