For

• Teachers, Administrators, Curriculum Developers of Bay Area High Schools
• Leaders of Community Based Non-Profit Organizations
• University Faculty and Graduate Students

Please join us for our fourth highly acclaimed Three-Day Institute on The World As It Could Be Human Rights Education Program curriculum.

Click here for the Institute Flyer and Registration Form.

There is no charge to attend; enrollment is limited to 25 participants.

During the 3-day training, participants gain knowledge about the Human Rights Education framework and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), and their importance in promoting the values, beliefs and attitudes that encourage all individuals to uphold their own rights and those of others.  Participants will also experience using creative arts disciplines, including music, visual arts and performance arts to deepen understanding of human rights principles, as well as to express their own ideas of why these principles are relevant to positively addressing the issues we face day-to-day in our schools and communities.

Check out the following links for further reference:
Scenes from the 2012 Summer Institute:
2012 Summer Institute: Culminating Presentation
Curriculum and Resource Guide

Background on the Development of The World As It Could Be (TWAICB) Curriculum:
The impetus to develop TWAICB curriculum, which utilizes the creative arts and a culminating celebratory presentation focused on the UDHR, arose from 2006 project work.  In this initial work, a collaborative original production that included dance, song and spoken word was created and performed live at Balboa High School in San Francisco by the high school youth of Destiny Arts Center and Youth Speaks to convey the importance of the UDHR.  From this experience, along with continuing program and Human Rights Education work, we have identified the following issues that impel our ongoing efforts:

• The UDHR provides an exciting framework for actively engaging in local and global efforts toward the achievement of life, liberty and human dignity for all people.  Although the United States played a crucial role in the drafting of the UDHR and its adoption on December 10, 1948 by the UN General Assembly, many people, across all ages and demographics, are not aware of the UDHR, even though the document is part of the Standards for Social Studies curriculum in most public schools;
• When youth have the opportunity to not only learn about the UDHR, but also be leaders in teaching its importance to their peers and to adults they demonstrate increased involvement in their studies, enhanced social interaction skills and greater commitment to be positively engaged in their school and community;
• The creative arts provide a powerful mechanism for teaching in a way that compels student engagement, deeper learning and personal connection to otherwise abstract content, yet the arts are now subject to deep cuts from many schools due to budgetary constraints;
• The culminating, celebratory presentation of the students’ creative reflections on their studies of the UDHR provides a unique rite-of-passage experience that motivates both higher levels of academic engagement as well as enhanced awareness of and commitment to being engaged members of their immediate and broader communities.

Event Background

In the last 7 years of work with TWAICB, students have inspired their school communities to recognize the day-to-day human rights issues they face, many focused on bullying, hate-based actions and gun violence.  With national attention focused on violence and guns, and with leaders like President Obama calling upon all of us to realize that we must change what is going on, we have an opportunity to not only implement engaging and rigorous educational tools, but also to have our youth be leaders in forging the change in thinking and action needed to move away from violence, toward positive problem solving and conflict resolution.  The March 4^th event provided a beginning to do our part in contributing positively to the national conversation, as well as taking effective action in our communities.

Part 1- Presentation by Frederick Marx, internationally acclaimed, Oscar- and Emmy-nominated producer/director popularly known for his film HOOP DREAMS, on his current documentary film Rites of Passage – The Right of Every Child Born (working title), on the importance of rites of passage for youth, including the elements that constitute positive, life-transforming rites of passage.

Part 2 – Question & Answer Discussion with Frederick Marx, offering additional insights about providing meaningful rites of passage in different settings and forums.

Part 3 – Interactive discussion focused on a dramatization written and presented by students of Oakland, CA Fremont High School in December 2012 as part of their work with The World As It Could Be Program.  Click here for a pdf of the write-up of this discussion, which includes the list of event participants, the scenario being discussed, and the full list of questions recommended to guide deeper understanding of the issues presented in the scenario so as to pave the way for needed change.

