Amnesty International has launched a new resource in connection with the Human Rights Friendly Schools project. Adopting a whole-school approach, the Human Rights Friendly Schools project aims to empower young people and promote the active participation of all members of the school community to integrate human rights values and principles into key areas of school life. Developed by Amnesty International within the context of the UN World Programme for Human Rights Education, the Human Rights Friendly Schools project builds on and complements existing local and national initiatives undertaken in recent years.
The programme’s initial phase from 2005 to 2009 – aimed at primary and secondary schools worldwide – called for a holistic approach to human rights education, encouraging national governments not only to support schools to teach about human rights, but also to ensure that schools were run according to human rights values and principles. Since 2010, a second phase has expanded the focus to also cover higher education.
“This human rights education initiative is based on the premise that everyone has the right to know, seek and receive information about all human rights and fundamental freedoms and should have access to human rights education and training,” said Sneh Aurora, International Human Rights Education Manager at Amnesty International. Fifteen secondary schools from 14 countries – in all regions of the world – took part in a pilot of the Human Rights Friendly Schools project from September 2009 to July 2011. Based on lessons learned from the project pilot phase, Amnesty International is pleased to announce the release of a new resource:
Becoming a Human Rights Friendly School: A guide for schools around the world
Download the guide here in English: http://amnesty.org/en/library/info/POL32/001/2012/en
The guide will be available in French and Spanish soon.
As the project now engages a greater number of schools and expands to new countries, the organization sees this new guide as an opportunity to consolidate, reflect and share the experiences and learning to date, and continue to support schools in their journey to become human rights friendly.
Illustrated throughout with case studies from the Human Rights Friendly Schools Network, the guide provides information and tools to plan, implement, monitor and evaluate a school’s journey to becoming human rights friendly. It offers practical suggestions for schools around the world to make human rights a viable part of their curricula, teaching methodology and broader learning environment that has a lasting impact not just on students, but also on their wider communities.
What is a Human Rights Friendly School?
A Human Rights Friendly School places human rights at the heart of the learning experience and makes human rights an integral part of everyday school life. From the way decisions are made in schools, to the way people treat each other, to the curriculum and extra-curricular activities on offer, right down to the very surroundings in which students are taught, the school becomes an exemplary model for human rights education.
Please visit the Amnesty International webpage for more information about the Human Rights Friendly Schools project: http://www.amnesty.org/en/human-rights-education/projects-initiatives/rfsp
If you have any comments or questions about the Human Rights Friendly Schools project, please send an email to [email protected].