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
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
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
I am very pleased to announce the publication of my biography of former US Senator from NJ Clifford Case. The book is entitled Clifford Case and the Challenge of Liberal Republicanism and is published by Lexington Books of Lanham MD, a division of Rowman and Littlefield.
Clifford Case and the Challenge of Liberal Republicanism tells the story of how NJ native and Rutgers University graduate Clifford P. Case became a leading figure in the post WW II Republican party, championing what he called “modern Republicanism.”
For 33 years in the U. S. Congress, 9 in the House and 24 in the Senate, Clifford Case was a powerful voice for civil and human rights, environmental protection, ethics in government and a global role for the U.S. in combating the spread of communism and promoting democracy. Case was determined to uphold honesty and integrity in government, introducing legislation on financial disclosure years before it was required by law, while pursuing an end to the Vietnam War when it became clear U.S. policy was causing more harm than good. Case also was a forceful advocate for New Jersey, working closely with his senate colleague Harrison Williams and other members of the state’s Congressional delegation to advance the state’s interests in Washington.
Case’s most difficult political challenges came not from Democrats, but from GOP conservatives in NJ and nationally. With other liberal Republicans like Jacob Javits, Charles Mathias and Edward Brooke, Case helped to pass landmark civil rights and social welfare legislation in the 1960s despite opposition from conservative Republicans and segregationist Democrats. This book details the liberals’ legislative successes while explaining their failure to maintain influence in an increasingly conservative GOP by the late 1970s and early 1980s.
The publisher website page for the biography is located at this URL:
Attached to this post is a 30% discount flyer (no expiration date) for readers interested in purchasing either the hardback or electronic versions of the biography.
I am available for presentations about Senator Case and the biography. Please contact me via email at bill41@comcast.net. Thanks for your interest in my work.
We are happy to invite you to submit a chapter for our forthcoming book on globalization, cultural diversity and human rights. This volume is part of a larger ongoing series with that title. We are happy to entertain submissions about a wide range array of topics. Submissions need to be in APA format, Times Roman 12, 20-25 pages. Due date is October 30, 2023. There are no fees associated with this publication. Please let us know if you anticipate submitting a chapter. or if you have questions. All communications and submissions should go to Yvonne Vissing at yvissing@salemstate.edu
HRE USA 