Eighth Graders Educate Others on Human Rights Day

 A handful of CEL 8th grade students, who are exploring the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) in their Digital Publishing course, remind us to take a moment to celebrate Human Rights Day on December 10.
 
“This trimester, Digital Publishing students created websites, children's books, and print/digital games to educate others about the core rights enshrined in the UDHR and the UN's Convention on the Rights of the Child,” says CEL teacher Julie Knutson.
 
The Declaration was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in Paris on December 10, 1948, “as a common standard of achievements for all peoples and all nations” and outlines “fundamental human rights to be universally protected.” 
 
SCH students in Ms. Knutson’s class studied and discussed the intricacies of the Declaration, now nearly 75 years old, prior to planning and launching their projects. Each student (or group) developed uniquely accessible projects to break down the dense information they’ve digested in order to teach others.
 
Here is just a sampling of the student projects thus far:

• Cat is curating content for people her age via her website and aims to tell the stories of people impacted by climate change. 
• Anika is targeting a different audience (elementary-aged children) with a graphic interpretation of the UDHR.
• Nolan has crafted a picture book for young readers to unpack climate issues and social responsibility.
• Leela and Penny co-created a board game called "Ecotopia,” which is a bricolage of recycled materials and digitally-designed question cards. 

“I'm immensely proud of the mindfulness of rights and responsibilities that all of these students have exhibited throughout the trimester,” says Knutson.
 
The projects have the potential to reach countless others which, it is no coincidence, is a goal of a campaign promoting and recognizing the Declaration’s 75th anniversary in 2022-2023: “The year-long campaign seeks to shift the needle of understanding and action towards greater knowledge of the universality of the UDHR and the activism associated with it.”
 
Here’s to our SCH digital activists!