MODEL – Human Rights Defenders at schoool
Fostering intercultural dialogue, non-discrimination and inclusion in the Macedonian education system
Europe Aid/136-518/DD/ACT/MK (EIDHR)
Location(s) of the action
Country: Republic of Macedonia
Locations: Tetovo: gymnasium “K.Pejcinovik”, medical school “N. Stejn” and agrarian institute “Mosa Piade”; Valandovo: agrarian institute “G. Delcev”; Struga: vocational training institute “N. Nestor”; Negotino: school “Kiril I Metodij”; Bogdanci: gymnasium “Bogdanci”; Gevgelije: gymnasium “J.Josifovski”.
Objectives
Overall objective:Fostering intercultural dialogue, non-discrimination and inclusion in the Macedonian education system as a strategic toll of promotion of human rights and democracy.
Specific objective: Introducing intercultural human rights education and anti-discrimination tools in the curricular and extracurricular education system of 8 secondary schools by promoting an experimental path to enable the students from different religious, cultural, socio-economic and linguistic background to play the “role” of human rights defenders in their own schools.
Estimated results
Expected Result A: A multi-cultural group of teachers enhance knowledge and skills in human rights education and improves the capacity to promote an anti-discriminatory integrated education system..
Expected Result B: Groups of students from different secondary schools and a group of the youths of political parties take part to activities (an experimental laboratory, workshops, trainings) directed to build their intercultural skills and human rights’ advocacy capacities.
Expected Result C: The Model Human Rights Defender experience is evaluated and disseminated at national level to fight discrimination and exclusion in the secondary school system.
Main activities
Training of trainers; Workshop and seminars with teachers; Round tables with institutional representatives and CSOs; Laboratories with students and young activists from political parties; Anti-discriminatory monitoring activities; Public events, Advocacy and Dissemination activities.
Information meetings for students
In the context of the project Model have been organized information meetings in each secondary school. The meetings were focused principally on human rights education, using the non-formal learning method. During these workshops the students have gained new informations on human rights issues and human rights’ international bodies, on intercultural learning and non-violent communication. In each school, mixed classes have been involved to ensure a cooperation between pupils from different cultural or linguistic background. Furthermore, the students participated to a research plan
Model Human Rights Defenders at school has a first part dedicated to the reference teachers of secondary schools. The teachers attended a programme of local workshops on intercultural human rights education, which aims to strenghten their capacity to promote intercultural dialogue and their knowledge on human rights. The workshops were focused on three main topics:
Workshop 1: Introduction to “Human Rights for Educators”
Workshop 2: Exchange of good practices and experiences on “Monitoring social inclusion in secondary schools”
Workshop 3: Experimentation of “Non formal education methodologies”
PROJECT ACTIVITIES
- Workshops for Students
- Simulation conferences
- Training for teachers
- National Workshop for teachers
- Research Plan
AUDIO-VISUAL KIT
National workshop with reference teacher to build an experimental
laboratory of human rights’ education
Expected results from the conference:
- Give the opportunities to teacher from different cultural and territorial background to exchange good practices in secondary school education;
- Give the opportunity to build together a common (intercultural) tool to introduce human rights education in their schools.
Session 1:“Human Rights Defenders – Definitions and practices”
10:00 – 11:30 Definition on Human Rights Defenders
– What do human rights defenders do?
– Who can be a human rights defender?
– How can human rights defenders be supported and
protected in their work?
12:00 – 13:30 Exchange practices on human rights between teachers from different secondary schools
14:30- 16:00 Exercise – Windows and Mirrors
Session 2: “Review of Model UN and Model EU experiences
16:00 – 17:30 Model United Nations (MUN):
“Model European Union Strasbourg” “Model European Parliament”
Day 2
Session 3: “Building the MODEL Human Rights Defenders’ Laboratory
09: 00-10: 30
Teachers will have to:
– Identify which issues of global or / and national concern related to human rights will be more effective to be discussed among the students according to the analysis of territorial context;
Identify which kind of connections with curricular classes it will be possible to introduce during the implementation of the Laboratory;
– Select which kind of didactic formal and informal materials to be used for preparing and implementing the simulation.
