rights in play: a practical guide for human rights education

RIGHTS IN PLAYA PRACTICAL GUIDE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION

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Table of Contents

About the JHC ....................................................4

Part 1: Introduction .............................................5

Part 2: Games and Activities ................................8

1. Warm-Up Activities and Energizers .................9• Back to Back• Blanket Stand• Catch the Dragon’s Tail• Elephant, Palm Tree, Giraffe• Going Dotty• Group Sit• Look Up Look Down• Silent Calendar• Stand-Up• The Human Knot• The Taco Game• Trust Fall

2. Your Rights .................................................22• An Important Job• Camp Rules Relay• Human Rights and My Community• Human Rights Charades• Human Rights Freeze Tag• Human Rights Squares• Introducing Human Rights• Puzzle Relay• Rainbow of Rights • Rights Auction• Rights Balloon Game• Rights Flag Tag/G.R.O.W.• Suitcase of Rights • The Calendar Game• Treasure Hunt• Tug of Rights

3. Celebrating Diversity ..................................64• Children From Around the World• Diversity Welcome• Early Contact• Sets• Step With Me• The Amoeba Race• The History of Your Name• Zombies

4. Children and War .......................................77• Landmine Field Simulation Game• No Place Like Home• Packing Your Suitcase

The John Humphrey Centre would like to thank the Human Rights Education and Multiculturalism Fund for their ongoing support.

The Rights in Play Manual is possible because of your ongoing commitment to our work.

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5. Child Labour and Poverty ............................86• Building a House• Tao…Bahay…Lupa• The Urban Poor• Understanding Our Rights• What’s in a Name?

6. Communication and Cooperation ...............97• Active Listening• Ankle Walk• Bears in the Air• How Do You See It?• One-Way, Two-Way Communication• Talking Circle• The Smarties Game

7. Conflict Resolution ....................................114• 5 Pictures• Doctor Harper and Doctor Gagnon• The Ambassadors

8. “Constructing” Peace ................................127• 3 Things I Can Do• Cooperative Bridge Building• Human Rights Collage• Imagining Possible Futures• Rights Magnets• The Promise of the Peace Dove• What Characterizes Human Beings?

9. Different Resources ..................................141• Jellybeans to Feed the World• Peace Monster• Something to Think About• Unequal Resources

10. Disabilities ................................................152• A City Like No Other• Alligator Pond• Sandpaper Letters• Signals• You and I

11. Discrimination ..........................................162• 4 Corners• Backpacks of Privilege• Barnyard• Discriminatik• Exclusion• Unpacking the Privileges

12. Games From Around the World .................178• Cover Your Ears (Korea)• My Little Bird (Tanzania)• The Big Lantern Game (Japan)• The Mitten Game (North America)• What is My Bride Like? (Israel)• Who is it? (Chile)

13. Gender Equality ........................................187• A Fairytale• Advantages and Disadvantages• Definitions of Women and Men

14. Human Rights and the Environment ...........199• Journey of Bottled Water• Needs• Secure the Water• Systems are Dynamic

15. LGBTQ Rights ...........................................212• A Dating Dilemma• Count Your Losses• Language Lesson• LGBTQ Trivia• Safe Space• Standing on the Other Side of the Fence

16. Status .......................................................228• Pick Your Card• Power and Privilege• Status Olympics• The Scramble for Wealth and Power

17. Stereotypes ...............................................242• Cultures Game• Cultural Perceptions• Lollipop Wrapper Game• The Masking Tape Activity• They’re All Alike

18. (Un)fairness ..............................................254• Camouflage• Play a Relay• The Pen Game• Word Game

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about the JHC

The John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights is a non-profit organization that is named after John Peters Humphrey, a Canadian principle drafter of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). Since 1998, we have envisioned a world that manifests a culture of peace and human rights in which the dignity of every person is respected, valued, and celebrated. We aim to transform this vision into reality through the implementation of educational programs and activities, community partnerships, and empowering citizens based on the principles of the UDHR. We believe that perceiving and understanding the world through a human rights lens is essential to effectively responding to the ills in our society and our world – from issues such as discrimination and bullying to poverty, war, and genocide.

