SELF-HELP HUMAN RIGHTS

EDUCATION HANDBOOK

The purpose of this handbook is to encourage educators and human rights activists to design and implement human rights education programs. Programs can be designed using only this handbook and copies of the major human rights documents, such as those contained in the Center’s publication, Twenty-five Human Rights Documents. The steps are designed to be self-explanatory. It has also been impossible to prepare a list of references. Other than the international documents, a few materials on education and on human rights are widely available. Each must look for his or her own resources.

I wish you every success. Please let us know how you succeed. If you need assistance on a specific point, please contact this Center:

Tel: 1-212-854-2479
Fax: 1-212-316-4578
e-mail: cshr@columbia.edu
www: http://www.columbia.edu/cu/humanrights/

ISBN 1-881482-05-7

No part of this handbook can be quoted and/or reproduced without the expressed written permission of the author.

Introduction

Conclusion

The Purpose of this Handbook

In response to expanding demand, especially in Asia and Africa, this handbook is designed to enable experienced and prospective human rights educators (teachers and administrators, as well as informal educators such as NGO leaders) become their own resources, and in particular to

The following outline guides prospective human rights educators in developing their own educational programs in human rights. By paying attention to all the various components (that is by answering formally, or at least implicitly, the questions listed below) and making the most of their own creativity and imagination, they can organize an effective program of human rights education. In practice, success will also always depend on the abilities of the individual instructors.

The Method

(a.) THE EDUCATIONAL PREMISES

While there are many definitions of education, they all agree in that the goal of education is to bring about learning on the part of a target group. My own experience has lead me to the conclusion that, too often, education programs lack all the components they need to be effective. As in designing and building a car, you need to have ALL the parts. Each part needs to be well- designed and together they must work efficiently, not just 90% of them. Otherwise, the car will not go.

Education involves many components. Like the car, all of them have to be incorporated into the design and production, and then adjusted correctly. Deficient design or poor adjustment means that a program will not achieve its goals. Unfortunately, unlike the performance of a car, education programs are much harder to evaluate. One aim of this handbook is to identify some of the most critical components and to help human rights educators adopt and adapt their educational strategies accordingly.

(b) HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION

What is special about human rights education?

More than most other forms of education, human rights education focuses on norms and values, both of which vary from society to society, often also from religion to religion and culture to culture within a given society. Human rights are evolving in a world which has come to realize that common standards are necessary if we are to live together with a reasonable degree of peace and assure justice and fairness for those without power and especially those subject persecution.

The content of a courses on human rights is generally defined by the norms enunciated in the UN Bill of Rights and the other principal international human rights documents.  This handbook focuses on the ways in which human rights can be taught rather than on the content of international human rights norms. Particular attention is directed, however, towards adapting both to local problems and local methods, and to the use of local resources.

Human rights education is peculiar in that it is usually education with a social purpose. It is also prospective rather than retrospective. It seeks to bring about social change. This may create tension if human rights goals are at variance with those of other people and organizations, whether it be a question of the government or simply one's fellow teachers. If the educational program is to be effective, the appropriateness of such goals call for debate and the building of consensus. This important issue is not addressed in this handbook.

As explained later, the content of human rights education can be reduced to four components:

1. Empirical Data
2. Human Rights Evaluation
3. Cause-Effect Analysis, and
4. Response Options and Strategies.

In a typical course these elements are intermingled. Their methodologies are, however, quite different.

Education and training differ in the sense that the former tends to focus on knowledge and general principles while the latter emphasizes skills. Both are relevant to human rights education programs. The balance between them will vary from program to program.

The principle behind this self-help handbook is that, by addressing all the basic questions, by planning carefully, by using one's own and one’s colleagues’ imagination and creativity in the design of the program and through the use of local resources, experienced educators can design and implement a project applicable to their own needs and work. The final product will be strongest in so far as these discussion sessions emphasize the importance of imagination and creativity. The analysis resulting from the perspectives suggested by the various questions listed below will also prepare the educator to answer the questions and likely negative criticisms alluded to in the earlier paragraph.

Planning Human Rights Education Programs: An Overview

This self-help approach identifies seven basic steps in planning and design:

Step I: Needs Assessment

Step II: Educational Goal Setting

Step III: Selecting Priority Topics

Step IV: Learning Strategy

Step V: Pedagogical Techniques and Selection of Personnel

Step VI: Program Evaluation

Step VII: Follow-up

Each of this steps requires attention. Many educational programs fail to meet their potential because insufficient attention is paid to each of these steps. As in any project, the components have to be well designed, put together and fine-tuned for the program to work efficiently. Education requires systematic and continuing attention. The list of questions below may seem daunting but its use will help you focus your ideas and recognize some of the options available.

There are three basic categories of target group for human rights education:

Which is your target group?

