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Episode 73 with Jane Williams is available on Human Rights Education Now!

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Professor Emeritus Jane Williams has built a distinguished career spanning legal practice, government legal service, academia, and civil society activism. She played a pivotal role in securing legislation on the rights of the child in Wales and was instrumental in the campaign for a Welsh Youth Parliament. At Swansea University, she co-founded the Observatory on Human Rights of Children (now the Observatory on Human Rights and Social Justice) and the Children’s Legal Centre Wales. Her scholarship and advocacy focus on devolution, child law, and children’s rights, and she has pioneered pedagogical innovations, including trans-Atlantic Street Law collaborations and human rights–based research with children.

Observatory on Human Rights and Social Justice

Children’s Legal Centre Wales

ORCID ID

In Episode 73 of Human Rights Education Now!, Jane Williams reflects on the roots of her commitment to children’s rights, shaped by witnessing the impact of poverty on children’s lives and by her legal training. She discusses the challenges of advancing children’s rights within the legal profession and the transformative influence of the UK Human Rights Act.

A central focus of the conversation is the development of Wales’ Children’s Parliament and the Children’s and People’s Assembly of Wales, created in the context of devolution and informed by the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Jane explains how these initiatives demonstrate the practical integration of children’s participation rights into democratic structures. She also describes the founding of the Observatory on Human Rights and Social Justice and the Children’s Legal Centre Wales, institutions dedicated to research, accountability, policy advocacy, curriculum reform, and embedding children’s rights into formal systems.

The discussion addresses ongoing challenges, including limited implementation of human rights education through” rights-based practice in classrooms, the impact of nationalism on attitudes toward migrant children, and the UK’s incomplete engagement with its colonial history. Drawing inspiration from historical figures such as Eglantyne Jebb and Janusz Korczak, Jane concludes by advocating a bold recommendation: abolishing the minimum voting age so that governments must listen to children as political actors.

Topics discussed:

  • Origins of Jane Williams’ work in children’s rights
  • Impact of poverty on children’s lives
  • Law as a pathway to children’s rights advocacy
  • Wales’ devolution and the creation of the Children’s Parliament
  • The role of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in Welsh reform
  • Integrating children’s rights into institutions and legal practice
  • Curriculum reform in Wales and human rights education
  • Nationalism, migrant children, and decolonizing legal education
  • Historical role models in children’s rights
  • Abolishing the minimum voting age as a strategy for advancing children’s rights

Full topic listing available for PDF download HERE.

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HRE USA is a project of the Center for Transformative Action.

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The HRE USA Edmonds Summer Fellowship applications are now open!

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CLICK HERE TO APPLY

Deadline to submit applications is Friday, March 27th at 11:59 PST

Summer Fellowship Project Summaries can be found HERE

In August of 2020, Human Rights Educators USA (HRE USA) lost one of its sustaining sources of inspiration and committed leadership – Kirby Edmonds. As a founding member of HRE USA, Kirby was instrumental in the establishment of HRE USA, directly shaping our mission statement, organizational structure, and most importantly our values framework and the consensus-based policy for decision-making. He served as Co-Chair of HRE USA for nearly a decade.

In honor of his legacy, HRE USA has created the Edmonds Summer Fellowship program to support hands-on leadership experience in human rights education and further Kirby’s work to engage young people in building human rights-friendly schools and communities. Fellows are supported with ongoing mentoring, guidance, and human rights learning opportunities throughout the summer. 

The Edmonds Summer Fellowship program 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. DCI’s Project Director, Laura Branca, said “Our Steering Committee proudly supports the Edmonds Fellowship to nurture young leaders and promote practices that transform individuals, schools and communities, opening new pathways to peace, justice and healing. What a fine way to honor Kirby’s legacy!”

Eligibility & Compensation 

  • Ability to commit 100 hours between June 1-August 28, 2026
  • 18 years old or older
  • $1500 stipend
  • Reside in the United States
  • Commitment to vision and mission of HRE USA

Donations to support the Edmonds Summer Fellowship can be made online or checks can be made out to the Center for Transformative Action with “HRE USA Edmonds Fellowship” in the memo line and mailed to the Center for Transformative Action, P.O. Box 760, Ithaca, NY 14851

Donate to Support the Edmonds Fellows

HRE USA is a project of the Center for Transformative Action.

Support the 2026 Kirby Edmonds Fellowship Campaign

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We are proud to launch the Kirby Edmonds Fellowship Campaign, one of our most important fundraisers of the year. Centered around the theme “The Future is Now: Shaping the Next Generation of Human Rights Leaders,” this campaign reflects our belief that investing in young leaders today is essential to building a more just and equitable tomorrow.

The campaign supports the Kirby Edmonds Summer Fellowships, created to honor the remarkable legacy of Kirby Edmonds, a founding member of Human Rights Educators USA and a lifelong advocate for social justice. These fellowships provide emerging human rights education leaders with invaluable mentorship and hands-on experience. 

Your donation will go directly toward funding the training and mentorship of Edmonds Fellows for Summer 2026. Each fellowship costs us $2,000. This year, we are proud to support four Edmonds Fellows, and with your help, we hope to expand these transformative opportunities to even more young leaders next year.

Support the Campaign

Share the campaign: tinyurl.com/edmonds2026

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We are grateful for the generous support of our members, individual donors, and The Puffin Foundation Ltd
The core values of HRE USA and its partner organizations include transparency and critical thinking skills. We believe that human rights--and human rights education--belong to everyone, and that the full realization of human rights means that access to human rights education materials must never be conditioned upon the subscription to any particular religious faith, ideology, political affiliation, or membership in any particular organization and that any organizational connections should be openly acknowledged.