Teachers and students invited to help in promoting Canadian defenders for human rights

February 2012

The Canadian Teachers’ Federation (CTF) is pleased to be working with the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights in support of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in the development of a major national human rights initiative intended for K-12 schools across the country.
 
Through its Imagineaction platform, CTF invites teachers and students to add a Canadian dimension to the RFK Center’s Speak Truth To Power resource, a multi-faceted global initiative that uses the experiences of courageous human rights defenders from around the world to educate students and others about those fundamental rights and urge them to take action.
 
"As a leader in human rights, Canada is renowned for its legal provisions in the recognition and protection of individuals in the exercise of their freedoms and rights," says CTF President Paul Taillefer. "However, fundamental violations of human rights are still an issue across the globe, and even within our own communities. This initiative sends out a call to students and teachers to explore human rights questions, globally and locally."
 
Projects highlighting the stories of Canadian defenders of human rights, and projects that help students, teachers and members of the community to self-identify as Local Defenders of Human Rights will provide the foundation for the development of a national education human rights resource package. Small Imagineaction subsidies are available to a limited number of teachers and students. The deadline for applications is Feb. 29, 2011.

To apply for subsidies for this initiative or any other under the Imagineaction program, teachers must register online at www.imagine-action.ca.