Buying Into Human Rights Education: Where Do You Start?
Human Rights Education will become part of the curricula of many schools
worldwide as a result of the recent U.N. resolution proclaiming the decade
1995-2005 as the decade to promote Human Rights Education. Since individual
nations and cultures disagree upon which rights are most important, teachers
will have a difficult challenge in the instruction of human rights issues,
consequently making any discussion on human rights inherently controversial.
I however, there are many effective ways to promote understanding and overcome
some of the controversy surrounding this Topic
Colegio international de Caracas decided to initiate its Human Rights Program
by designating the week of October 23 27 as "Human Rights in the Arts
Week." The arts were chosen to facilitate the initial contact with
human rights issues, because visual and auditory activities lend themselves
to easy understanding of the basics of human rights. The whole student
body (K- 12) was involved in discussions, simulations, and other activities
designed to stimulate their interest in human rights. The coordinators
of the event were Kim Barrozzi in the secondary school and Sherilynn Perez
in the elementary school. It was critical to divide the work load to insure
that activities and materials were designed for the appropriate age level
and that all of the activities provided a continuity with previously established
ideas. Two articles from the Universal Declaration of' Human Rights were
selected to serve as guidelines: Article I, which states that "...all
human beings are born tree and equal in dignity and rights.. " and
Article 25, which states that ".. .everyone has the right to a standard
of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his
family...."
Some pupils drew pictures, drama students performed skills, and the choir
sang songs with verses like "...A candle of hope will continue...."
One of the most impressive activities was the human hand "rope."
Each student left his/her hand imprint, name, and country in paint on the
outside wall of CIC. The elementary and secondary students worked side
by side on this activity, and stimulated a true feeling of brotherhood
and sisterhood, which was exactly one of the main Themes highlighted that
week. The idea of the hand chain originated from the design of hands on
the T-shirts that were worn throughout the week by all of the CIC students
and staff.
The Human Rights Program, begun in October 1994, continues to be a part
of the school-wide curriculum at CIC. The Human Rights theme fits comfortably
into the ongoing Global education focus and is critical for instilling
attitudes of tolerance, flexibility, and an understanding of multiple perspectives.
Kim Barrozzi said, "This week is lust a beginning. It is the pioneering
of human rights emphasis at CIC. It is just one effort to help educate
students about vital global issues and their role in actively partaking
in decision making of our collective future."
Kim Barrozzi, Social Studies Department Chair/Global Education Coordinator
at Colegio International de Caracas, contributed this article. Both Sherilynn
Perez and she can be contacted at 58-2-93-0533 (voice) or 58-2-93-04-44
(fax).