11:00 – 12:30 Exercise – The Ladder of torture
12:30 – 14:00 Exercise – Fighters for rights
15:00- 16:00 Working in groups – Identify which kind of connections with curricular classes it will be possible to introduce during the implementation of the Laboratory and making suggestion on the MODEL HR Defenders
Social exclusion and discrimination practices in the secondary school system
The research is proposed in the framework of the Project “Model Human Rights Defender@School Project” funded by the European Union Delegation to the former Yougoslav Repubblic of Macedonia – Grant Agreement n. NEAR-TS/2015/370-442 and promoted by CISS/Cooperazione Internazionale Sud Sud and the Centre for Development and Improvement of Public Life (CDIPL).
The research targets secondary schools in different geographical areas of the country: in Tetovo, the gymnasium “K.Pejcinovik”, the medical school “N. Stejn” and the agrarian institute “Mosha Pijade”; in Valandovo the agrarian institute “G. Delcev”; in Struga the vocational training institute “N. Nestor”; in Negotino the school “Kiril i Metodij”; in Bogdanci the gymnasium “Bogdanci” and in Gevgelije the gymnasium “J.Josifovski”.
Objectives of the research
The main purpose of the research is investigating the level of wellbeing of students in the targeted secondary schools, in particular analysing the cases of HR violations affecting the students inside or outside the schools, in relation to the school environment. All dimensions of HR violations will be taken in consideration in each school in order to identify the priority areas of intervention in the field of prevention through HR education, and including the right to education itself.
The attitude and reactions of the relevant stakeholders to the emergence of HR violations affecting young people will be taken in proper consideration in the attempt to understand if systems of self-assessment are existing at school level and which kind of resilience mechanisms the local communities are adopting.
“Archeological and touristic valorization
of the Roman Forum of Stobi”Funded by: Municipality of Palermo (I year) and Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (II year)
Area of intervention: Roman Forum in Stobi (Negotino)
Duration: 2 years and 6 months (2006 – 2008)
Partner: Museum of Macedonia
General objective
Contribute to the revitalization of the Macedonian tourist sector, through the training of the personal in charge for the Cultural Heritage of the Country, and through the improvement of usability condition of the historical site of Stobi.
Activities
1. Excavation in the Roman Forum
Activities
2. Exchange study Palestine – Macedonia
“Citizens of Macedonia”
A window on Active Citizenship
“Citizens of Macedonia”
Funded by: Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Areas of intervention: Tetovo, Struga, Gevgelija, Negotino, Bogdanci, Valandovo
Duration: 3 years /2008-2011
Partner: Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Macedonia
Other institutional actors: 6 involved Municipalities and 8 secondary schools
Areas of intervention
Objectives of the project
To contribute to the improvement of the secondary education system of the Republic of Macedonia, by introducing Citizenship Education’s best practices among youths from different linguistic and cultural origin in the involved Municipalities.
To collaborate with of the representatives of the Ministry of Education and Science and the representatives of the local administrations, in order to improve their planning, management, monitoring and evaluation capacities in the field of Citizenship Education.
To contribute to the renovation of the buildings of the involved secondary schools.
Beneficiaries of the project
Students and Teachers of 8 secondary schools (Pejcinovik, N. Stejn, Mosa Piade in Tetovo; G. Delcev in Valandovo; N. Nestor in Struga; Kiril iMetodij in Negotino; Bogdanci in Bogdanci and J.Josifovski in Gevgelija)
Representatives of local administrations from 6 Municipalities
Representatives of the Ministry of Education and Science
Activities
With the schools:
5 workshops for 48 reference teachers on Citizenship Education, Intercultural Education, Cultural heritage valorisation and Environment protection
Workshops for a wider group of teachers and students on Citizenship Education and related subjects, in each involved school
Organization of the first Social Communication Festival (Macedonian Youth Spot Festival – MYSF) and creation of a web site dedicated to the Festival
Establishment of 3 youth associations in charge to organize the Festival’s future editions
Exchange activities with Italians schools in Macedonia and Italy
Renovations works in the involved schools
Activities
With the local administrations and the communities:
2 Workshops on Citizenship Education for policy makers of the municipalities
Information and awareness campaigns in the local communities
With the Ministry of Education and Science:
Establishment of a working group consisting of CISS project team and MES representatives
Round tables on Citizenship Education, in order to draw up new Guidelines on Citizenship Education to be included in Macedonian’s secondary schools curricular and extra-curricular programmes