Educators Share Ideas at Summer
Institute in Dallas
by Patrick Manson
During the last week of July, a dozen teachers and other educators met at Mountain View College for the first Dallas Summer Institute for Human Rights Education. Designed by Educators’ Network members Patrick Manson and Janet Schmidt and sponsored by AIUSA’s Special Initiatives Fund, the five days of presentations allowed educators to see demonstrations of classroom activities, to hear various guest speakers, and to present their own lessons and activities.
Those attending the sessions focused on linking human rights education with conflict resolution, rights and responsibilities, youth activism, and service learning. They took time to peruse numerous books and periodicals to further familiarize themselves with the vast array of materials out there that help inspire us. As well, Geoff Grimes, a professor at Mountain View, enabled participants to create their own homepages for Web sites at their schools.
Guest speakers represented the numerous Dallas-area groups, such as the Dallas Peace Center, the National Coalition Building Institute, Youth Leadership Dallas, the Women’s Center, the American Indian Heritage Center, the Center for Survivors of Torture, Proyecto Adelante, and the Maryknoll Educational Services. The Twomey Center for Peace Through Justice, located in New Orleans, also sent two representitives for the week.
Other participants came from San Antonio, Houston, St. Louis, and even Maryland. Plans are underway for one or more similar institutes next summer, so stay tuned!
For more information about the 1998 Dallas
Summer Institute
for Human Rights Education, contact:
Patrick Manson
8656 Thackery, Dallas, TX 75225
home phone: 214–361–8949
e-mail: pmanson@igc.org
