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AnIntroductoryCurriculumtotheUniversalDeclarationofHumanRights:

HumanRightsLearningSecondEdition

CurriculumPreparedbySaraRamey

IntroductionauthoredbySaraRameyandJeanLouisPetaIkambana

BrookeMcDonaldandHowardCellEditors

AmericanFriendsServiceCommitteeD.C.HumanRightsLearningProject

SponsoredbytheStephenG.CaryFund

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I.TableofContents................................................................................................................................2II.OverviewofAFSCandtheD.C.HumanRightsLearningProject........................................................3

A.TheAmericanFriendsServiceCommittee.............................................................................3

B.TheD.C.HumanRightsLearningProject................................................................................3C.AFSCHumanRightsLearningCurriculum:SecondEdition.....................................................4

III.HumanRightsLearning:AframeworkforPeaceandJustice............................................................4IV.IntroductiontotheCurriculum.........................................................................................................5

A.CurriculumLayout..................................................................................................................5

B.MeetingtheNeedsofHighSchoolStudents..........................................................................6

C.WhereWeAreGoing..............................................................................................................6V.ConclusiontotheIntroduction7VI.Lessons..............................................................................................................................................8 A.UnitOne:IdentityandSelfDetermination

1. DignityandEquality..92. Expression..123. SelfDeterminationandCitizenship.164. BuildingCommunity225. SocialActionPartOne28

B.UnitTwo:EconomicandSocialRights

6. FamilyandGenderRights297. SocialRights..338. EconomicRights.369. ResponsestoConflict.4110. SocialActionPartTwo44

VII.Appendix.......................................................................................................................HistoryoftheUniversalDeclarationofHumanRightsUniversalDeclarationofHumanRights........................................................UniversalDeclarationofHumanRights,AbbreviatedVersion......................

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II.OverviewofAFSCandtheD.C.HumanRightsLearningProjectA.TheAmericanFriendsServiceCommitteeTheAmericanFriendsServiceCommittee(AFSC)isaQuakerorganizationthatincludespeopleofvariousfaithswhoarecommittedtosocialjustice,peaceandhumanitarianservice.OurworkisbasedontheprinciplesoftheReligiousSocietyofFriends,thebeliefintheworthofeveryperson,andfaithinthepoweroflovetoovercomeviolenceandinjustice.AFSCwasfoundedin1917duringWorldWarI.InaccordancewiththeirQuakerfaith,theneworganizationgaveyoungconscientiousobjectorswaystoservewithoutenlistinginthemilitaryortakinglives.Theydroveambulances,ministeredtothewounded,andstayedoninEuropeafterthearmisticetorebuildwarravagedcommunities.In1947,AFSCwasacorecipientoftheNobelPeacePrize,onbehalfofallQuakersforourworkfromthenamelesstothenameless.B.TheD.C.HumanRightsLearningProjectTheUniversalDeclarationofHumanRights(UDHRorDeclaration)wasadoptedbytheUnitedNationsGeneralAssemblyin1948.TheDeclarationurgesmembernationstopromoteanumberofcivil,political,economicandsocialrights,assertingtheserightsarepartofthefoundationoffreedom,justiceandpeaceintheworld.Thisdocumenthashelpedtomakeimmeasurablechangesaroundtheworldandisstillasrelevanttodayasitwasoversixtyyearsago;yetthearticlesthattheDeclarationoutlinessometimesseemlikeloftyidealsnotalwaysimmediatelyrelevantorlinkedtodailylife.InDecember2008,acollectionoforganizationsandindividualsledbytheAFSCsuccessfullypresentedaHumanRightsCityResolutiontotheD.C.CityCouncil,whichgaveitsunanimousapproval.TheResolutionnotedtheimportanceofongoingdiscussionsamongresidentsandlocalauthoritiestoidentifytheissuesandinformtheactionsthatcouldleadtomeaningfulandpositiveeconomicandsocialchange.Consequently,AFSCsD.C.PeaceandEconomicJusticeProgramsurveyedstudentsfromsevenpublicandprivateschoolstodeterminetheirknowledgeabouttheDeclaration.Anoverwhelmingmajority(87outof89)respondedthattheyhadneverheardofit.EverysinglerespondentalsoindicatedthattheywereinterestedinlearningmoreabouthumanrightsandthustheHumanRightsLearningProject(HRLearningProject)wasborn.TheprojectgoalistoensurethattheprinciplesoftheDeclarationwillbeunderstoodandexercisedbyD.C.youth,aswellasprovidethemwiththetoolstoidentifyandovercomeculturalpracticesandbeliefsthatdonotsupporthumanrights.TheHRLearningProjectempowersyoungpeopletoengagepolicymakersandcommunityleadersatthelocal,neighborhood,school,city,state,nationalandgloballevel.

