Report on the SIM-UGLOBE Symposium "Can Human Rights Help Schools?"

“Human rights are not just book knowledge”
“Human rights offer a point of reflection and a language of engagement”
“Start small but think big”

These were just some of the ideas that circulated at the symposium "Can human rights help schools? A conversation among Practitioners and Researchers" that took place at the Utrecht University Museum on 23 June 2017.

The symposium was jointly organized by the Netherlands Institute of Human Rights (SIM) and UGlobe, the Utrecht Centre for Global Challenges. This unique, cross-sector event was organized considering the Ministry of Education’s decision to elevate the status of Citizenship Education in the Dutch curriculum.

The main aim of the symposium was to bring together researchers and practitioners to “find a way forward” in promoting human rights (education) meaningfully in Dutch schools.

Over a dozen participants shared their relevant experiences and perspectives on ‘if’ and ‘how’ the integration of human rights values and standards might assist in ensuring active citizenship and an inclusive and justice-centered education for Dutch.

Researchers from the University of Utrecht, University College Roosevelt and College voor de Rechten van de Mens shared their scholarship. School-level know-how came from the Peaceable Schools Network, Amnesty International, the Anne Frank House, Critical Mass and the UNESCO and UNICEF Dutch committees. It was an illuminating interchange between presenters and the audience.