Human Rights Initiative

Canada is regarded as a leader in human rights. Religious freedoms, language rights, respect for multiculturalism, recognition of rights for the disabled, and education rights are all examples of open-mindedness and rights protection. What does this mean in terms of education issues? It means that:

• Even though great progress has been made, individual and group interests are not always recognized;
• basic human rights are still an issue across the globe, and even within our own communities;
• teachers and students should be encouraged to explore human rights questions;
• we can all self-identify as defenders of human rights locally.

The Canadian Teachers’ Federation, through its Imagineaction platform, is working with the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights, in support of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, to develop a national human rights initiative that will consist of curriculum-linked lesson plans for teachers from Kindergarten to Grade 12. These lesson plans will serve to identify Canadian Defenders for Human Rights, and to self-identify as local defenders of human rights within our own communities. This is where we need your voice and your actions!

1. We need classrooms to research and identify “Canadian Defenders for Human Rights”.
   • If you are interested in receiving a small subsidy to research a Canadian Defender for Human Rights, and subsequently develop a media tool to highlight his/her Canadian contribution in support of human rights, login for additional information.
2. We need classrooms to develop community projects in support of human rights, leading to self-identifying as Local Defenders for Human Rights.
   • If you are interested in receiving a small subsidy to initiate a community-based social action project in support of human rights locally, login for additional information.

We need students’ projects to:

• Feed into the development of the national human rights resource package we’re developing. If your project is included, your classroom will be recognized for its efforts.
• Feed into the development of a national exhibit tied to the opening of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. If your project in included, your classroom will be recognized for its efforts.
• Be part of the Imagineaction program and showcase your work to others as great examples in support of human rights. Your classroom is recognized for its efforts.

Canadian Defenders for Human Rights is a national on-going initiative. This first step is one of many to come and we hope that you embrace the opportunity to actively engage in social action in support of human rights.

To read the full article on Human Rights by Dr. Calvin Fraser, Secretary General of the Canadian Teachers’ Federation, click here.