Human Rights Biographies

Human Rights Biography

Human Rights Biography is an educational method used to activate participants' ability to personalize abstract concepts of human rights, incorporate them into their personal lives and build a climate of openness, understanding and respect. The method consists of several stages. In the first stage, the participants are asked to reflect on two events or people that resulted in him or her first becoming aware of human rights issues on a personal level. In the second stage, the participants are asked to make a drawing on a large poster paper that symbolizes these influential events or persons. In the third stage, the participants are asked to write an explanation of what values these drawings represent and the context of their experience. In the fourth stage, the participants are paired with each other and are asked to explain their drawings to each other. They then will tape their drawings together and draw lines connecting similar themes. Each pair is connected on a large human rights map.

Example

Human Rights Biographies was used by the Human Dimension Programme at the Mediterranean Academy of Diplomatic Studies at the University of Malta (MEDAC) Human Rights Summer School.

Reference

Borg, B., Grech, O., Regan, C. (2010). The self comes to know itself by retelling itself: Beliefs, identities, and human rights. Beliefs and Values: Understanding the Global Implications of Human Nature, 2(2), 175-186.