Empowered by the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights and Training, adopted on December 19, 2011, the John Humphrey Centre continues its mandate, as reinforced by Article 1 of the Declaration:

1. Everyone has the right to know, seek, and receive information about all hu-man rights and fundamental freedoms and should have access to human rights education and training.

2. Human rights education and training is essential for the promotion of universal respect for and observance of all human rights and fundamental freedoms for all, in accordance with the principles of the universality, indivisibility, and inter-dependence of human rights.

3. The effective enjoyment of all human rights, in particular the right to education and access to information, enables access to human rights education and train-ing.

Our education philosophy is based on the belief that all education needs to be centred on collective wisdom – we all have something to bring to the table and it is through the harnessing of our collective stories that we are able to achieve a greater understanding of difference, diversity, and human rights. All education or learning involves tapping into the wisdom that exists within participants.

We focus our programming on learning in a format that involves experiential, transformative, and applied learning that reinforces an individual’s understanding of dignity and expands their awareness and understanding through engagement with others. True learning comes through experience and engagement with others which is why our approach to educational programming is specifically designed to empower participants to build their active voice and citizenship and to apply their learning to address needs they identify in their community.

“One of the ultimate goals of human rights education is the creation of a genuine human rights culture. To do so, students must learn to evaluate real-life experiences in human rights terms, starting with their own behaviour and the immediate community in which they live. They need to make an honest assessment of how the reality they experience every day conforms to human rights principles and then to take active responsibility for improving their community.”

(United Nations, 2003)

PART 1

INTRODUCTION

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Human Rights Education All people – no matter their age, sex, race, culture, religion, or location – have the same basic needs in order to live a healthy life. Learning that people have a right to have these basic needs met is very important, especially in our interconnected world. Human Rights education aims to:

• Lay the groundwork for the creation of a global ethic and a common vision for human dignity.

• Develop rights respecting attitudes and behaviour, as well as solidarity and kindness.

• Ensure the values of equality and non-discrimination are upheld.

• Foster an understanding and appreciation of diversity.

• Empower people to become active citizens and develop the tools necessary to defend human rights.

• Cultivate a culture of peace based upon human rights values, non-violence and understanding.

The Curriculum

The Rights in Play (RiP)1 toolkit has been used for over a decade to creatively promote human rights education. Through non formal educational activities, Rights in Play aims to:

• Help children and youth ages 5-25 explore the world around them through over a hundred exciting games and activities, using experiential learning techniques.

• Explore different aspects of human rights locally, nationally and globally through interactive activities and discussions.

• Provide knowledge and understanding of human rights concepts and documents including The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, The Convention on the Rights of the Child, and The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Many of the RiP activities are adapted from local or global organizations concerned with the promotion of human rights, global citizenship and education. The John Humphrey Centre Program Coordinators have also developed several activities.

The curriculum is comprised of:

1. Introduction2. Warm-up Activities and Energizers3. Core ‘Your Rights’ Games with background

information4. Games focused on specific human rights related

topics and issues with background information 5. Appendixes, including key human rights documents

How to Use the Curriculum Getting Started

To begin using the RiP curriculum:

• Familiarize yourself with the layout of the book. • Look through the human right documents

provided in Appendix A (p. 262). • Read the background information and

‘Factoids’ found at the beginning of each section.

• Browse through the games, noting that each provides information on age, purpose, time, and resources needed.

The Structure of a RiP Session

A general outline of a RiP session is found below:

1. Opening Human Rights Conversation and/or Warm-up Activity

We recommend beginning your RiP session with a human rights conversation. Try using the example “Human Rights Introduction” found in the Your Rights section of the curriculum. This can mean asking the children what they know about human rights and listing examples. For groups needing a more energetic start or younger groups, begin with a warm-up activity.

2. Game 1: “Your Rights”

Frequently, the introduction is followed by a “Your Rights” game and discussion to further reinforce the understanding of specific human rights.

3. Games 2, 3, 4: A Specific Human Rights Topic

These are activities that suit your particular theme or focus. These games are followed by a discussion of facts and figures as well as time to reflect on the emotional responses participants had to the games.