We are thrilled to announce a new 5-day course – Integrated Learning for Human Rights and Social Justice – a collaborative project of the Art IS Education Integrated Learning Special Program of the Alameda County Office of Education and The World As It Could Be (TWAICB).  Through the lens of the highly-esteemed methodology from Harvard’s Project Zero, this unique course combines extensive guidance for arts integration, while also providing academic content knowledge about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and its relevance to contemporary issues.  This intensive provides educators and artists with an in-depth exploration of creative arts tools that can be applied across disciplines, in curriculum development and classroom teaching.

The class will be taught by arts education scholar Julia Marshall, and Sarah Crowell, Artistic Director of Rex Grantee Destiny Arts, and long-standing collaborator with The World As It Could Be Program.  The class will be held on June 3-7, 2013 at Balboa High School, where we began TWAICB in 2006.

Click here to download the detailed flyer and registration information.

The following videos are from the December 16, 2012 Culminating Presentation produced by the students of Fremont High School (formerly Mandela High), in connection with their studies of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and work with The World As It Could Be Program curriculum.

Under the leadership of teacher John Nepocumeno, as well as the involvement of other Fremont High faculty, the students created dramatic scenes to depict the types of human rights issues impacting their lives and those of others in their community.  The students carried out reading assignments connected with the study of the UDHR; they also  spent a great deal of time in class discussions to think through the best way to depict situations so as to not only raise awareness about the human rights issues, but also to stir thinking about how to address the issues.

The compelling concerns raised in these dramatizations are now inspiring follow-up work, including the special event on March 4th, to develop a process for continuing in-depth analysis and reflection on the issues behind the dramatizations. In this way, youth can help galvanize the thinking and change needed to move away from violence, toward a culture of peaceful conflict resolution and practice of the principles stated in the UDHR.

We are inspired by the work of John Nepomuceno and the students of Fremont High School as they help move us toward The World As It Could Be.

Intro

Skit 1

Skit 2

Hoop Dreams producer/director Frederick Marx talks about his current documentary and human rights in San Francisco March 4.

As part of building on the work of The World As It Could Be Program taking place over the last few years in Bay Area and other high schools, we invite you to a special event on Monday, March 4, from 6-8 p.m. at Balboa High School in San Francisco.  With our guest speaker, Hoop Dreams  producer/director Frederick Marx, and follow-up interactive conversation, we seek to offer exciting insights about the importance of rites of passage for youth, along with strategies on how to use this information in our work, especially during this critical time of national focus on violence and gun use.

Rex Foundation Executive Director Sandy Sohcot tells how this event came to be: “I had the pleasure of meeting Frederick Marx several months ago. When I described the work of The World As It Could Be Program, including a culminating presentation as a rite-of-passage type of experience, Frederick told me about the extensive work he has been doing on the importance of rites of passage for the health of our youth and communities. He is now bringing to light this work in his documentary film Rites of Passage—The Right of Every Child Born, of which a preliminary trailer is available for viewing.

“I thought it would be important for the people we connect with via The World As It Could Be Program to have access to his information, including seeing the filmwork he has developed. I also want to use the second part of the evening to begin what I hope will be a continuing action-oriented discussion on how to use Frederick’s information, along with The World As It Could Be curriculum and related educational tools, to engage students to fully participate in the type of analysis and critical thinking, as well as personal and civic action, so as to be a helpful part of the national conversation now taking place about violence and guns, which seems to me to be a ‘moment-in-time-opportunity’ for positive social change.”

Click here for the Event Invitation, with the registration on the second page.  Here is a brief synopsis:

Part 1: Presentation by Frederick Marx, internationally acclaimed, Oscar and Emmy nominated producer/director popularly known for his film Hoop Dreams, on his current documentary film Rites of Passage–The Right of Every Child Born (working title), on the importance of rites of passage for youth, including the elements that constitute positive, life-transforming rites of passage.

