RESPECT FOR HUMANKIND: THE PATH OF MINDFUL HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION

In the first moments after the conclusion of World War II, the United States was seen and saw itself as a leader in the struggle to reestablish the place of law and human decency in the relationship between individuals and nations. A collaboration of both the war’s victorious Allies and representatives of non-Western nations seeking an equitable, post-colonial status identified respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms as a global imperative in Article 1, Section 3 of the Charter of the United Nations (1945). Soon after the United Nations was established, its Economic and Social Council appointed a Human Rights Commission, chaired by Eleanor Roosevelt, which developed The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), approved by the UN General Assembly on December 10, 1948 (Glendon, 2001).

In the years following the adoption of the UDHR, wariness arose in United States political discourse regarding the domestic application of international humanitarian and human rights standards, fueled by Cold War fears and a backlash against the racial implications of universal human rights principles (Anderson, 2003; Blanchard, 2010). Thus, omissions plagued the history and civic principles taught to children in the United States in the 1950s, a situation that continues to the present day (Blanchard, 2010; Carson, 2019).

Today, nearly seventy-five years after the adoption of the UDHR, educators and students are, sometimes delicately, re-engaging with international human rights principles that support the inherent dignity, equality, and inalienable rights of everyone as codified in the UDHR and subsequent interpretive treaties, declarations, etc. They are tapping the potential of human rights principles and human rights education (HRE) for global awareness and as powerful tools for helping young people and the communities in which they participate, negotiate their differences, and value their unique contributions to the whole. The program featured in this chapter is an example of such re-engagement.

So, what are human rights? And what is human rights education? And how do HRE and mindfulness-centered education interrelate? According to the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (United Nations OHCHR, n.d.), “Human rights are rights we have simply because we exist as human beings – they are not granted by any state.” These rights are “universal,” “inalienable,” “indivisible,” and “interdependent,” applying to all persons “equally” and “without discrimination” (paras. 4–8). Those fundamental principles are expressed in greater detail and applied to different circumstances in the 30 Articles of the UDHR. Relying on their “reason and conscience (Article 1),” all members of the human family are entitled to enjoy “all the rights and freedoms” highlighted in the UDHR “without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status, (Article 2).” The “cost” is that all share a “duty to the community” to show “due recognition and respect for the rights and freedoms of others (Article 29).” Thus, states have the responsibility to “respect,” “protect,” and “fulfill” human rights, and individuals are both entitled to enjoy their human rights and called upon to “respect and stand up” for the rights of others (United Nations OHCHR, n.d., para. 9).

HRE received a globally recognized definition in the UN Declaration on Human Rights Education and Training, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2011:

2. Human rights education and training encompasses:

1. Education about human rights, which includes providing knowledge and understanding of human rights norms and principles, the values that underpin them and the mechanisms for their protection;
2. Education through human rights, which includes learning and teaching in a way that respects the rights of both educators and learners;
3. Education for human rights, which includes empowering persons to enjoy and exercise their rights and to respect and uphold the rights of others. (United Nations, 2011, art. 2)

Mindfulness taps our basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us (What is Mindfulness?, 2020). Strategies for cultivating mindfulness show a natural affinity for HRE initiatives. Human rights awareness is centered both in the embrace of our own worth as unique human persons and in our commitment to honor the full humanity of others. Human Rights are, in some ways, a code of ethics for the Human Family. All educators share the challenge of helping students know and respect themselves while respecting and engaging productively and compassionately with others. From that respect of self and others arises an approach to civic engagement which is active, even assertive, yet not reactive or revengeful.

DESCRIPTION OF THE WORLD AS IT COULD BE HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION PROGRAM

TWAICB grew out of a series of initiatives begun in 2006 at the Rex Foundation (rexfoundation.org, hereafter “Rex”), the charitable nonprofit organization founded in 1983 by the Bay Area rock and roll band, the Grateful Dead. In February 2006, the Foundation published the newsletter Perspectives on Being Human, to raise awareness about ways a human rights framework tied together the diverse programs supported by its grants. The newsletter included the text of the UDHR. Subsequently, author Sohcot, Rex’s Executive Director at that time, sought ways to creatively involve youth and community leaders in bringing the newsletter’s theme to life.

