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A Call for Writings! Students (and adults!) are always excited to see their names in print. In May, the Partners Project will publish two collections of human rights journalism, creative writing, and art. One will be for team participants and the other for their students. Encourage your students to be creative now. Each student may submit two works. Please send copies of writings and art to the Partners Project offices by April 17, 1995. The collections will be available at the May 6th Partners Project Human Rights Fair! Human Rights Education Library & Documentation Center One team has requested an explanation of the Human Rights Education Curriculum Library and a list of some possible topics. The human rights education library is located at the U of M Law School, Room 437. The library consists of four sections: videos, books, curricula, and topic specific files. The topic files are alphabetized in the file cabinets and contain articles, books, lessons, and other resources. All items may be checked out for one week. Some topic files include: Africa, Democracy, Death Penalty, Food/Hunger, Race, and Sexual Orientation. A full listing is available upon request. Partners Project staff will assist you with finding resources specific to your needs. If you know of any good curriculum, books, or other resources, please let the Partners Project know and we will try to get it for the library. In addition, human rights reports are available from the Human Rights Documentation Center, the largest of its kind in the U.S. Files are maintained on every country of the world and on human rights topics. Reports on human rights, such as Amnesty International Urgent Action Reports, United Nations Sub-Commission of Human Rights Reports, and Human Rights Watch Reports, are available. These materials may be helpful for older students. The Library and Documentation Center is generally open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Please call (612) 626-0041 before coming. Thanks! Take A Look at A Book! This section will be an active bibliography with resources that you have found thought-provoking, inspirational, helpful, etc. Please submit titles of articles about human rights topics and human rights education, novels, non-fictional works, poetry, music, and art along with short summaries about the work(s) or author(s) and the title of the publication as appropriate. * Just Like Martin. Ossie Davis. A young boy growing up in the deep south in 1963 faces the civil rights movement head on when his church is bombed in a racial attack and two children are killed. The boy admires Martin Luther King and believes non-violent protesting is the best solution, but his father is not convinced. The story comes to a dramatic and very personal climax and resolution of complex issues in recent US history. Check your local library. * House on Mango Street. Sandra Cisneros. This series of vignettes, stunning for their eloquence, tell the story of Esperanza Cordero, a young girl growing up on Mango Street in the Hispanic quarter of Chicago. In this desolate landscape of concrete and run-down tenements, Esperanza discovers the harsh realities of life and rises above her hopelessness; she creates for herself a house all her own. Published in 1991 by First Vintage Contemporaries. Available through the Resource Center of the Americas, (612) 627-9445, for borrowing and for purchase. Curricula/Resources Please let us know about sources for human rights education posters, bookmarks, etc. that you find helpful.
Human Rights Fair! On May 6, 1995, Partners in Human Rights Education will hold a Human Rights Fair to celebrate the efforts of the students and team participants. Students will display their poems, posters, class projects, and other artwork. Encourage your students to be creative! Teachers will receive a call from members of the Partners Project Executive Committee to encourage teams to prepare human rights booths. Certificates of recognition will be awarded to all students and team members. There will be food, music, and a recognition program with a keynote speaker for the students, families, teams, and community members. The Human Rights Fair will be held at Como Park Pavilion in St. Paul. Children's Rights Workshop On February 25, 1995, the Partners Project held a follow-up workshop, "Children's Rights and the Media: Rights for All--Are We Kidding Ourselves?" Forty people attended. Walter Enloe, Barbara Frey, Lori DuPont, and Diane Lee all gave inspirational presentations.The Partners Project also thanks media panelists, Kate Parry (St. Paul Pioneer Press), Gale Rosenblum (Minnesota Parent), Joe Allen (The Circle), Liv Learner (Radio AAHS), and Rene Ford (Pioneers in Education Project of St. Paul Pioneer Press), for their contributions to the workshop. Partners Project team members developed Children's Rights curricula for different age levels: K-4, 5-8, and 9-12 grades as well as lessons for children 0-5 years old and their parents. A big thank you to the following volunteers who wrote the curricula: Lori DuPont, Joanne Foley, Annette Gagliardi, Brien Getten, Lynn Schultz, Paula Schwartzbauer, and Ken Simon. Curriculum is available from the Partners Project for a $5 donation to cover xerox costs. If you are interested in the curriculum, call the Partners Project. Lesson Plans Many team members have requested that successful lessons be made available. We need lesson plans from you, the team members, to do so! We ask each team to send in at least one lesson by April 10, 1995. You can fax it to the Partners Project at (612) 625-2011, mail it, or drop it at the Partners Project office. It would be very helpful to receive the lesson(s) on disk in WordPerfect 5.0 or 6.0 format. Please send in any lessons that you feel were successful and worthwhile. On May 6, 1995, we will have available a compilation of the lesson plans used by Partners Project teams. This compilation will be the cumulation of your efforts! To generate ideas for lessons and share classroom experiences, each issue will highlight a lesson plan designed and used by a Partners Project team. The lesson plan can be an activity for one class or an entire unit. Please include the following:
Please include the names of the team members, grade of class, school, and city. Depending on the number of lesson plans received and accompanying handouts, the Partners Project may print short lesson descriptions for the three grade level groupings, (primary, middle, and high schools). You will be able to contact the Partners Project for a complete copy of the lesson. The Rights of Refugee Children Jennifer Prestholdt, 1994 Partners Project Fellow Age Level: Grades 5-8 Time: 3-4 class periods. Objectives: This lesson plan is designed to educate middle-schoolers about the plight of refugee children. Refugee children constitute approximately half of the world's refugee population. Unaccompanied refugee minors make up five to eight percent of the world's refugee population. This lesson can be used as part of a larger unit on refugee rights. Materials:
Additional Resources:
Introduction: Students read The Diary of Anne Frank. Body: Q: What is a refugee? See Article 1 of the Refugee Convention (Definition of a Refugee: a person outside of their country of origin and unable to return due to a well-founded fear of persecution on the basis of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion.) Discuss why person might be forced to become a refugee. Q: What rights does a refugee child have? See Article 22 of the Convention of Rights of the Child, the Refugee Convention and Article 14 of the Universal Declaration. (The most important right is the right not to be returned to a place where one fears persecution.) Q: What would it feel like if you had to leave your country? Q: What would it feel like to be separated from your parents, your family, your friends? Q: How do you think refugee children find their parents again? Discuss how the UNHCR Project ReUNite in the former Yugoslavia and the International Committee of the Red Cross have programs to help parents find their children again. Q: What would it be like to be a refugee? Talk about life in a refugee camp with no opportunity to go to school and inadequate food and water. Q: Do you know any refugees? If there are kids in the class that came to this country as refugees, ask them beforehand if they would like to talk about their experiences. Conclusion: Discuss the Diary of Anne Frank. Why is it important for the rights of refugees to be protected? Evaluation: Students do the following activity: Your mom wrote an editorial criticizing government corruption, and now the police want to throw her in jail. You have to leave home immediately - and maybe forever. You can only take five things with you, and you must carry them yourself. What do you take? Discuss their choices. Role Play/Simulation Using Fire in the Forest Grand Rapids Middle School, Grade 6 Karen Lyngdal Nelson, Teacher Arlie Fundaun, Attorney Kit Arnquist, Community Representative Objectives:
Time: 2-3 class periods. Resource: "Fire in the Forest"-- A Critical Issue Role Play/Simulation, Moorhead-Kennedy Institute, American Forum, 45 John St., #1200, New York, NY 10038 phone: (212) 732-8606 Introduction: This role play/simulation is set in the Amazon rain forest in a hypothetical region called Amazonia. The area is inhabited by indigenous people called the Aka-Hipa. The current trend of the Amazonian government is to relocate other groups of farmers and miners to the Aka-Hipa land to further the way for development. There is controversy over the relocation. The settler group feels very powerless in the first place because they are already being moved around by the government. Historically, the government has not been concerned about rain forest preservation, and this has caused a problem for the indigenous people. In a nutshell, the Aka-Hipa and the settlers are in conflict, and now the government is getting involved because of the influence of an American "Greenpeace" type of group, which has money available if steps are taken towards the preservation of the forest. Body: Assign students to a role in one of four groups: Aka-Hipa, Settlers, Rescue Group, or the Amazonian Government. There are ample roles to fill in the role play. One excellent way to make this issue relevant to the lives your Minnesota community would be to ask adult community members to participate in the role play. Some possible adults could include administrators, school board members, parents, community leaders, etc. Conclusion: The main follow-up activity for this lesson is class discussion. The students will need to debrief either orally or in a written context in order to put closure on the simulation, especially if no consensus was reached. Some possible debriefing questions include:
Another possibility for follow-up is to have students write the rest of the story based on the actions of their group. The students could also find other examples in history or current events, which parallel the situation in the rain forest. Community ACTION! Projects Please send a short description of your community action project(s) including planning steps and results, the name of your school, grade level or class, team names, and any news articles or notes on other media coverage to the Partners Project. Knowledge Is Power, Adults (parenting class) Sabathani Community Center Joanne Foley, Teacher Elaine Erickson, Attorney Nathan Brenna, Community Representative The general theme of the parenting class at Sabathani Community Center on March 1st was "Information Empowers." In the face of state budget cuts for education, the parents felt compelled to inform their senator and representative of the importance of the parenting classes they attend at Sabathani. During class the previous week, the parents drafted letters to Representative Linda Wejcman (Dist. 61 B) and Senator Linda Berglan (Dist. 61). The final letters signed by the parents on March 1st were written on paper roughly the size of poster board to add to their communicative impact. Additionally, the class invited Senator Berglan and Representative Wejcman to attend a parenting class at Sabathani. The Partners Project team opened discussion on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by first reading the Articles with the parents and then asking them to relate specific Articles to aspects of their own lives. As discussion continued, one of the parents suggested that the Declaration would lend precedential support to the letter mentioned above. The parents then identified which Articles of the Declaration corresponded with the theme of their letter. They decided to send a copy of the Declaration, identifying the associated Article, with the letters. Another concern, arising in connection to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, centered on the operational policies of Hennepin County Child Protection. Some parents thought that specific policies were intrusive of their rights as parents. Discussion revealed that Articles of the Declaration are often in conflict with each other and sometimes need to be balanced for the benefit of all interests. The theme of the class, "Information Empowers," prompted an invitation to Hennepin County Child Protection to visit the class and discuss its policies with the parents. The agency subsequently accepted the invitation. Future plans include additional roundtable discussions on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CEAD). Be creative about HUMAN RIGHTS!!Partners in Human Rights Education and Amnesty International are excited about your creative abilities. Both are requesting poems, drawings, posters, and other creative projects to be displayed at the May 6th Human Rights Fair and at the Amnesty International Annual General Meeting from June 23-25, 1995 in Boston. Share your talents with the world! Greater MinnesotaCelebrate Peace! "Celebrate Peace" will take place on Thursday, April 6, 1995, from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Grand Rapids Senior High School. Everyone is invited and encouraged to attend. There will be a guest speaker, entertainment, and activities for all ages. The Old Turtle Peace Tour will participate in the celebration. The Old Turtle, a decorated Volkswagen travelling around the U.S. collecting visions of peace, is based on a children's book of the same name. The author, Doug Wood, is from St. Cloud, and the illustrator, Cheng-Khee Chee, is from Duluth. Partners Project teams from Grand Rapids, Remer, and Walker will display their class projects and participate in a booth on human rights education. The students will also prepare visions of peace to send with the Old Turtle. The event is free and sponsored by the Community Peace Initiative and Grand Rapids Senior High School. For more information, please call Vicki Andrews at (218) 326-0653. Grand Rapids Participants Call Internet Users! Partners in Human Rights Education held a follow-up workshop on February 10, 1995 in Grand Rapids. Lots of enthusiasm and brainstorming resulted in lesson plans and community action project ideas, including the use of Internet. Teams in Grand Rapids, Remer, and Walker are interested in connecting up on human rights issues via Internet with schools in the Twin Cities, other areas of Minnesota, and abroad. If your class has access to Internet and is interested in this effort, contact the Partners Project. St. Cloud Begins Pilot Project Partners in Human Rights Education held an introductory training on February 22, 1995, in St. Cloud. Twelve people attended and four teams have been formed. Duluth Expansion Carl Mendoza, head of the Human Rights Task Force in Duluth, is willing to coordinate volunteers for the Partners Project in Duluth. A survey of the individuals trained in April 1994 has been completed and interested volunteers will be working on recruitment for a training in Fall 1995. Summer Session Courses The University of Minnesota Summer Session will offer two unique courses this summer. Celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the end of World War II and the founding of the United Nations by using them as the guiding point for our move into the millenium and the next fifty years. Dr. Walter Enloe, the instructor for the courses, brings a wealth of experiences to share. He has spent fifteen of the past thirty-four years in Japan, first as a teenager and then as the principal of the International School for Peace in Hiroshima, Japan. He is on the Board of Directors of the United Nations of Minnesota (UNA) and has developed curricula on human rights for UNA. Please call (612) 624-9898 or 624-3555 for registration information. IntR 5900, Sec 5 July 10 - 14, 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m., 4 credits 50
Years of the United Nations: This forum will not only review the historical context of the United Nations but will explore where it has been in terms of the rights and responsibilities of family and children and where it is likely moving in the future. Human rights are daily headlines: what does this mean for all of us and what part will the United Nations play in determining these values. Meet with Walter Enloe and other educators to discuss, debate, and simulate resolutions to conflicts on these issues in our local and global society. Examine the Declaration of Human Rights, the Convention on Children's Rights and the work of Partners in Human Rights Education. IntR 5900, Sec 5 August 7 - 11, 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m., 4 credits Hiroshima and Nagasaki You will investigate the pathway, beginning with the A-bomb, to the sisterhood established between the cities of St. Paul, Minnesota and Nagasaki, Japan. Discussion will surround the Hibkushi (A-bomb victims), Norman Cousin's book Death Into Life, the Time of the Dove projects taking place this year in Minnesota and all their lessons for the future. You will have the opportunity to meet with a group of visiting Japanese teachers, who are designing a course on American Studies for use in their classrooms, at a picnic on the Thursday night of the course. Summer Volunteer Opportunities Partners in Human Rights Education The Partners Project has several part-time volunteer opportunities available this summer. Please call Kristi Rudelius-Palmer at (612) 626-0041 for more information. Greater MN Outreach & Development: A volunteer will contact organizations and individuals in Greater Minnesota about joining the Partners Project or starting the program in their communities. Recruitment: A volunteer will contact organizations and individuals in the Twin Cities about joining the Partners Project. Curriculum: A volunteer will review materials in the Partners Project library and order new materials as well as work on copyrighting the present Partners Project curricula. Partners Training Manual & Training Program for 1995-1996: A volunteer will work on assembly and copyrighting of the training manual for 1995-96 trainings. Communications & Summer Newsletter: A volunteer will assist with communications and put together a Partners Project newsletter to be sent to all team members in August 1995. (The staff editor, Maria, will be in Costa Rica.) North American Partners in Human Rights Education Volunteer Coordinator & Outreach. Other Volunteer Positions 1. Centro Legal 15 South 5th St.,
Suite 1134 An intern will assist with Family Unity Petitions and other immigration matters for Hispanic and low income individuals. Contact Paula Duthoy at (612) 291-0110 or Luz Maria Frias at (612) 338-4503. 2. Dorothy Day House of Hospitality 714 S. 8th St. An intern will do a feasibility study on the need for and possibilities of opening an "arm" of the Dorothy Day House which would be a separate facility in Moorhead to temporarily house homeless women and children. The present structure serves only men. Contact Sr. Marie Stella Korb at (218) 233-5763. 3. Groundswell Inc. of Minnesota 204 Church St. An intern will work on a process to gather ongoing proposals to the 1995 Farm Bill which will be developed and passed by Congress in Fall 1995. The process involves MN farmers in the decision making processes that determine their future. Contact Delores Swoboda at (507) 342-5797. 4. Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy 1313 5th St. S.E.,
Suite 303 An intern will prepare a comprehensive report comparing U.S., Canadan, Central and South American national export and food aid policies as well as individual countries' agricultural export and pricing activity. The report will be distributed to nongovernmental farm organizations through North, South and Central America, Europe, and Africa. Contact Gigi DiGiacomo at (612) 379-5980. 5. OWL-Older Women's League 550 Rice St. A volunteer will compile all available data about older women in the Twin Cities and develop "fact sheets" which may be made available to the media. Contact Kay Taylor at (612) 228-9990. 6. Women's International League for Peace and Freedom 757 Raymond Ave., #204 St. Paul, MN 55114 A volunteer will develop a written forum to further dialogue between women over 60 and under 30 interested in or involved in MN's nonprofit community. The forum includes strategies for intergenerational communication, cooperation, and action for addressing priority issues. Contact Carolyn Keefe at (612) 645-3045. 7. WHISPER 3060 Bloomington
Ave. S. An intern will study Hennepin County Court records to analyze incident and arrest reports, conviction rates, and sentencing patterns in prostitution cases. The intern will prepare a report examining the application of prostitution laws to men and women of different racial populations and compare the outcomes of charges against pimp owners. WHISPER educates the public about prostitution, a form of institutional violence, and provides advocacy to women and youth. Contact Evelina Giobbe at (612) 724-6927. Human Rights Events Calendar March 19-April 23. The True History of Coca Cola in Mexico. The Mixed Blood Theatre Company presents an epic "mockumentary" which travels from Seattle to Mexico's Yucatan peninsula. A cast of 30 characters fight to save the home of a campesino family threatened by the construction of "Mayaland" mega mall. Mariachi music and pan-American mayhem abound in this 90-minute satire. Wine and refreshments will precede this bilingual political docu-comedy by Aldo Velasco and Patrick Scott. Tickets $12-15 and $25 for patron seats. FFI (612) 627-9445. 31 Latin America Video Festival and Coffeehouse Videos. Presentation will include Adjusting Nicaragua, which concerns the devastating effects of economic structural adjustment in the country, and The Debt Crisis: An Unnatural Disaster. Sponsored by the Nicaragua Solidarity Committee. Resource Center of the Americas. 7:30 p.m. FFI (612) 339-9840. April 1 Educating about Latin America. Learn tips and ideas for teaching students about Latin America and ways to encourage students to become active citizens. Join a panel discussion involving educators and specialists in curriculum development. Resource Center of the Americas. 10:30-noon. FFI 627-9445. 6 "Celebrate Peace". Grand Rapids Senior High School, Grand Rapids, 5:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m.. Please see description in Greater Minnesota section. FFI, call Vicki Andrews at (218) 326-0653. 7-8 Public Policy and the American Community. The conference will focus on the American community and its implications for public policy. Ethnic diversity in America, education, social policy, and immigration will be addressed. Sponsored by the Humphrey Institute Policy Forum and the Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights. FFI call Janna Wallin Haug at (612)625-2530. 19-20 In the Spirit of Crazy Horse Rally to Support the Ban of Sale of Crazy Horse Malt Liquor. Meet and greet Ferolito Vultaggio and Sons (makers of Crazy Horse Malt Liquor and Arizona Iced Tea beverage) for their day in court. Express your concerns about the Crazy Horse issues. Co-sponsored by the Crazy Horse Defense Project and Minnesota HONOR. 8:00 a.m. at 100 Washington Avenue South, Mpls. FFI call (612)870-9006 or (715)425-0004. 22 New Challenges, New Strengths: The Changing Picture of Refugees and Immigrants. Seminar to help volunteers and professionals better relate to and assist refugees and immigrants. Morning workshops will focus on cultures and cross-cultural communication issues. Afternoon sessions will offer a wide range of topics. Co-sponsored by Catholic Charities, Lutheran Social Service, Minnesota Council of Churches, Minneapolis Community College, Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights, Center for Victims of Torture, Southeast Aisan Ministries and Hmong American Partnership, Minnesota Literacy Council, C.L.U.E.S., World Relief, and Augsburg College. Limited space available. 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Augsburg College, 2211 Riverside Ave., Mpls. $59. FFI and to register, call Karin Larson at (612) 341-7697. 23 Domestic Violence in Eastern Europe. Cheryl Thomas works on international women's human rights issues at Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights and will speak on domestic violence in Eastern Europe. Plymouth Congregational Church. 9:15 a.m. FFI (612) 341-3302. 28 Inter-American Institute for Human Rights: 13th Annual Interdisciplinary Course in Human Rights Application Due. The course includes specialists and speakers in human rights, case studies, and round-table discussions. Conducted in Spanish. A limited number of full-scholarships are available to attend. June 13-23. San Jose, Costa Rica. For application details, stop by the U of M Human Rights Center, Room 437 or call Maria Baldini at (612) 626-0041. 30 Second Annual Mass to Honor Martyred Guatemalans and to commemorate Day of the Worker in Guatemala. Carlos Gomez Lopez, a former leader of the Quetzaltenango Worker's Union (UTQ), will speak following the Mass. Mr. Gomez fought for the rights of indigenous people and spoke out against government oppression. While part of a UN human rights delegation in Guatemala, Lopez's bus was stopped by 15 armed men. They beat him, took his camera, shot him in the chest and left him for dead. Living in Chicago, he works for the Foundation for Human Rights, continuing his fight on behalf of people of Guatemala. The Newman Center, 1701 University Ave., Mpls. 10:30 a.m. Donations appreciated. FFI (612) 872-0500. Team Tips In every issue, the Partners Project will provide team tips. These are suggestions which your team may find useful. If you have a team tip, please let us know. March Tips With less than three months left in the 1994-95 school year, the following are suggestions on ways to finish the year:
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