Part 2: Interactive discussion on using the framework of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, along with rigorous academic classroom work in conjunction with creative arts disciplines and the culminating presentation/rite of passage concepts, to engage youth in helping create the change necessary to stem violence and move toward a culture of human rights thinking and acting.

Please RSVP right away as space is limited.   Let us know if you need any additional information.   Call the Rex Foundation office at 415-561-3134 or e-mail info@rexfoundation.org.

We look forward to seeing you on March 4.

As part of accepting the Commendation, Sandy Sohcot spoke on behalf of the Rex Foundation; Kevin Kerr, Principal of Balboa High School, along with Balboa Senior Oxy Trejos, spoke about the Balboa High School experience with the Program.

We’re also very touched by the words of Balboa High School Assistant Principal Susan Ritter, who wrote: “Heartfelt congratulations on being honored this evening by the SFUSD school board.   I am so very proud of all that we have accomplished here at Ball in terms of the UDHR.  Our students learn about human rights every day in all of our classes.  They truly do learn about “‘The World As It Could Be.’”

With deep appreciation, we share the Resolution of Commendation, Commendation Certificate (pdf files), as well as the video of the commendation presentation.

Article 15.
(1) Everyone has the right to a nationality.
(2) No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his nationality nor denied the right to change his nationality.

Over these last two years, we have been exploring ways that the Oakland School for the Arts could work with The World As It Could Be curriculum. Donn Harris, Principal, thought we would like to see what the school is currently doing in connection with learning about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. We are very pleased to showcase the beautiful and thoughtful work of the 9th through 12th graders of the School of Digital Media at Oakland School for the Arts, as described below and presented through the website link provided with the project description.—Sandy Sohcot

In partnership with the East Bay Chapter of the United Nations Association, the School of Digital Media at Oakland School for the Arts presents a series of posters illustrating each article of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Digital Media’s 9th through 12th graders used mediums ranging from hand-drawn illustration to CGI, with many posters combining photography and computer generated elements. Facilitated by Digital Media Director Heidi Cregge, the project served to deepen students’ understanding of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, their roles as global citizens, and the voice of artists as part of global conversations.

OSA Digital Media will unveil the posters on Human Rights Day, December 10th, on OSA campus. The series will be on public display during Digital Media’s Photography Show on December 14th, where greeting cards printed with each poster design will be available for sale to raise funds for the class. Visit www.oakarts.org for more information.

See a slide show of the posters.

These two digital stories were presented at CFI’s Environmental Youth Forum in February 2011. The collaboration came about as a result of both CDS and Mandela High School being involved in The World As It Could Be Human Rights Education Program.

Learn more about and register for the Conference here.: http://t4sj.org/events/conference/.

Henry says: “It was such an honor to be up on the Green Vibes stage a few weeks ago. Not only was it an amazing feeling to be sharing my music with fellow music lovers, but it was also an honor to represent the Rex Foundation. I have admired the Rex Foundations work for a long time and it was such a thrill to actually be part of it.

“The message of my new song ‘Where there’s a will, there’s a way’ makes a lot of sense to me. I believe the world would be such a better place if people realized that if they have a will to do something good, then even small actions in their own community can end up leading to huge things. And I know it can be overwhelming for any one person to try and solve all of the human rights problems in the world, so if people just take small steps each and every day –things will get better. It felt great to stand in front of dozens of people and sing about this message. I felt so happy when I saw the audience listening so closely to the message, even though it was raining.

“It was so kind of Sandy Sohcot to give me this special opportunity. It was so kind of David Gans for all of his help over the weekend and to let me play my song on SIRIUS XM. And I also loved reprising my set and playing a couple of Dead songs with David Gans at the Teen Stage later in the evening. This was a great weekend and I look forward to continue spreading the message of ‘The World as it Could Be.’”

We’re especially delighted that, thanks to the kindness of Jack Baribault, we have this video to share with you!