Not long thereafter, Sohcot approached the San Francisco Mime Troupe Youth Theater Project, a Rex grantee with a youth drama program. The Troupe agreed to help dramatize the newsletter theme and suggested bringing in other arts-based youth programs. Rex brought together three arts-based nonprofits that use their art forms to address social justice issues and commissioned an original production to be created by high school youth participants. Under the guidance of a creative director and the leaders of each organization, the young participants would use drama, dance, song, and spoken word to relay their ideas about the UDHR.

In an early planning meeting, a youth leader, upon reading the UDHR in the Newsletter, stated, “I never heard of this document, yet it basically spells out the world as it could be!” The production had its title The World As It Could Be—A Declaration of Human Rights.

Employing the methods of each of the three arts-based nonprofit organizations, the students developed a number of skits, presentations, and performance pieces, which they presented to nonprofit and community leaders in early December of 2006. The next day, the students performed their program at a San Francisco high school to a full auditorium of 1,200 students, faculty, and administrators. Each of the three programs used the creative strategies of their respective organization to develop their parts of the performance. The take-away from the event was illuminating. None of the adults or participating students had heard of the UDHR, even though, under the California state social studies standards and framework in effect at the time, the subject was “required” to be taught in eleventh-grade history and was a permissible subject in every other high school year. The youth, in particular, were excited to learn that the UDHR existed, expressing in various ways, “This is something I can fight for!”

The creative arts exercises presented to the students to help them develop their presentation were essential for their grasp and embodiment of UDHR concepts. They then used art forms to express their understanding of the UDHR’s significance. The student audience at the San Francisco high school was totally engaged in watching their peers perform and teach them about human rights. As a result, participating youth enjoyed the transformative experience of performing the role of teacher, imparting not only to their peers but to the adult audience, which included many of their teachers, the importance of the UDHR.

The positive responses among all participants led to the development of The World As It Could Be curriculum (TWAICB, 2022b). The curriculum, building upon the excitement of the educators involved in the process, provides innovative ways to bring attention to the UDHR, enlivening material that is too often rendered dry and over-technical in its academic presentation. The TWAICB curriculum demonstrates the vital role the arts can play in effectively teaching academic subjects, an important consideration as funding for the arts in public schools continues to be sidelined. Youth involved benefit from the opportunity to present what they learn to their community of peers and adults, and to be celebrated for their accomplishments.

The TWAICB curriculum project brought together a team of educators, including those involved in the production and a PhD student at the University of San Francisco’s newly initiated HRE degree program (Spero, 2012). The curriculum includes creative arts as part of each lesson plan, and a culminating, rite of passage component, geared to high school social studies and language arts classes. Two Bay Area high schools agreed to help pilot the curriculum. Feedback was gathered and evaluated upon completion of the various performances and productions. In addition, the project team regularly communicated, debriefing and adapting as the program moved ahead. In 2010, after a successful two-year pilot, the TWAICB curriculum was published. A three-day Institute, organized in collaboration with USF’s School of Education, provided training to educators and nonprofit leaders on implementing the curriculum.

In 2014, TWAICB was able to expand the venues and circumstances in which youth could engage with TWAICB by becoming a program of the Alameda County Deputy Sheriffs’ Activities League (DSAL). Author Sohcot was now able to create an after-school Rite of Passage enrichment program for the youth of a Youth Center in a nearby, unincorporated area. The program’s location provided a pathway for public safety officials to learn from youth themselves about the human rights framework, an important opening. TWAICB continues to maintain close ties with the Bay Area high schools involved in the curriculum pilot, and has been able to share the program with new and veteran educator participants through three-day Institutes on the curriculum. The World As It Could Be Is Within Reach Rite of Passage program has been implemented for seven years (TWAICB, 2022c).

TWAICB IN-CLASS CURRICULUM

The World As It Could Be Human Rights Program Curriculum and Resource Guide, originally published in 2010, and updated each year since (TWAICB, 2022b), is geared toward students in high school since this is when the UDHR is most likely to be included, at least anecdotally, as part of World and U.S. History, as well as in language arts classes that include readings related to the Holocaust and World War II. There are six lesson plans, each designed to build the students’ understanding of the UDHR and how they can further its principles. Each lesson plan incorporates creative arts and activities to nurture critical thinking and SEL as described below.

