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Description
This project aims to promote a dynamic, participative and broad understanding of human rights, allowing children and young people of school age to actively intervene in a systematisation of current knowledge on this topic and in the construction of concrete tools (a dictionary, for example) to learn about, develop and defend human rights. All products resulting from the project will be made available on a free access online digital platform – the DIGNIPÉDIA GLOBAL – providing systematic reference material about human rights directed to children and young people of school age, to a specialised audience and to the general public. The programme also envisions professional training initiatives and dissemination of all results and products through online media.
Summary of project results
Human rights in Portugal face challenges such as multidiscrimination, social injustice, and intolerance, with a particular need to strengthen children''s rights. Education has been a key action to defend and support their realization. However, there was a lack of reference tools to tackle this multifaceted issue. The project aimed to promote dynamic, participatory, and comprehensive learning about these rights. It encouraged target groups to actively participate in organizing current knowledge on the subject and developing tools for learning, deepening, and defending human rights. It also promoted the full availability of all project outputs on a freely accessible online digital platform, Dignipédia Global. This platform provided systematic and reference material for school-age children, young people, a specialized audience, and the public, with the aim of offering accessible and informed clarification, thereby enhancing their defense and a more informed promotion.
The project proceeded with the first phase, which focused on the theoretical component, the conceptualization of a global dictionary of human rights, with the preparation of an initial list of 250 entries, involving more than 150 researchers from various Portuguese universities, as well as several international authors.
In the second phase, special attention was given to the theoretical-practical component, the conceptualization of a Pedagogical Dictionary of Human Rights, aimed at children and adolescents, with the preparation of an initial list of entries, involving the four partners from the educational community (a school in Funchal, Madeira Island, and three public school groups in the Alentejo region). The work of establishing content and methodological writing criteria was carried out by the project team in close collaboration with the teachers of the participating educational units.
In addition to the background work of preparing the two dictionaries, the implementation of the project included several training sessions for teachers and researchers, as well as more than a dozen campaigns that mobilized thousands of children and young people in human rights activities, including open classes, awareness and debate sessions, and educational games
In quantitative terms, the following was achieved:
- 583 professional staff trained;
- 4.289 youths mobilised by NGOs to engage in human rights work;
- 11 awareness raising campaigns carried out;
- 86% share of target group showing concern for human rights.
In terms of capacity building, the promoter carried out a needs assessment and prepared an action plan. This led to the development and implementation of an institutional communication plan, a new organizational image, a new logo and a new website.
All proposed targets were met and exceeded.
Summary of bilateral results
The European Centre for Women and Technology (ECWT) in Norway played a crucial role in promoting the Dignipédia Global project internationally. They hosted a training week in Oslo and increased the project''s visibility through their website and social media. They also encouraged the project promoter to submit proposals for international calls, although these were not successful. There are plans to expand Dignipédia Global to a multilingual platform, with the Norwegian partner willing to support this, pending funding.