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TheHumanRightsLearningProjectstrivestoachieveuniversalcommitmenttothedignityandworthofeachhumanpersonbyworkingwithyoungpeopletoincreasetheirknowledgeandunderstandingofhumanrights.Specifically,thethreegoalsoftheHRLearningProjectare:

1. Toincreaseknowledge,2. Tofostercriticalthinking,and3. Toempoweryouthtobecomeagentsforsocialchange.

C.AFSCHumanRightsLearningCurriculum:SecondEditionThefirstAFSCHumanRightsLearningCurriculumwaspublishedin2010.Itcontainedtenexercisesintendedasanintroductiontohumanrightslearning.Werefertoourmodelasoneofhumanrightslearningbecauseitgoesbeyondimpartingknowledgeabouthumanrights,asismostoftentheobjectiveofhumanrightseducation.Humanrightlearninghasatransformativedimensionthataimstomakethelearneranagentofsocialchange.Intheprocess,dedicationtohumanrightsshouldbecomepartoftheparticipantsvaluesystem;applicabletodailylife.Throughthelearningprocessparticipantsbecomeengagedindefiningandshapingtheirexperienceaccordingtohumanrightswhichincludes:enhancingknowledge,developingcriticalthinking,promotingvaluesclarification,buildingsolidarityandchangingattitudesandbehavior.Mostimportantly,humanrightslearningshouldleadtoaction.SaraRameywashiredin2011astheStephenG.CaryFellow.Shespenttheyearrevising,improvingandexpandingtheoriginalcurriculum.Theresultisbeforeyou.

III.HumanRightsLearning:aframeworkforPeaceandJustice"Where,afterall,douniversalhumanrightsbegin?Insmallplaces,closetohomesocloseandsosmallthattheycannotbeseenonanymapsoftheworld.Yettheyaretheworldoftheindividualperson;theneighborhoodhelivesin;theschoolorcollegeheattends;thefactory,farm,orofficewhereheworks.Sucharetheplaceswhereeveryman,woman,andchildseeksequaljustice,equalopportunity,equaldignitywithoutdiscrimination.Unlesstheserightshavemeaningthere,theyhavelittlemeaninganywhere.Withoutconcertedcitizenactiontoupholdthemclosetohome,weshalllookinvainforprogressinthelargerworld."EleanorRooseveltontheUniversalDeclarationofHumanRightsHumanRightsareinternationalethicalstandardsthatwereapprovedbymembersoftheUnitedNations.Theyoutlinethemostbasicneedsofallhumanbeingsanddemandfortransformationfromallnationsthatdonotaddresstheseobligations,includingtheUnitedStates.Thehumanrightsframeworkilluminatesinequities,bothathomeandabroad,andoffersanalternative.Foryoungpeople,acomprehensiveunderstandingofhumanrightsisimportantbecauseitreinforcestheabilitytoliveinasocietywheretherightsofallhumansarerespected.HumanRightsLearningprovidesalanguagewithwhichpeopleofallagescanadvocatefortheirrights.Ithastheaddedbenefitofdirectlyengagingpeopleinthinkingabouttherightsofothers.TheAmericanFriendsServiceCommitteesbestworkisgroundedinthegrassrootsamixofcommunityorganizing,advocacy,education,capacitybuilding,andcreativedemonstrationsof

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alternativestobrokeneconomic,politicalandsocialsystemswhatsomepeoplewouldcallservice.Whiletherearemanyvaluableprogramsthatofferextracurricularactivitiessuchassports,artsandacademicenrichment,thereisalackofprogrammingthatprovidesyoungpeoplewithopportunitiestoexaminetheproblemsfacingtheircommunitieswhilealsosupportingthemtotakeactionandgetengaged!AFSCHumanRightsLearningprojectschallengeyoungpeopletoaddresslocalpeaceandjusticeissues.Wenurturecompellingdemonstrationsofthepowerofeverycommunity,particularlythenextgeneration,tocreatetheirownsolutions.

IV.IntroductiontotheCurriculumA.CurriculumLayoutThecurriculumisorganizedinto10lessons,dividedintotwounits.Eachunithasfourclassesonhumanrightstopicsandoneaboutsocialaction.Theentirecurriculumisdesignedinawaythatwillallowstudentstochooseasocialissueanddevelopaplantoaddresstheissueorengagethecommunityinchanginglocalpolicy.Forexample,theactionprojectmightbetoinstitutearecyclingprogramwhereonedidnotexistorbuildaplaygroundinaneighborhoodwithout.Iftheplanistochangethelocalpolicy,advocacymighttakeplaceattheschoollevel,theneighborhoodlevelorthecitylevel.TheHumanRightsLearningProjectusesoutcomesbasedevaluationinordertohelpassessoverallprogrameffectiveness.Participatingstudentsmustlearnabouthumanrightsbuttheymustalsobeabletoeffectpositivechangewithintheircommunitiesinorderfortheprojecttobesuccessful.Wemonitorlearningthroughevaluationquestionsattheendofeachlesson.WemonitorchangeinthecommunitythroughthesuccessofActionProjects.InUnitOne,studentsspendtimespottinghumanrightsviolationsinordertobecomefamiliarwithidentifyingopportunitiesforimprovement.Studentsareaskedineachclasstoidentifyaproblemintheircommunity(local,national,global)onthetopicbeingdiscussedandproposeatleastonepossiblesolutiontothatproblem.InUnitTwo,thereareamultitudeofissuesthatcanbeaddressedineachlessonstudentswillchooseatopictofocusonforeachofthefourhumanrightsclassesandwillexplorewaystosolvethetopicrelevantproblemtheyidentify.Ultimately,thiswillleadtotheclassdecidingononeissuetoaddress(orsmallgroupswithintheclassaddressingmultipleissues)inLesson10.Thefollowingisabreakdownofthemaincomponentsofeachlesson:

1. LessonOverview:Theconceptofthelesson2. Objectives:Thefirstisdedicatedtolearningandshouldbemetbyusingatleastoneofthe

objectiveoneactivities.Thesecondisactionorie