Description
The educational system focuses on accumulation of knowledge and information, however it does not offer a space for acquisition and development of skills, which could boost our own ideas. Human rights education in Slovakia is just a formal part of curriculum and there is no systematic support of human rights education in conventional education. The lack of knowledge and skills in human rights area is reflected in the higher intolerance towards members of minority groups as well as in lower awareness about our own rights and freedom.The main aim of the projects is "To organize series of workshops, create educational materials and methodology for teachers and lecturers on primary and secondary schools that respond to current situation in society, leading to a better understanding of human rights and changing attitudes towards minorities." Others aims are: Organize a competition in writing essays on the subject of human rights at school. Promoting active citizenship and mobilization activities. New information in the field of human rights, awareness of their attitudes possibility of confrontation with stereotypes, the development of argumentation and communication skills, activation, support the development of a sense of active citizenship. Main target group of the project are techers from elemenatry and primary schools and the second target group their students.
Summary of project results
Current situation in Europe: anti-Roma and anti-refugees marches, the widely spread prejudice against minorities, the negative public discourse about the minorities, and the populist governmental representatives. We live in the information era, overwhelmed by facts and pseudo-facts. It is not easy to distinct one from the other. The youth is the group that is highly affected by this phenomenon. The cooperation and communication with young people is needed. The youth is educated in order to gain the communication skills and knowledge about the human rights issues, to develop critical thinking and is empowered to exercise its rights to freedom of expression and assembly, which enables the youth to stand up for human rights of the others. The eight lesson plans were developed by the working group and were revised after the training of the lecturers and after the delivery of the workshops. The suitable lecturers (9) were invited and trained to participate in the workshops. The selected schools (7) were invited to take part in the workshops (28), they were chosen by its potential to create human rights friendly school. The essay competition was distributed among the schools and the teachers’ websites and the winning essays were published on Amnesty and partner’s website. The activism manual was developed and distributed to schools, the mobilization workshops (6) were based on this manual and the youth (over 120) was equipped with the skills to organize their own actions, which were organized by the youth. All the developed materials were made public on new human rights education website (
www.amnesty.sk/vzdelavania), which made the project sustainable and interested stakeholders may download the available materials anytime after they register.The main impact is that the youth is educated about the situation of human rights abuses and the importance of the protection of human rights as well as the youth is sensitised, so they are able to work with their prejudice and stereotypes; and able to face some demonstration of discriminatory, racist and xenophobic behavior and attitudes. The project also equipped the teachers with new skills and methodologies in their profession, which involves the student in educational processes.The objectives are aimed at the three target groups.
Summary of bilateral results
Amnesty Norway, through its International Human Rights Education Centre (IHREC), coordinates different international human rights education projects and supports human rights education work being developed and implemented in sections and structures globally. Some of its work relates and responds directly to discrimination in Europe and works specifically with young people, in and out of schools, to challenge the status quo and fight for people to have the right to live a life free from discrimination. Through the EEA and Norway Grants, the IHREC partnered with Amnesty Czech Republic, Amnesty Slovakia and Amnesty Poland on three specific projects, fighting discrimination through activities with young people in and out of school. The other partners from Moldova, Hungary and Slovenia participated in the skill-share as well. The project enabled Amnesty International Slovakia to identify new methodologies suitable for Slovakia, experience the sample workshops used in different countries, which are transferrable to Slovak environment and train three people in suitable methodologies, who are the multipliers of the new skills as well. The new training approaches are implemented during and after the duration of the project My world – my rights. The future cooperation with other AI sections (Hungary, Poland, and Slovenia) has been established.