1. Formerly known as Rights in the Sun (RITS).

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4. Closing Comments

It can be beneficial to end a session with some closing comments. Ask the participants what they have learned, what they can do with that information, and, again, what human rights are. You may also want to share where they can find more information. Planning A RiP Session

You are now ready to plan your first customized RiP session. To help plan your session, a blank session plan template as well as sample session plans are provided in Appendix B (p. 273). A simple way to begin is by identifying answers to the questions below.

Session Planning Tips

• Playing times can vary greatly depending on discussion. Plan an extra game just in case.

• With very young children, anything more than an hour is difficult, whereas teenagers can participate in a half-day session or longer.

• Older youth often want more information. Research your topic and provide thematic handouts, such as the factoids provided at the beginning of each section.

• With most of the games in this curriculum, a group of 10-20 participants is ideal.

• Prepare the necessary resources for each activity ahead of time.

PART 2

TOPICS, GAMES, AND ACTIVITIES

SECTION 1

WARM-UP ACTIVITIES AND ENERGIZERS

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Back to Back (IO)

Ages: Any age

Time: 10 minutes

Resources: None required.

Purpose: This is a great ice-breaker activity that encourages positive group dynamics.

Procedure:

• Players stand in pairs, except one volunteer who will help facilitate the game. If there is an odd number of players at the start of the game, the session facilitator can assume this role instead of calling upon a volunteer.

• When the volunteer/facilitator calls “back to back,” the players must back up to a different person and form a new partnership.

• When the volunteer calls “face to face,” the players must move forward until they are facing a new partner. The new partners shake hands.

• The volunteer can choose whether to call “back to back” or “face to face,” and the players must find a new partner each time.

• The last two people to find partners are eliminated.• The game continues until there are only two players left.

Discussion:

• As this is a warm-up game, not much debriefing is needed.

Adapted from: Center of Web, 2003. “The Index (250+Games”. [Online]: Available at: http://www.ultimatecampresource.com/

site/camp-activity/birthday-line-up.html. [Accessed on 14 June 2006].

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Blanket Stand (IO)

Ages: Any age

Time: 10 minutes

Resources: A large blanket.

Purpose: This is a great warm-up game. Participants are encouraged to think about group cooperation and problem solving.

Procedure: • Lay a large blanket out on the ground.• Have everyone in the group stand on the blanket without touching the ground

around/outside the blanket.• Fold the blanket in half and ask the group to find a way to all get on the

blanket again.• See how many times you can fold the blanket and with everyone on top of it

without any body parts touching the ground around/outside the blanket.• Variation: Have the group stand on the blanket. Ask them to flip the blanket

over to the other side without stepping off the blanket.

Discussion:

• As this is a warm-up game, not much debriefing is needed. • Emphasize the ideas of cooperation, teamwork and communication.• What strategies did you use throughout the activity?• How did effective communication make it easier to solve the problem?• How are communication, teamwork and human rights related?

Hint: This game works best with a maximum of 10 participants for each blanket. Adapted from: Center of Web (2003) “The Index (250+ Games)”. [online]: Available at: http://www.centerofweb.com/kids/

games/xtra_games.htm#Blanket%20Stand. [Accessed on 14 June 2006].

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Catch the Dragon’s Tail (O)

Ages: 6-12

Time: 10 minutes

Resources: A belt, kerchief, and large open space.

Purpose: This game demonstrates the idea that teamwork is sometimes challenging. It explores why teamwork is rewarding despite its challenges.

Procedure:

• This game requires at least 8 participants.• Instruct the participants to line up and put their hands on the hips or shoulders

of the person in front of them (like a train).• Explain to them that they are now a dragon. • Ask the person at the end of the line to put on the belt and tuck the kerchief

into the back of the belt so that it is hanging like a tail.• Tell the participants that the people at the front are going to try to catch the

dragon’s tail and the people at the back are going to run away to avoid having the dragon’s tail caught. The only rule is that the dragon must stay connected at all times.

• Watch the dragon chase its tail for about 10 minutes or until it has been caught.

Discussion:

• What did you think of this game? Did you like your position in the dragon? Why or why not? How did it feel to be in the middle? Did you know which side you were helping?

• When in real life is teamwork challenging? When are you pulled in two directions at once?

