The 4th edition of the Human Rights Workshops for Students, organised by the HFHR, has come to an end. On June 2, 30 people received their certificates. However, first they had to pass an examination on human rights theory and complete the practical part, which meant taking up activity in support of human rights.

 

         The programme Human Rights Workshops for Students began during the academic year 2000/2001. The workshops are a course, which lasts an entire academic year. A group of about 30 young people participate in it. They are students of various majors, among others: law, social studies, pedagogy, journalism, philology, psychology, economy, environmental protection, chemistry, and computer science. The thing, which they have in common is, that they all study in Warsaw. Some of them already have experience in social work; others wish to join in this activity through these workshops.

         The group of participants is selected from among the applicants on the basis of qualifying interviews. From the future workshop participants we demand general knowledge concerning social issues, interest in human rights and enthusiasm.

         Specialists in the particular domains, which are being discussed, mainly HFHR employees and co-workers, graduates of the School for Human Rights and academic lecturers, carry out the classes associated with the Human Rights Workshops for Students. The course consists of lectures, as well as exercises such as films, discussions and simulations, which help to revise and fix the acquired information.

 

         The course is made up of two parts: the first one concerns the theory; the second is more practical; this adds up to about 100 hours. During the first semester, the classes cover the fundamental issues from the domain of human rights: they refer to human rights history and philosophy, particular rights and liberties, Polish and international instruments of their protection, and the rights of people, who belong to various groups. The students take part in a series of weekly two-hour-long meetings, as well as weekend workshops.

         During the second semester, the Workshops’ participants gain practical skills, essential during their work as social activists. They do the workshop “The skills to act effectively in the public interest”, during which they learn, among others, how to go about strategic planning, set objectives, choose target groups, and adequately pick the methods of evaluation, and so on. Subsequently, the students themselves plan and implement practical activities in support of human rights. This year the participants of the Workshops, among others, carried out an informational campaign at a hospital on the subject of the patients’ rights to information, made a documentary film about xenophobia and stereotypes, and prepared a happening concerning the violation of human rights in Belarus. Nationwide television and numerous radio stations broadcast reports from this last event.                 

 

The next edition of the Workshops will begin in October 2004 and will last until June 2005.