Conclusions

C O NC L U SI ON S

This manual proposes an expanded view of human rights education, a view that calls for more coherence, more commitment and better collaboration between various professionals and between educators focused on different disciplines. It also argues the importance of human rights education through a wider lens that goes beyond teaching about human rights to incorporate teaching through human rights – in environments that respect the rights of young people and educators and educating for human rights to empower young people to become agents of change.

In order for young people to internalize human rights values they must have experiences in school and in larger society that validate them as human beings and empower them as citizens (Banks, 2010). This includes the opportunity to affirm their identity with regards to the cultural, religious, linguistic, gender and sexual aspects and the means to act for human rights in school and outside of school, online and offline.

The diversity in any community is rapidly growing, while globalization is steadily changing our lives, our relations and our worldviews. In this context, the development of intercultural competence and of global competence should become a mainstream focus in education systems all over the world. The education system needs to keep up with the changes that take place in the world. The principles and methods of intercultural education, education for democratic citizenship and global education need to be incorporated into human rights education in order create learning environments that reflect the human rights principles and values and to develop transformative citizens able understand the world as a global community.

These methods presented in this manual were tested in two international events organised in the framework of the project “Human rights start with breakfast!”. One event addressed youth workers and was organised in Lima, Peru and the other one was an international conferece in Romania, addressing to youth workers, teachers, pedagogy students and young people.

The participants involved in the testing declared that the methods were very interactive, fun, but informative at the same time. The non-formal approach was really helpful for understanding and group dynamic. The way in which this manual approaches Human Rights Education, made it extremely helpful, clear, accessible and comprehensible to everyone. The methods are easy to transfer in different contexts and are relevant and appropriate for the training. It makes the participants feel motivated and get involved. The methods developed all four dimensions of framework of competences for democratic culture: values, knowledge, skills and attitudes.

The most appreciated elements of the methods proposed were the interaction with people, the real, heart-felt communication, and the fact that activities brought new perspectives and opinions. The intercultural approach was also an important positive element. The fact that the testing of the methods provided the opportunity to communicate with people from different countries and with different cultural affiliations was highly appreciated. This testing in a culturally diverse environment guarantees that activities proposed are relevant across cultures and in a variety of contexts.

Regardless of the level of their competence, the methods proposed brought a deeper understating of what Human Rights mean and how we can apply Human Rights in our daily context to have an expanded vision of our political and social system. It was a good introduction into the topic of human rights.

The participants declared that they are now more aware of the importance of knowing your rights and the rights of the children, in order to defend them. The events also generated reflection on how Human Rights are still not respected in our societies.

The educators involved expressed their commitment to use these methods in their further work with young people. Here are some of the testimonies received:

“I had only basic knowledge in this area, so my competences improved very much. ” “It has greatly increased my awareness regarding what I actually do in my current job and what can be done better. ” “It offered me a broader perspective on the topic and it helped me realise which are the aspects that still need clarification and further reading. ” “The workshops had a smart structure, aimed to capture your attention and to develop the ability to work in teams and also to work individually.” “The workshops were extremely nice. The activity was interactive, I learned very useful things.” “I loved the workshops I had a chance to be a part of and only regret the fact that at a certain point we had to choose and we couldn't attend all of them.” “I appreciate the idea of creating the online platform – that reunites both institutions and NGOs specialised on HRE and has relevant documents both at local, national EU and international level.” Participants in the final conference of the project were invited to sum-up their experience in one single world that it significant for them. The result is: You are invited to implement the methods presented in this manual, and to offer feedback to the authors of this manual by filling in the feedback questionannaire available at https://goo.gl/HdaEfh. Also, you are invited to explore and contribute to the development of the online platform on Human Rights Education at www.hre4all.org

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