One model that has informed the structure of the lesson plans is from the Technology of Participation (TOP) methods developed by the Institute of Cultural Affairs (2021), to help community and business organizations effectively address their challenges. The TOP Focused Conversation Method (Spencer, 1989) is a critical thinking process that helps participants reflect on events or experiences to give meaning to them and determine how to act in response. The elements of this Conversation Method, known as ORID, include:

• Objective identification of facts about an experience or event;
• Reflective perception of feelings about the event or experience;
• Interpretive consideration of the meaning and value of the event and its significance;
• Decisional consideration of appropriate choices or actions, based on what has been learned (“ORID,” 2020; Stanfield, 2000).

The full Curriculum and Resource Guide is available under the Instructional Materials tab on the TWAICB website, www.theworldasitcouldbe.org. The materials include:

• Part 1: Background Information on the UDHR and Human Rights Education (HRE)
• Part 2: Introduction to Creative Arts Teaching Methodology
• Part 3: Exercises to encourage creative energy, mindful attention, and bonding
• Part 4: Overview of Social Emotional Learning and its connection to HRE
• Part 5: Lesson Plans, including learning objectives, associated curriculum standards, skills, activities and suggested questions to guide reflection and critical thinking
• Part 6: Resources to support teachers in creating a unique experience for their students

TWAICB RITE OF PASSAGE CURRICULUM

The World As It Could Be Is Within Reach is a Rite of Passage curriculum developed by TWAICB (2022c) in 2014 for a Youth Center in an unincorporated area of Alameda County, CA, that experienced years of economic, social, and political marginalization. The Center offered free programs in recreation, career development, after-school enrichment, creative arts, literacy, and digital arts, as well as free medical and dental care and therapeutic counseling. Different agencies were responsible for each program. TWAICB worked with the on-site leaders of each agency to develop the Rite of Passage program, with full consensus on its learning goals and commitment for involvement.

Participating in similar creative arts activities as those described for the TWAICB classroom curriculum, students gain SEL skills that help them grasp that their own well-being and resiliency is interconnected with that of others around them, as well as to the vibrancy and health of the community at large. This process supports the overall goal of the program, which is to have participating youth explore what makes a community healthy and how they can take an active role in their own personal health and that of their community (Gach, 2010; F. Marx, personal conversation with S. Sohcot, 2022; TWAICB, 2022a). They are encouraged to make an initial commitment to that role. Students first learn about each other, followed by learning about the UDHR, utilizing similar activities as outlined for the in-class curriculum. Then, each following month, presentations and activities are undertaken to examine how each program component—Recreation, Education, the Arts, Career, and Health—contributes to the participants’ health and the vitality of the community at large. Students hear from guest speakers in each focus area, demonstrate reflective understanding of their connection to the human rights themes and are asked to commit to activities each week that contribute to their experience with each program component.

Midway through the program, students begin their efforts to develop a Community Action Project to address a focus issue they have identified that will contribute to a healthy community, using the UDHR as their guiding framework. The students also work on a culminating presentation to be given at the end of the program, inviting local public officials, business leaders, families, and friends to be the audience. The Community Action Project can also be utilized as part of the curriculum in school-based TWAICB projects. Documentation of each year’s class process is found on TWAICB website. These examples can provide a starting point for educators who wish to adapt TWAICB methods to their own settings.

Since 2016, after two years of being at a Youth Center, the program has become part of a high school located in the unincorporated area, under the leadership of a teacher who already uses TWAICB’s in-class curriculum. This has enabled the program to become more integrated within the school district and connected to other aspects of positive civic engagement.

As described in the Rite of Passage curriculum on TWAICB’s website, a set of guiding questions help students develop their Project. Based on activities and observations in their community, students identify three UDHR Articles that relate to an issue of concern and provide examples of the issues they have observed. Students then vote on the top three issues they want to address, using criteria such as the following developed by the students in the 2018–2019 class:

1. The issue affects ourselves and people we know.
2. It’s an issue we can do something about.
3. It’s an issue that would appeal/be relevant to other people to get more involved.