The approach (method and content) to each of these groups varies radically. The approach will also differ according to the educational preparedness of the target group. These are five basic education units:

One of the current problems faced by some human rights education programs is the heterogeneity of the participants, making it hard to answer their individual needs.

Needs assessment for human rights programs tends to be intuitive, if not defined by extra-territorial institutions and interests. Needs are best defined through dialogue between 1) the potential participants, 2) the front-line actors and organizers and, 3) the external forces (donors and expert trainers and educators). Too often through lack of time and resources, this process is truncated or distorted due to the overpowering interests of one or none of those group of actors mentioned above. The benefits of extended contact between the three cannot be over-emphasized.

What is their motivation for participating?

Do they organize? and if so, on what basis?

What resources are available to them... facilities or materials etc.?

The basic components of human rights education and training can be reduced to the following:

1. The Empirical facts: What happened, is happening etc.
2. A human rights evaluation of the situation, events and/or circumstance to determine whether there is a question of a human rights violation and its relative seriousness. (Evaluation criteria are both applicable international and domestic law.)
3. Cause-effect analysis: Why is this happening? What are the causes? (social, political, cultural etc.) Ideologies enter into this analysis.

What are the most relevant of these violations?

Implications for proposed program:

Implications for proposed program:

Implications for proposed program:

 

 

Implications for proposed program:

How are they best complemented?

Implications for proposed program:

I. Overall

II. Subsidiary or Intermediate

III. Content (see Appendix A, The Field of Human Rights and Appendix B, human rights advocacy skills)

4. Definition of project goals:

Once the goals have been set, the important task is to elaborate the internal structure. Thus Step IV and Step V tend to have to be designed together. You should review and make notes on both Appendices C and D, that is on ways of learning and on collecting resources.

1. What is the inclusive rationale for the program?

How do the various components tie in to one another?
What are the presumed cause-effect relationships between talks and other activities in order to bring about the desired goals?
What themes link the various parts of the program?
How do the early sessions prepare for the later ones?
How are ideas reinforced during the program?

2. What are the principal means to be used to ensure that all the various components fit together and stimulate the participants throughout the whole program?

How will the program respond to the collective and individual interests and needs of the participants?

3. What are the implications of any age-, gender- culture- and religion-specific factors that need to be taken into consideration?

4. What formats are best adapted to the group and the physical facilities available?

5. What local resources are available? SEE Appendix D

The success of any educational program depends on the quality of the teaching and administrative personnel and their ability to work with others. It is not easy (a) to design education programs that result in long-term learning and (b) to find persons with solid educational experience and human rights advocacy skills. The following questions are designed to help in this process.

1. What human and physical resources and techniques are available locally? (This is both a question of cost-effectiveness but also of empowering local trainers.)

How will each of these teacher candidates be perceived by the learners?

Ideas:

2. What are the program's conscious goals for the relationship between teachers and learners? at the sessions?

After the sessions?

How are they reinforced in the various components of the program? financing? eating arrangements? etc.

Ideas:

3. Given the many ways in which people learn, which methods are going to be used? SEE Appendix C

Ideas:

4. What resources are going to be available to serve participants after the program?

Cost-Benefit analysis is especially difficult if a monetary value is to be placed on the outcomes. How does one evaluate the usefulness of, say, a knowledge of the U.N. system on the part of a young lawyer from Togo? In general, thought must be given to the evaluation of a program prior to the program. This both focuses the learning process and prepares one to answer the needs of third parties (donors, supervisors, officials etc.).

1. How will the success of the program be measured?

2. In what ways will this be measured?

3. How can follow-up to the program be promoted?

4. How has the program been improved since the last one (if there has been one)?

The purpose of evaluating a program is to improve future programs.

Note: Ways of Measuring effectiveness

I Short-term (at the end of the program)

II Longer-term (1-2 months afterwards)

III Long-term (1 year or more later)

The evaluation of learning is extremely difficult in that one choose multiple indicators and multiples time-frames. In fact many of the questions asked above can be transposed and used as criteria to measure the effectiveness of a given program. Typically most programs are evaluated either through a test to measure acquired learning or on the basis of learner satisfaction at or shortly after the end of the program. While it is impossible to evaluate a program "comprehensively", the importance of evaluation is both in its method and goals as especially in its usefulness towards building up acquired experience and towards improving future programming. Evaluation needs to go beyond techniques and formats to content and choice of content. It also needs to address the degree to which the program challenged the learners and motivated them "to grow" once they had left the workshop. Evaluation is not simply a post-factum exercise but a dimension of the planning.