• Why are teamwork and cooperation important? • How do teamwork and cooperation lead to rights respecting communities?

Adapted from: Activity Village, 2011. “Catch the Dragon’s Tail”. [Online]: Available at: http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/catch_the_

dragons_tail.htm. [Accessed on 20 August 2012].

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Elephant, Palm Tree, Giraffe (O)

Ages: 6-14

Time: 10 minutes

Resources: None.

Purpose: This is an active warm-up activity and an excellent ice-breaker. Older groups may also find it entertaining.

Procedure:

• You will need 15 to 30 children standing in a circle to play this game.• Start by explaining that this game is a game of elimination. Show examples of

how the elephant, palm tree and giraffe are acted out. Note: If the children are younger, you can choose to only do elephant and palm tree to make the game easier.

• Form the elephant by asking one person to be the trunk by extending their hands together in front of them, hanging downwards. The ears are formed by having the two people on either side of the trunk lean towards the trunk with their hands in a big oval overhead.

• Form the palm tree by having one person wave their arms overhead in a large “V” with open palms. This person is the trunk. The two people on either side of the trunk make additional branches on the sides by waving their arms in a large “V” overhead by leaning slightly away from the trunk.

• Form the giraffe by having one person be the head and reach their arms overhead with one hand on top of the other. The two people on either side of the head form the legs by bending forwards with their arms hanging downwards.

• Explain that each time you call elephant, palm tree or giraffe you will point to one person who will be the center of the figure. The two people on either side will fall into their positions.

• After a few tries, start eliminating participants who don’t make the correct figure and ask them to sit down. If there is someone sitting down in the middle of an elephant or palm tree or giraffe, the next standing person will have to fill in. Continue until only a few people are left.

Discussion:

• As this is a warm up activity, not much debriefing is necessary.

Adapted from: Deep Fun, 2012. “Elephant, Giraffe, Palm Tree”. [Online]: Available at: http://www.deepfun.com/pointless2.html.

[Accessed on 20 August 2012].

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Going Dotty (IO)

Ages: Any age Time: 10 minutes Resources: Small, self-adhesive coloured dots in at least four colours, one for each participant; an open space so that participants can move about freely. Purpose: This simple exercise has a variety of possible uses. It quickly establishes the need for cooperation among individuals in order to solve a group task and it heightens the importance of non-verbal communication. At a practical level, the activity can be used as an enjoyable means of organizing participants into random groups for further work.

Procedure: • Participants form a circle, close their eyes and remain silent. Each participant

has a coloured dot stuck to his or her forehead. • The different coloured dots should be spread among the participants so that

neighbouring participants do not have the same colour. There should be an approximately equal number of each colour among participants.

• Participants open their eyes and try to form groups with other people wearing the same-coloured dots. They cannot speak, point at colours, look for reflections or peel off the dot.

Discussion: • As this is a warm-up activity, not much debriefing is needed. You may, however,

want to emphasize that this game is meant to create an atmosphere of teamwork and cooperation for the rest of the session.

• You may also want to discuss the importance of effective communication. How difficult was it to find your group without words? How important is it to interpret body language in understanding one another? How important is it to choose words well and listen well so that people understand one another?

• How are communication and cooperation related to human rights? Why are they important?

Hint: Participants will try to point at colours or mouth words when trying to get into groups - watch out for this.

Adapted from: Pike G., and Selby, D., 1998. “A Chapter of Activities” In Smith, D. and Carson, T Educating for a Peaceful Future.

Toronto: Kagan & Woo Ltd., pp. 216-217.

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Group Sit (IO)

Ages: Any age

Time: 5 minutes


Purpose: This is a great warm-up game that encourages teamwork and problem solving.

Procedure:

• Have the participants stand in a close circle with the toes from both their feet touching.

• Ask them to sit down without breaking the connection with their toes.• Give participants a few minutes to strategize before starting.• One of the best ways to do this is to hold hands and then sit down, but refrain

from telling participants this strategy at the beginning of the game.

Discussion:

• As this is a warm-up activity, not much debriefing is needed. • You can emphasize the importance of working as a team to solve a problem,

as well as communication and cooperation.• How are communication and cooperation related to human rights? Why are

they important?

