Study Session – Bringing Human Right Education to School: preparations up and running!
During the weekend of the 30-31 January 2016, OBESSU held the preparatory team meeting for the upcoming Study Session “Bringing Human Rights Education to School” that will be organised in cooperation with the Youth Department of the Council of Europe in the European Youth Centre in Budapest, Hungary, from the 23rd April to the 1st May 2016.
The prep-team, composed by Ferre from VSK (Belgium), Lasse from DGS (Denmark), Ida from the OBESSU Pool of Trainers, Laufey Maria from the OBESSU Board, Sabine from the Council of Europe (CoE) and Estel from the OBESSU Secretariat, worked for the whole weekend to agree on the final objectives of the training and to put together a programme that is relevant and it responds to the needs of the OBESSU participants.
The Study Session “Bringing Human Rights Education to School” will aim at empowering school students to be human rights advocates by bringing Human Rights Education (HRE) to schools. For this, the concrete objectives of the study session will include: to create awareness of HRE and to explore it in practice; to explore current human right issues in Europe by linking local, national, European, global levels; to familiarise participants with the CoE instruments in human rights (e.g. The Charter on EDC/HRE) and how to work with them; to investigate and share participants’ organisational realities in relation to HR/HRE; to analyse the role of School Student Unions and other stakeholders in formal education in fostering common action regarding HRE; to create a link between Student Rights and HR; to get to know the work and resources of the Youth Department of the CoE and how to use them in practice; and to provide a space and support participants in planning and implementing HRE actions.
The broader topic of Human Rights Education is one of OBESSU’s very core issues linked to the right to Education as a Human Right. This is explained, for example, in our Political Platform, where OBESSU “believes that secondary and further education are also human rights” and this is reflected in most of our advocacy.
OBESSU firmly believes that in order to shape attitudes in society in general, one must start in schools. To learn about Human Rights it must therefore be included in the work of schools and, equally important, in school student organisations.
After having worked on this topic in various ways, this Study Session will be an excellent opportunity for us to continue our work on the subject of Human Rights Education, to reflect on the current issues and challenges, and to share best-practices between our Member, Candidate and Affiliate Organisations.
The call for participants is still open. Don’t miss the opportunity and apply no later than the 12th February.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the prep-team at study-session@obessu.org
Keep an eye at #obessuHRE!