Students then determine the desired outcomes of their efforts’ and the best strategies to achieve these results.

The Community Action Project resulting from this process in 2018–2019 was “Wellness is for Everyone.” The goal was to help address the high degree of stress and anxiety experienced by students that affected their right to an education. The participants developed a poster and campaign to encourage all students to use the school’s Wellness Center. They also developed their own presentation on managing stress and anxiety based on what they learned about mindfulness and other related strategies. They then delivered their presentation to other classes.

Both the in-class and rite of passage curricula require a commitment of time and energy and can be adapted as workable for each school, class, or program. TWAICB team members are always available to assist implementation efforts. The passionate responses of teachers and students strengthen the commitment of TWAICB’s facilitators to share TWAICB materials and resources and encourage their wider utilization. As one student stated when asked by the District Superintendent why the UDHR ought to be taught so extensively, “Well, I might not remember all I learned about math and English, but I will always remember how to be a better person.”

CONCLUSION

Jon Kabat-Zinn (2005) invites us to rest in what he calls “an orthogonal reality,” our existing “realities” with an added “orthogonal” dimension where “the problems of the conventional reality are seen from a different perspective, more spacious than that of a small-minded self-interest.” When, through mindful attention, we undergo a “rotation of consciousness,” we open ourselves and our world to “admit possibilities of freedom, resolution, acceptance, creativity, compassion, and wisdom that were literally inconceivable—unable to arise and sustain—within the conventional mindset” (p. 351). Democracies benefit from orthogonal positionality, Kabat-Zinn tells us:

For what is liberty, what is freedom, if not the possibility, the right, and even the responsibility of finding our own way in the world—trusting our instincts and experiences, learning as we go, growing as we learn, even from what is most painful and from our own mis-takes and mistakes?

Democracy encourages and nurtures pluralism and a diversity of views. It encourages making use of our freedoms, inwardly as well as outwardly in the pursuit of happiness. We are naturally drawn to understand ourselves in deeper and deeper ways as individuals, as a society, and as a species. (2005, pp. 551, 553)

Young people participating in TWAICB-based programs learn both inward freedom and outward initiative. They develop new dimensions of orthogonal awareness that prepare them to act rather than react, even when engaging with people with very different points of view, even when responding to acts of oppression toward themselves or their communities that entice them to react. Human rights awareness, grounded in their exploration of the UDHR, situates young people in a solid assurance of their own worth, their own value as members of the human family, and the value of their families, communities, and identity groups. At the same time, this assurance does not require the demeaning of any other person, even those whose privilege they are called upon to robustly challenge.

The civil rights movement of the 1960s tapped into this kind of inward peace to stand strong in the face of violence and hatred without either retreating or retaliating (Harding, 1996; Kabat-Zinn, 2005; Thurman, 1996). Indeed, Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh formed a deep bond with each other, engaging in a “transformative mindfulness” (Jagers et al., 2019; Purser, 2019) that crossed racial, national, and denominational differences to build what they both termed “the Beloved Community” (Andrus, 2021). The late John Lewis, in Carry On, Reflections for a New Generation, published after his death wrote:

During the 1960s, we protested with nonviolent methods. There is something peaceful, cleansing, and wholesome about being orderly and non-threatening. It means standing up with a sense of self-worth and dignity. Yes, we were jailed, arrested, firebombed, bloodied. But we never felt hate, and even though it can be hard to hold back our anger, it is worth the effort because it works in the end. We changed America, and now the time has come for more change. (2021, p. 27)

Students who participate in the program described in this chapter are preparing themselves, with the guidance and support of their teachers, program facilitators, and communities, to confront a world that too often presents itself as a barrier to their self-actualization. They are learning to engage with that world in previously unanticipated ways, not from the margins, but from their own deep centers of self-worth, understanding, and capacity. They are answering John Lewis’s (2021) challenge “to redeem the soul of the nation, to create a society at peace with ourselves” (p. 27), envisioning and preparing to build The World As It Could Be.

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