Adapted from: Human Rights Resource Centre. “Group Sit.” [Online]: Available at: http://www.hrusa.org. [Accessed on 19 June

2006].

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Look Up, Look Down (IO)

Ages: Any age

Time: 10 minutes


Purpose: This is a great ice-breaker game that encourages positive group dynamics.

Procedure:

• The group stands in a circle with their shoulders touching, looking at the ground.

• One designated person calls, “Look up!” Players must look at the face of someone in the circle. If you are looking at someone who is looking at you (making eye contact) you are out.

• The designated person then calls, “Look down!” Players look back down at the ground.

• The game continues until there are only two players left.

Variation: Have participants make a sound (choose as a group) when they are eliminated.

Discussion:


Adapted from: Holden Leadership Center, 2009. “Look Up, Look Down”. University of Oregon. [Online]: Available at: http://

leadership.uoregon.edu/resources/exercises_tips/energizers/look_up_look_down [Accessed on 20 August 2012].

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Silent Calendar (IO)

Ages: Any age.

Time: 10 minutes


Purpose: This is a great warm-up game that encourages communication and teamwork.

Procedure:

• Have the group get in a line.• Tell them they must, in silence, get in order by one of the following criteria:

birthday, height, name, age, etc.

Discussion:

• As this is a warm-up game, not much debriefing is required. • Discuss the difficulties of communication when you are not able to use

language. What issues might you encounter when communicating with each other becomes challenging? How were you able to solve communication problems in this game?

• Highlight that silent types of communication require patience, an open mind, and respect for others.

• How does effective communication promote respect for human rights?

Adapted from: Human Rights Resource Center. “Silent Calendar”. [Online]: Available at: http://www.hrusa.org [Accessed on 19

June 2006].

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Stand-Up (O)

Ages: Any age. Time: 10 minutes Resources: None required. Purpose: This is a quick warm-up game that can be used to increase energy in the group. It also sets the tone for the rest of the presentation because the game requires a large degree of teamwork.

Procedure: • Explain that you want to begin with a fun game that will get them all working

together as a team. • Number everyone off as 1 or 2.• Have all the #1s sit in a straight line, shoulder to shoulder, with their feet out in

front of them. • Next, have all the #2s sit in a straight line so that each person from line #2 is

leaning on the back of a person in line #1 (back-to-back). Have all the #2s stick their legs straight out in front of them.

• Have participants in line #1 link arms with the person in line #2 who is directly behind them.

• On the count of 3, have everyone try and stand up together at once without unlinking their arms.

• Especially with a larger group, standing up will take several tries. As the group gets better, they will coordinate their moves so that they all move as one (which is the key to being able to stand up!).

Discussion: • Not much debriefing is required because this is simply an energizer to get the

group going.• Tell the group that the exercise is a fun way to get them working as a team.

You would like them to continue to work as a group during the human rights session. You also want to create a safe space, where people can support one another. Sensitive issues come up when people are talking about rights (for instance poverty, sexuality, racism, disabilities, etc.).

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The Human Knot (O)

Ages: Any age

Time: 5 minutes


Purpose: This is a great warm-up game that encourages cooperation and teamwork.

Procedure:

• Have the group stand in a circle.• Each participant will reach across the circle and hold hands with two different

participants. Each hand must hold the hand of a different participant. You cannot hold the hand of the person beside you.

• Once the group has created the “knot,” the participants must work together to untangle the knot, and become a circle again. Occasionally the group will end up in more than one circle.

• The participants must not let go of hands as they are untangling their knot.

Discussion:

• As this is a warm-up game, not much debriefing is needed. • Point out and discuss the importance of cooperation, teamwork and

communication in this game, and indicate that these values will be needed throughout the session.

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The Taco Game (O)

Age: Any age

Time: 15 minutes


Purpose: This is an energizing warm-up game that encourages cooperation.

Procedure:

• Have participants line up in a row facing forward. • One person (the facilitator) will yell out a number of tacos. Each time they yell

a number of tacos, the participants have to form groups of that number. It is a good idea to start with larger numbers and work downwards.

• Play music or give a countdown so that the participants have limited time to form the groups.

