Training for Facilitators in Human Rights Education

Human rights cannot be defended and promoted by legal instruments alone. Human rights education – learning about, learning through and learning for human rights – is essential to make sure that they are understood, upheld and promoted by everyone. Human rights reflect basic human needs; they establish the basic standards without which people cannot live in dignity. Human rights are about equality, dignity, respect, freedom and justice.

The groups that are the most vulnerable to human rights violations are women, girls, LGBTQI+, migrants, refugees, asylum seekers, ethnic/racial/religious minorities, people with disabilities, children, youth, older people, people with various (mental) health conditions, homeless, living in poverty, activists, journalist, workers, etc. 

Human rights education aims to create a world with a culture of human rights. This is a culture where everyone’s rights are respected and rights themselves are respected; a culture where people understand their rights and responsibilities, recognise human rights violations and take action to protect the rights of others.

Through this project, we want to enable a new generation of Human Rights Educators across Europe to act as Facilitators of Human Rights Education for various groups in their communities that are affected by human rights abuses and violations.

The main goal of this training is to raise the capacity of youth workers from different European countries to prepare, deliver and evaluate Human Rights Education Activities for young people.

Learning Objectives:

• To increase the knowledge level in topics like: Human Rights (history, principles, generations, legal protections, actors etc.) and Human Rights Education (definitions, methodology, experiential learning cycle, etc.)
• To increase the practical facilitation skills in Human Rights Education using  various non-formal education methods
• To develop practical skills in designing and implementing Human Rights Education sessions on various important Human Rights Topics
• To motivate the participants to be more vocal and stronger Human Rights Activists in their communities 
• To encourage the youth workers to cultivate a culture of human rights in their day-to-day personal and professional lives.

The course is strongly based on experiential learning principles and philosophy, with adequate time allocated for debriefing and reflection throughout the whole program. The working methods used are chosen to offer the possibility of equal involvement of each participant, every person would to be engaged actively in the process.  The training has a proposed structure (based on previous work in the field), but, the activities are flexible and adaptable to group needs taking into account the reactions of participants, their feedback, their expressed needs, their experience and the way they will work as a group.

The training will include human rights education sessions prepared and delivered by the participants, with coaching from the trainers' team and feedback sessions from the entire group.

The learning process will be guided and facilitated by Andreea-Loredana Tudorache and Monica Tudorache who share the same surname (coincidentally) but also a strong passion for promoting diversity, tolerance and a deep exploration of various human rights issues.

They both have been trained in Human Rights Education programs by the Council of Europe and have a long track record of training educators, activists and facilitators on human rights-related issues. At the same time, they bring to life powerful projects which embed a human rights culture and address various important issues using methods such as theatre of the oppressed, living library, street campaigning and non-formal education methods in general.

Do you want to take part in this learning opportunity? This is what we are looking for:

• Members or close collaborators of active Youth Organization (staff or active member, paid or not). The organization should have a valid OID number (we will sign partnership agreements with the sending organization.
• Willingness and motivation to be involved in the partner organization for at least one more year after the project.
• Enthusiastic youth workers who are motivated towards taking a strong lead in designing and/or facilitating meaningful learning experiences for young people on current relevant human rights issues
• Are beginners or at the beginning of their journeys as Facilitators in non-formal learning processes. More experienced facilitators are welcomed if they feel the need to advance their competencies specifically in the Human Rights Education field.
• Good command of the English language;
• People older than 18 years and with a legal residence (proven by valid documents) in the country they are currently residing in.

Important to have in mind before deciding to apply:

• If you do not provide an OID number your application will be considered ineligible.
• Your organization should be based in the same country as you are currently residing in. If your situation is different you might not be eligible to participate in the course.
• Double-check the eligible countries from which we can accept participants. Do not apply if you do not currently reside in one of them.
• For this training we prioritize a quality and intensive learning process. There will be 6 hours of learning sessions every day and 1 half a day free from sessions in the entire training. There will be no trips or organized excursions offered – each participant will organize their free time as they wish.