There were some local events and the Coalition for Education against Discrimination prepares a letter to teachers and local activists related to this Day. You can read the letter here.

This year Human Rights Day highlights ’Freedoms,’ recalling the four freedoms that underlie the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and two major human rights covenants (more about it here).

Why „freedoms”?

In his “four freedoms speech” in 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt offered a vision. His wife, Eleonore, was instrumental in helping that vision find its way into human rights treaties. Both were instrumental in the creation of the United Nations, 70 years ago.

The slogan of the 2014 was „Human Rights 365„. It encompassed the idea that every day is Human Rights Day. For this reason the Center for Development of Education, Batory Fundation and Society for Education against Discrimination have organised on December, 10 (2014) conference „School without discrimination – safe school”.

I presented there the tool of teaching about realtions between minority and majority on example of Jews and Romas within the Open Space.

The conference was addressed mostly to teachers, directors of schools, educators. I observe a great need among Polish teachers to learn more about how to solve problems with discrimination at schools.

Society for Education against Discrimination coordinates the Coalition for Education against Discrimination. Get to know more about the activities of the Coalition or join it.
Fot. John Nakamura Remy. CC BY-SA 2.0

Fot. http://www.ngofund.org.pl/konferencja-szkola-bez-dyskryminacji-bezpieczna-szkola/

It took place in Polish parlament in November’14, 28-29. 120 teachers and pupils took part on it. You also can do following things:

1. conduct a workshop about Karski,

2. organise a panel discussion about connecting historical and human rights education with representatives of ngo’s, administration and scientists,

3. organise an Open Space discussion related to the meaning of historical experiences in work against discrimination. You can discuss the interdisciplinary approach of connecting different fields.

Change is also a title of a book wich is being prepared by an international team of scientists in collaboration with practitioners of history education and human rights education. I will upload it here, when it will be finished in 2016.

Combing thes two fields was also the aim of the project „Education for human rights in the places of remembrance in the context of European crimes’ experiences”

It was a German-Russian-Polish project about teaching human rights and history at memorial sites. It take place from April till December 2014 in Perm (Russia), Bergen-Belsen (Germany) and Oświęcim (Poland).

The results of the project can be viewed and downloaded here.

Within the project I worked on learning modules related to the experience of crimes of Nazis and Soviet Union. My learning modul is dedicated co-workers of prisons.

1. “Inklusion als Menschenrecht” Online Manual for Pedagogical Practice / Materials for Human Rights Education in simple Language (Dr. Claudia Lohrenscheit and Meike Günther, German Institute for Human Rights)
2. Toolkit Holocaust Education – Human Rights Education (Dr. Eva Sobotka, Equality and Citizens Rights Department, European Union Fundamental Rights Agency).

The programme of this Symposium you find here.