• The groups that have less or more than the required number of ‘tacos’ are out.• Ask the participants who are eliminated to tell everyone their name, age, and a

human right.

Discussion:


Hint: This is a good game to use to make teams for the next activity.

Adapted by: Aaida Rajabali for the John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights, 2006.

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Trust Fall (O)

Ages: 10+

Time: 10 minutes


Purpose: This is a great warm-up game that increases the level of trust within the group.

Procedure:

• Have the participants stand in a close circle with their shoulders touching. • One participant will stand in the middle.• Have the participant in the middle keep his/her body as stiff as a board as they

let him/her fall to the outside of the circle. The participants around the circle will catch him/her and then push him/her in another direction.

• If participants become comfortable with this, the person in the middle can try closing his/her eyes.

• Next, moving outside of the circle, you can try having one participant fall back as two people stand behind to catch him/her.

Discussion:

• Was it difficult to let go and fall?• Why was it difficult?• Did you have trouble trusting the other members of the group?• What are some things that can be done to build trust amongst people?• Why is creating trust an important aspect of promoting human rights?

Adapted from: Center of Web (2003) “The Index (250+ Games)”. [Online]: Available at: http://www.centerofweb.com/kids/

games/xtra_games.htm#Trust%20Fall. [Accessed on 14 June 2006].

SECTION 2

YOUR RIGHTS

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Human Rights as Your Rights

We need human rights to live life in freedom and dignity and have our basic needs met. Human rights are the basic privileges and freedoms that all humans are entitled to. They include political, economic, social and cultural rights. States have an obligation to promote these rights, however, in many places, people still struggle to meet their basic needs, attain equality and reach their full potential.

The ratification of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) by the United Nations in 1948 created the first global document to guarantee human rights to everyone. The UDHR contains 30 articles. Today, there are more than 80 international treaties that build upon the tenets set out in the UDHR. Some examples include:

• The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) (1948) (this document is included on p. 263 and to learn more about the UDHR, read the “Youth Guide to the UDHR” which is available online at www.jhcentre.org)

• The Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD) (1965)

• The Convention on Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) (1981)

• The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) (1989) (this document is included on p. 265)

• The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) (2008)

Individual countries may also have their own human rights legislation in place in addition to global documents.

Human Rights in Canada

The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, signed in 1982, protects the rights and freedoms of everyone in Canada (to learn more about the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, read the “Youth Guide to the Canadian Charter” which is available online at www.jhcentre.org). It is a national legal document that is binding on federal and provincial governments and state officials. Most of the rights outlined apply to Canadian citizens, permanent residents and visitors. Some rights, including the right to vote (Section 3), only apply to citizens. The Charter is one part of the Canadian Constitution. This means that it is the highest law of Canada and therein difficult to change. In addition to the Charter, the federal and provincial governments have passed supplementary human rights laws and the provinces have their own Human Rights Commissions.

For more informations visit: www.amnesty.org www.un.org/en/rights www.unicef.org www.chrc-ccdp.ca

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Children’s Rights

Every human being is entitled to the rights laid out in the UDHR, however children also have specific rights that are presented in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), signed in 1989. The CRC is a document of principles that guides how we view children and helps provide us with the tools necessary to ensure that every child survives and develops to their full potential. The CRC outlines 54 articles that protect the rights of children until they turn 18. All articles are important and interconnected.

The CRC is the first legally binding international instrument to incorporate all forms of human rights – civil, economic, cultural and social. All countries in the world, except for Somalia and the United States have ratified the CRC. By ratifying the CRC, states show their commitment to protecting children’s rights and become responsible for amending their own laws and policies to better meet children’s rights goals. States are required to report to the Committee on the Rights of the Child with their progress every five years.

The CRC encompasses four types of rights:

1. Survival Rights: The right to life and to have your most basic needs met.2. Development Rights: Rights that allow you to reach your fullest potential. 3. Participation Rights: Rights that allow you to take an active role in your

community.4. Protection Rights: Rights that protect you from all forms of abuse, neglect and

exploitation.

(Source for types of rights list: UNICEF Canada, 2010. “When Disaster Strikes, Understanding Humanitarian Emergencies”.

[Online] Available at: http://www.unicef.ca/sites/default/files/imce_uploads/. [Accessed on 20 August 2012].)

Canada Ratified the CRC in 1991. To date, Canada has submitted four progress reports on the Convention on the Rights of the Child to the UN.

Games in this section include: • Rights Flag Tag /G.R.O.W.• Rainbow of Rights • Rights Balloon Game• Rights Auction• Human Rights and My Community• Human Rights Squares• Suitcase of Rights

• An Important Job• Tug of Rights• Treasure Hunt• The Calendar Game• Puzzle Relay• Camp Rules Relay• Human Rights Freeze Tag• Human Rights Charades

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Factoid : Human Rights and Children’s Rights

Definitions: • Human rights are universal. They are basic privileges and freedoms that all

humans are entitled to. This means that everyone has these rights regardless of their religion, ethnicity, socio-economic status, sex or country of origin.

• Human rights are inalienable. They cannot be taken away from anyone.• Human rights are indivisible, interconnected and mutually reinforcing. All rights

are fundamental and it is important that human rights are respected in their entirety.

• Human rights ensure that people have access to their basic needs such as food, water, shelter, health services, and sanitation. They guarantee protection from violence, deprivation, and suffering.

• Human rights make sure that everyone can live with dignity and have the ability to thrive. They provide the tools we need to develop to our full potential.

• Human rights are reciprocal. They go hand-in-hand with responsibility. Everyone has a responsibility to respect the rights of others.

Understanding the Concept:

Human rights are the rights all humans have and are protected through many different international declarations and treaties. These include The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) (1948) and The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) (1989). The CRC protects the rights of those less than 18 years of age. In Canada, The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, signed in 1982, protects the rights and freedoms of everyone in the country. This means that in addition to the rights proposed in international documents, Canadian law offers added protection.

Did You Know?

• Canadian legal scholar John Peters Humphrey was a principle drafter of the UDHR.

• The UDHR contains 30 articles that make up your basic human rights.• Human rights violations still exist. For example, in 2008, 67 million primary-

school-aged children were not in school, 53% of them girls. This violates Article 28 of the CRC - children’s right to education. Over one third of children in urban areas worldwide go unregistered at birth. This is a violation of Article 7 of the CRC – children have the right to an identity.2

• Edmonton was the first Human Rights City in North America.• Human Rights Day is celebrated on December 10th every year.

2. United Nations Children’s Fund, 2012. The State of the World’s Children 2012. [online]: Available at: http://www.unicef.org/

sowc2012/pdfs/SOWC%202012-Main%20Report_EN_13Mar2012.pdf [Accessed on 3 July 2012].

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An Important Job (I)

Ages: 6-14

Time: 15 minutes Resources: Chart paper and markers, a simplified copy of The Convention on the Rights of the Child (see Appendix A on p. 262). Purpose: This brainstorming activity shows that human rights documents are based on the basic needs of all people. Procedure: • Explain that the United Nations

is the parliament of the world’s nations.

• Ask the participants to imagine that they have been asked by the United Nations to make a list of all the things that all children everywhere need in order to be happy and healthy. These might include food, play, air and love.

• Write up these “needs” as they are suggested without judging them.

• When there are no more suggestions, ask the children to identify which of their suggestions are really needs, and which are wants (for example, TV and candy would be wants not needs). Try to identify needs which are the same for all children everywhere.

• Now show the participants the summary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Explain that years ago, a similar list was made by the UN which later became the Convention. The Convention reminds the world’s nations of the needs of children.

Discussion: • Ask the participants to compare

their list and the summary of the Convention. Which needs have been identified as rights? Are there any differences between the two lists? Why?

• Why do you think the United Nations thinks children’s rights are so important that they need special protection of their own? Do you think children should have their own set of rights? Why or why not?

• Do you think all the children in your country and in the world have all of these rights? Why or why not?

• Pick one or two rights. Ask the children to imagine what life would be like without these rights. Give examples.

Variation: Tell the children that they have been asked to develop a set of camp rules for a global summer camp. They must create rules that will protect the rights of all the campers. First, have the children list all of the needs they think every child all over the world has. Once this has been completed, ask them to create rules to protect these needs. Compare their camp rules with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Adapted from: MacPherson, S. & Tigchelaar, M., 2004. “New

Horizons: Human Rights Education for Families”. Edmonton,

AB: Indo Canadian Women’s Association.

