Increasing Student Engagement and Empowerment Through Theater: Voces Contra El Poder in Sonora

According to a recent poll, 50% of students say they are not engaged in what they are learning and 80% of educators are worried about students’ lack of engagement. Theater work, like the recent theater workshop in Sonora, Mexico, can increase student engagement and empower them to become human rights defenders. Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, in partnership with El Día Después, recently facilitated a powerful and moving three day theater workshop titled Voces Contra El Poder (VCEP), or Voices Against the Power. The workshop guided students through the process of researching local human rights defenders, crafting monologues of the defenders’ stories, and performing them, all while learning about the local human rights landscape and how to take action. If you would like to bring this monologue workshop to your school and powerfully engage your students in local issues while also building their research, writing, and performance skills, view our how-to manual on our theater page to learn more.

READ MORE

CAMERAS UP: AN INTERVIEW WITH 2023 SPEAK TRUTH TO POWER VIDEO CONTEST WINNERS NABA SHEIKH AND TOHIR HODJAKULOV

Guns Down, Arms Up, the 2023 Speak Truth to Power Video Contest winning film, is a powerful exploration of the horrific prevalence of gun violence in schools and a stirring call to action. In a recent interview, filmmakers Naba Sheikh and Tohir Hodjakulov of James Madison High School, shared their reasons for making the film, what they learned through the process, and encouraging words for aspiring filmmakers.

READ MORE & WATCH THE VIDEO

DEFENDER SPOTLIGHT: HINA JILANI AND ASMA JAHANGIR - PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT ON POSITIVE/NEGATIVE RIGHTS

In this installment of our UDHR series, engage in professional development for human rights educators by learning more about positive and negative rights. Essentially, positive rights outline what a government or institution should do, while negative rights focus on what they should not do. Understanding this distinction can help determine the best way to take action on a particular human rights issue. In this article, you will learn about two human rights defenders: Hina Jilani, who is addressing positive rights, and Asma Jahangir, who defended negative rights. Use these two case studies to help your students understand more about positive and negative rights.

READ MORE

HOW ONE JOHN LEWIS YOUNG LEADERS FELLOW IS SUPPORTING THE RIGHTS OF INCARCERATED WOMEN BY PROVIDING FREE PERIOD PRODUCTS

As we move forward from Women’s History month, it is important to keep advocating for the rights of women everywhere, including the rights of incarcerated women. Many women in prison have difficulty obtaining adequate period products due to cost, resulting in women bartering with other inmates or doing without. This lack of period products combined with infrequent access to showers and laundry services creates serious health problems such as Toxic Shock Syndrome, bacterial infections, and yeast infections. Period poverty is a human rights issue as well as an urgent health and hygiene problem. Tanesha Golding, a John Lewis Young Leaders Fellow, is taking action on this issue in Georgia by hosting drives to collect period products for incarcerated women and by educating her community about this human rights concern.

READ MORE

UPCOMING EVENTS

• April 26—Speak Truth to Power Video Contest submission deadline: For more than ten years, students from around the world have submitted films that address the full spectrum of human rights issues through our Speak Truth to Power video contest. This year’s competition, in addition to the high school and middle school categories, will include a new category for post-secondary students. Films will be judged by a panel of film industry experts, actors, and educators, and winning films will be featured at a special showcase in conjunction with the annual Tribeca Film Festival in New York City. Learn more and submit today!