February is Black History Month and a time to use education about human rights to combat discrimination
Youth for Human Rights Washington, DC, team members delivered a series of online seminars to educate on the topic of human rights.
The human rights curriculum from Youth for Human Rights International is free for educators and includes booklets, videos and mini posters on each of the 30 human rights.
More education on human rights, including the right to “no discrimination,” is needed. Surveys show many Americans don’t know the basic 30 human rights.
Looking at the history of discrimination in the U.S. serves to combat discrimination today. There is clearly much work still to be done. The Youth for Human Rights1 chapter in Washington, DC, decided to fight discrimination and other abuses through raising awareness of what the human rights are. With the help of online human rights educational tools, the group has done several virtual human rights educational seminars focusing on the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights2 (UDHR).
There are 30 rights listed in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, but by survey many Americans do not know what they all are or even that there are 30 rights to know about. Yet, this document was created and passed in 1948 following World War II and is accepted around the world.
Youth for Human Rights was created with the idea that education about human rights is a critical step to ensuring that these rights are honored. In training materials from Youth for Human Rights, each right is conveyed in detail. The training materials include a booklet, a short video on each right, and posters on those rights as well as an educator guide for teachers which lays out curriculum plans and suggested activities for students.
“Our goal is to help spread a message of peace, unity, and human rights for all,” said Erica Rodgers of Youth for Human Rights. “Attendees of our training seminars learn about current human rights abuses in the community today and the role they can play to help stand up for human rights everywhere.”
In order to maintain the health and safety of participants during the pandemic, Youth for Human Rights seminars and events have been created in a webinar format. The events have a Q&A period where participants are able to further discuss the individual elements related to the human rights being covered. One student who attended a seminar commented, “I am learning about rights I never knew I had. These are rights I now know about and can fight to protect.”
During Black History Month, Youth for Human Rights DC holds events examining the history of discrimination and how the UDHR can be used to help prevent discrimination that is still experienced in this country.
About Youth for Human Rights:
Youth for Human Rights International (YHRI) is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to teach youth about human rights, specifically the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and to inspire them to become valuable advocates for tolerance and peace. YHRI advocates for human rights both in the classroom and in nontraditional educational settings such as through art series, concerts and other interactive community events, including regional and international human rights summits which bring youth together from across whole sectors of the world. Their most recent campaign has included #KnowYour30 with the deliberate purpose of increasing awareness of the 30 human rights every person has - and how they are a part of everyday life. To learn more about human rights go to https://www.youthforhumanrights.org. For a documentary on Youth for Human Rights and its founder, go to https://www.scientology.tv/series/voices-for-humanity/mary-shuttleworth.html.
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1 https://youthforhumanrights.org
2 https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights