Explore how issues of peace, human rights, and justice can be expressed and taught through mediums such as literature, theater, music, dance, painting and sculpture. On Wednesday, January 24, 1996, the Partners Project will hold a Human Rights Education and the Arts Workshop for team members. Materials on lesson activities and community action projects on human rights education and the arts will be available for participants. For more information and to register, please call the Partners Project at (612) 626-0041.

Time to start the New Year -- And for many, a new semester or quarter! The following tips may help you in getting off to a new start.

Meet in early January to develop your strategies and topics for the second half of the year. Make "snow plans" for the days that your team members cannot make it to the classroom.

Consider inviting outside speakers to speak with your students about their work for human rights. Past Partners Project Fellows may be a perfect addition to a lesson. Contact the Partners Project for speaker referrals.

Lead a brainstorming discussion with the students about what they believe is a need in the local, state, national, or international community. Assist the students with developing their Community Action projects.

Start planning for an end of the year celebration to recognize the students for their efforts.

Please let us know about sources for human rights education posters, bookmarks, and other materials that you find helpful.

Educating for Human Dignity: Learning about Rights and Responsibilities. This K-12 teaching resource contains lesson plans, handouts, and activities as well as suggestions for a holistic approach to human rights education.

By Betty Reardon. University of Pennsylvania Press. Available in Partners Project Human Rights Education Library. (612) 626-0041.

Please share with us a brief description of any book about human rights that you or your students have found inspiring.

Hispanic, Female and Young: An Anthology. To be young, female and Latina in New York City is captured powerfully in this multifaceted book which combines poems, stories, essays, and interviews by Las Mujeres Hispanas, a group of teenagers at a New York public alternative school. A celebration of youth and ethnic diversity. Edited by Phyllis Tashlik. Arte Publico Press, 1994. Available from the Resource Center of the Americas, (612) 627-9445.

On November 29, 1995, the Partners Project held the Human Rights Education and Technology Workshop. Fifteen team members and presenters attended. The Partners Project thanks Mighty Media, Brian Pierce, Ed Rice, and West Publishing for their assistance in presenting the workshop.

If your class is interested in connecting with other classes on the Internet, please contact the Partners Project. A list of Internet addresses will be sent to those who have submitted their Internet addresses at the end of January.

The handout from the workshop is included in this newsletter. A quick reminder: The home page address for the University of Minnesota Human Rights Library is http://hrlibrary.law.umn.edu.

Mighty Media Inc. is an interactive learning company based in Minneapolis, MN that provides user-driven services on the World Wide Web for youth and educators. Teacher Talk is a free public online forum where teachers can exchange ideas and resources and debate issues. The Youth In Action Network allows students to learn about the environment and human rights, communicate with other students and take action. "Power Tools" within the Youth in Action Network help students to create petitions, reach out to the media, and write to their representatives in local and national government. Youth in Action Network will be available to the general public in January 1996. Visit Mighty Media at http://www.mightymedia.com, or call 1-800-644-4898 for more information.

Applications are available for Partners Project team members who are interested in applying for a 1995-96 fellowship for local, national, or international human rights opportunities. Completed applications including a letter from a human rights organization must be received by the Partners Project on or before March 1, 1996.

Based on information received from this past summer's fellows, the Fellowship Sub-Committee has been working to implement changes for the 1995-96 Fellows. First, the next Fellows will be matched with past Fellows in a mentoring program. Second, a training manual is being developed. Third, the training will last for eight hours in April. Fourth, the Fellows will gather at the Human Rights Fair for a send-off in May. Finally, the Fellows will gather upon their return to share and process their experiences.

Possible fellowship placements are available through the University of Minnesota Human Rights Center and the Partners Project:

University of Minnesota Human Rights Library Assistant: A volunteer with a technology background is needed immediately to assist Brian Pierce and Marci Hoffman with posting documents on the U of M Human Rights Electronic Library on the Internet. The person must commit to 10-15 hours per week and will receive $7.00 per hour. The position will probably turn into a fellowship opportunity during the summer. For more information, contact Marci Hoffman at (612)625-0740 or [email protected] by January 12, 1996.

African Centre for Human and People's Rights in Banjul, Gambia: An individual with a computer background is needed to work with the African Centre to develop an electronic resource library for the African Centre and help connect the African Centre with the World Wide Web. Knowledge of French, experience in living outside the U.S., and good people skills are desirable. Also, the human rights and political situation in Gambia has been unstable; elections are scheduled for June 1996. The fellow should be willing to deal with the possibly unstable situation following the election. Interested persons should submit their fellowship application indicating their qualifications to the Human Rights Center, (612) 626-0041 by February 1, 1996.

Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities: A volunteer with a legal background will assist the U.S. member of the Sub-Commission in Geneva, Switzerland. The volunteer will do research in Minnesota during June and July and then assist the member in Geneva during the August Sub-Commission session. Applicants should submit a writing sample, resume, and indication of interest to David Weissbrodt at the University of Minnesota Human Rights Center or through [email protected] by February 1, 1996.

Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women: A volunteer will assist Ivanka Corti, the Chair of this Committee in Rome, Italy. Contact Johanna Ronnei at the Partners Project, (612) 626-0041 by February 1, 1996.

Past Fellows are available through the Speaker's Bureau to share their experiences with your team and students. For more information about the Speaker's Bureau or the Fellowship Program, to receive an application packet, or to discuss fellowship opportunities, please call (612) 626-0041.

On December 11, 1995, more than 750 students attended "What Happens Now?." The play followed the downward spiral of a Minnesota family caught in the web of poverty that can overtake anyone who suffers a series of unforeseen difficulties, including loss of employment, eviction, and the welfare system. The play was created by Caucasian, African-American, and Cambodian students from the Twin Cities.

Over 700 toys and books were donated to the Star Tribune's Santa Anonymous Program by students attending the play from Pike Lake Elementary, St. Paul Central High School, J.J. Hill Montessori, Minnetonka Middle School East, the Intensive Day Treatment Program, the Work Opportunity Center, and Cretin-Derham-Hall School. The play was written, produced, and presented by the Youth Visions Program of Creative Theatre Unlimited, and was sponsored by The City, Inc., The United Cambodian Association of Minnesota, The Minneapolis Star Tribune, and the Partners in Human Rights Education. The Public Achievement Project and the Humphrey Center for Public Affairs also assisted.

Note: Please submit any activities that your students and/or school are involved in and that are open to the public.

2 - 19 Faces and Images of Women at the International Women's Conference in Beijing Gallery Exhibit. Paul Whitney Larson Gallery, St. Paul Student Center, St. Paul Campus, University of Minnesota. FFI Heather Holland at (612) 625-0241.

6 From the Streets of Colombia: Children Living on the Edge. Luz Dalia Sanchez, a medical doctor who works with street children in Bogota, Colombia, will present the reality of their lives and discuss the growing crisis and the world responses to this situation. Resource Center of the Americas. 10:30 a.m. FFI (612) 647-9445.

13 Thirty Years Later in Paraguay. John and Renee Carter, educators in Paraguay for three decades, work with the Campamento Jack Notrment, a camp that teaches about ecology, the women's movement, community building and popular education. Screening segments of their upcoming video, they share insights into today's realities of Paraguay. Resource Center of the Americas. 10:30 a.m. FFI (612) 647-9445.

18 Introductory Partners Project Training in Twin Cities. Due to continued requests by individuals interested in participating in the Partners Project, another training is scheduled. For registration and/or more information, teachers, lawyers, or community resource people should call Johanna Ronnei at the Partners Project, (612) 626-0041.

20 Haiti's Elections, the CIA and the Future. Dee Schaefer, a French professor at St. Catherine College, reports her observations of Haiti's presidential election. Joining her is Jeremy Allaire, who has been closely following Haiti developments over the Internet. He shares revelations of CIA connections to Aristide's opponents and the prospects for Haiti under the next president.

27 Schooling in Today's Nicaragua. "Nicaragua: Where Everyone is Learning" was a slogan during the 1980s. A panel of Twin Cities educators share what has happened since 1990 from their findings of a tour of schools in Managua, Leon, and the town of Santa Rosa. The panel shows how economic conditions have affected children and shares ideas about how Minnesota educators can connect their classrooms with Nicaraguan schools.

A Reminder: Please call or send in your students' projects to the Partners Project by February 29, 1996 for the next edition of the Explorer.

Age: Grades 9-12 and adult.

Objective:

Students will learn about the international protections against domestic violence in international instruments.

Activities:

1. Discuss provisions in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (articles 3, 5, and 8) that may be invoked to protect women from domestic violence.

2. Read the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). Discuss reasons why domestic violence may have been omitted from the Convention.

3. Read the discussion of violence against women in the General Recommendation No. 19 of the Committee of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.

4. Discuss the 1993 UN Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women.

5. Review the attached story about domestic violence in Romania. Divide into small groups to discuss how the response of the government is inconsistent with the protections in international law.

6. Alternative activity: Break into groups to discuss whether the United States is in compliance with the provisions of Article 4 of the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women.

January 18 Introductory Training in Twin Cities. University of Minnesota Law School, 5:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

January 20 Introductory Training in Worthington. 9:00 a.m. -1:00 p.m.

January 24 Human Rights Education and the Arts Workshop. University of Minnesota Law School, 4:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.

January 27 Follow-up Workshop in Madison. University of Wisconsin Campus Union, 9:00 a.m. -1:00 p.m.

February 3 Follow-up Workshop in Grand Rapids. 10:00 a.m. -12:00 p.m.

March 1 Deadline for 1995-96 Partners Project Fellowship Applications. 4:00 p.m.

March 20 Follow-up Workshop in St. Cloud. Courthouse, 3:30 -5:30 p.m.

May 10 1995-96 Human Rights Fair and Recognition Event. Como Park Pavilion, St. Paul, 4:00 p.m. -8:00 p.m.

Partners in Human Rights Education
U of M Human Rights Center/
Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights
437 Law Center
229 - 19th Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55455

Back to Top