Commentary

While obvious, the need for follow-up after a program is rarely reflected in the planning. The function is to reinforce and continue the learning processes initiated during the program. In this day of electronic communications, the potential forms of follow-up are numerous. In the case of this workshop, this handbook is designed to be used both during and after the workshop. Other forms of follow-up include promoting access to a resource-center, information on useful publications, further training programs etc. Inter-personal contact, especially with other participants in a given region is often especially productive. The form and content of the follow-up depend on the needs of the participants. The point here is that follow-up is a necessary reinforcement of the learning process and that it must be integrated into the planning process and the components of a given program in human rights education.

1. What mechanisms exist to help in follow-up activities

2. What subject areas offer most potential for follow-up activities

3. What activities are proposed and feasible?

Implications for proposed program:

1. Developing a budget

The basic information an architect requires before planning a house are (a) level of building and (b) physical location. Without those reference points, he cannot begin. In the case of planning programs in human rights education, at the beginning you must have a target audience and an idea of the cost. You should develop your detailed budget as you plan, refining it as you go. The following is an outline of likely expenses (all of which should be explained either in the test of the proposal or as a budget note):

1. Personnel
1. External Consultants
1. days
2. rate per day
2. Full-time Professional
3. Part-time Professional
4. Full-time Clerical
5. Part-time Clerical
6. Participants stipends
7. Special Staff
2. Travel
1. Air
1. International
2. Domestic
3. Accommodations
1. Days
2. Per day
4. Per Diem (out of pocket expenses for food, etc.)
1. Rate:
5. Communications (telephone, fax, etc.)
6. Office Services
7. Special Equipment
8. Special Events
1. Program Oriented
2. Recreational
9. Facilities (rentals, cleaning, etc.)

b) Cost and Benefits

Any proposal for funding should state clearly the outcomes or benefits of the proposed program. Your potential funders will measure your outcomes against the amount you want.

As indicated above, it is hard to measure educational outcomes. Therefore you must determine carefully your own goals and phrase them in practical, concrete terms the way you want and feel you can later show what you have achieved.

c) Cost-Effectiveness

Cost-effectiveness is the degree to which, to achieve your goals, you choose the most efficient and cost-sensitive means. This is a primary consideration of the donor. Pay attention to the means you are using to attain your goals. Are they the best and most efficient.

d) Cutting Costs

If you want to do more than you can fund, these are some of your cost-cutting options:

1. Personnel
1. Ask those receiving stipends to accept less, especially if they already have other full time employment (Do not put pressure on lower paid workers.)
2. Ask professionals if their organization can contribute their participation
2. Travel
1. Plan airfares in advance
2. Work with a creative, sympathetic agent/airline
3. Seek complimentary fares
3. Accommodation
1. Less expensive hotel (This depends on the impact of your program. Unhappy participants could ruin a whole program.)
2. Contact local universities, colleges and seminaries
4. Per Diem and Eating Arrangements
1. Communal meals can save money and create atmosphere
5. Length and structure of the program
1. Shortening a program (This might save money and create atmosphere.)
2. Eliminating costly components (Can some effect be achieved less expensively?)
3. Seek local and international collaborators and sponsors (for space, equipment, etc., as well as funding) to share expenses
6. Recreational and Social Events
1. Develop simple, cost-effective formulas as these can play an important role in communication
2. Seek sponsorship be businesses, government offices, and international agencies

Conclusion

Human rights education and training does not have a long history. Most "experts" have learnt through trial and error rather than through studying and evaluating past experiences. Today prospective educators have access to past experience through the studies and teaching materials that are steadily becoming available (See the Reading List in Appendix D). They can see a variety of approaches. Their task is to study the options so as to adapt and adopt what they can but not to hesitate to create when the needs of their target population call for it.

APPENDICES

Appendix A

THE FIELD OF HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION AND TRAINING

Contemporary human rights education and training divides into two main, inter-related segments:

I INTELLECTUAL ENQUIRY: Goal: Increased Knowledge and Critical Thinking

addresses especially:

Appendix B

Appendix C

The following is a checklist to remind educators in their planning of some of the options at their disposal:

with or without common text or audio-visual presentation
with or without member inputs (other than words)
goal-oriented

-new knowledge
-product-oriented (reports etc.)

4. Learning by reading, research and analysis

5. Learning by doing

out of class:

on-the-job-training

wide range of skills:

planning

individual on-the-job experimentation

in class:

teaching
writing
research
role-playing
game-playing
development of training materials/audio, visuals etc.

Appendix D

FINDING AND DEVELOPING LOCAL RESOURCES  FOR HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION

From inside the country

public officials
NGO leaders and staff
university teachers and advanced students

From outside the country

UN officials

Commercial films
Videos of all forms
Slides
Overhead projections
Special Events or Activities:

visits to prisons, police stations, courtrooms etc.
outside speakers
attend or perform dramatic productions

Fund-raising

From inside the country
From outside the country
proposals
contact with officials

by hand

teacher
students

by machine

computer-based
copy machine
overhead visuals