Words Into Deeds brings cutting edge methods, materials and resources to educators seeking to promote greater student awareness of and involvement in local and global Human Rights issues. Through group workshops and individual consulting, teachers develop strategies for motivating students to become informed, active citizen proponents for Human Rights both in their neighborhood and globally.
Students are introduced to primary source documents, including the United Nations Sustainable Development goals, the articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the Principles of Democracy. With this background, they engage in research related to Human Rights issues relevant to their interests. This process is augmented by direct contacts with experiential experts, artists, activists, and service providers who help them explore multiple points of views regarding the causes and often far-reaching effects of Human Rights abuses. These contacts “put a human face” on issues that often seem very abstract, distant and controversial.
“Deeds” means that students follow ideas with informed outreach actions. This requires translating understanding into actionable skills and building partnerships with peers, experts, and community members, both locally and globally, that enable them to design and implement targeted service projects. Working in conjunction with Global Educational Motivators, some students participate in United Nations programs that broaden their global perspectives.
This combination of increased awareness of Human Rights doctrines, critical evaluation of contemporary issues, learning through questioning, and acting purposefully and collectively provides youth with tools to enact change and become effective, active global citizens.