The World As It Could Be Human Rights Education Program is an outgrowth of a series of successful initiatives carried out since 2006 to educate and inspire youth and adults to further human rights for all people. These initiatives have used the creative arts to deepen learning about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR); they have also given participating youth the voice to teach their peers and adults about the importance of the UDHR concepts
OUR MISSION
With the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) as its guide, The World As It Could Be Program endeavors to collaborate with community arts and social justice non-profit programs, schools, universities, and teacher training organizations to develop and use creative arts-based learning models and youth-led original dramatizations to inspire youth and adults to value the importance of human rights for all people, as well as to be engaged members of their local and global communities to help make the words of the UDHR a reality for everyone.
As part of the Program’s mission, we seek to provide multiple levels of benefits while carrying out initiatives:
• Support grassroots non-profits and creative arts professionals
• Showcase the importance and value of the creative arts to personal development and a vibrant culture
• Engage youth in positive, motivating activities that encourage learning, critical thinking and enhanced social interactions
• Provide opportunities for youth who are often marginalized due to learning differences and physical limitations to be participants in school-wide initiatives
• Engage the broader community to support and celebrate accomplishments of youth
• Provide opportunities for collaborations among non-profits, between non-profits and public schools, and among the teachers within schools
• Help transform traditional pedagogy into Human Rights Education
OUR PRIMARY ACTIVITIES
With the depth and breadth of positive impacts from the last nine years of work, the Program endeavors to:
• Widely distribute its high school curriculum that integrates the creative arts and a culminating celebratory presentation, and, consistent with the Common Core curriculum standards, promotes in-depth learning and critical thinking skills.
• Deepen the impact of The World As It Could Be Is Within REACH Rite of Passage at the REACH Ashland Youth Center as well as in other communities.
• Utilize our extensive library of videos of student presentations and commentary about the UDHR to raise awareness and spur dialogue about the continuing relevance of the UDHR as part of enhancing the social emotional learning of youth, promoting positive community and civic engagement, and creating a culture of thinking and acting that fosters equality, justice and human dignity for all people.