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Camp Rules Relay (O)

Ages: 9-13 Time: 30 minutes Resources: 8 to 10 sheets of newsprint, each with a camp rule written in large letters at the top; several sets of Rights Cards (each set should be a different colour); masking tape; something with which to hang up the sheets of newsprint (tape for walls, string for trees, etc.).

Purpose: This activity encourages participants to think about the ways in which rules and laws are often designed to protect their rights. At this age, children are often quick to say “but it’s my right”. This game encourages them to examine how rules give them responsibilities to protect the rights of others. Procedure:

• Before participants arrive, hang up the sheets of newsprint in a line. Each piece of newsprint should feature a common camp rule in very large print. See below for some examples. Set up a start line about 25m away from the rules for the relay.

• Begin this game by telling the group that people everywhere have rights. Human rights are things that ensure that we all get what we need to live. Give an example of a human need and corresponding human right, one that is NOT part of the game. Explain that if each of us wants to make sure that our rights are respected, we have to respect the rights of others as well. There are rules, laws and conventions that we all have to follow which are designed to protect the rights of others. These rules set out the responsibilities that we have to the people around us.

• Tell the children that they will play a relay game where they have to match some human rights with the camp rules that protect those rights.

• Have the participants line up in groups of 4-6 behind the start line for the relay. In front of each group, place a set of 8-12 Rights Cards face down. There should be a piece of sticky tape on the back of each right.

• Tell the children that they can turn over the top Rights Card. As a group, they must decide which rule to place the right under, and onto which newsprint sheet to stick their rights card. For example, “the right to express oneself” might be stuck to the newsprint on which is written the rule “listen to others and respect what they have to say.”

• Once they have decided where to place their first Rights Card, the first person runs to stick that card under the rule that they think protects it. That person runs back to the group and the next person in line turns over the next Rights Card. All team members must take turns running in the order in which they are lined up.

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• Team members can ONLY turn over their next right card when the previous one has been attached to a rule page. That means they can look at it and begin to decide as a team where it will go as the last runner is coming back. Because this is a relay, one runner must have returned across the start line before the next runner can start running.

• If the runner places the Rights Card under an appropriate rule, they may continue.

• If they place the right under an inappropriate rule, they will be given an additional rights card by the arbiter (a camp counselor or teacher). This means that they will have to run extra laps.

• The above rule ensures that the teams will think about where they place their rights. The rule also makes it very risky for teams to “cheat” by following other teams and copying them since the other teams may have been incorrect.

• Remind the children that some rights might fit well under several different rules.• The first team to finish wins the relay race, but continue to play until all teams

are finished. Discussion: • Begin by looking at the camp rules that were posted. Discuss the rights the

children have associated with each rule. Ask the groups to describe the connection that exists between the rights and rules posted.

• Why is there is a strong connection between rights and responsibilities? • Can you come up with any other rules at camp which might protect human

rights?• Tell the children that laws, like provincial human rights codes, lay out rules

people must follow to protect the rights of others. Often these laws protect the same human rights as camp rules do. For example, the right to express yourself and to have others respect your freedom to express yourself.

• Conclude by asking the participants “do you think all people in Canada and the rest of the world have all of these rights? Why or why not?”

Created by Andy Pearcey and Jane Conly for the John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Rights, 2005.

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Pages - PLEASE SUBSTITUTE WITH YOUR CAMP/SCHOOL RULES • Listen to what others have to say, do not interrupt them. • Do not tease or make fun of any other person if it makes them feel bad. • Do not push, shove or fight. • Play fairly.• Listen to Camp Leaders.• Do not ___________ without an adult supervising you. EXAMPLE RIGHTS • The right to freedom of expression.• The right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion.• The right to safety and security.• The right to play.

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Human Rights and My Community (IO)

Ages: 10+

Time: 60 minutes

Resources: Markers, large sheets of paper.

Purpose: This activity introduces the concept of human rights through group discussion, drawing and presentation.

Procedure:

• Divide participants into groups of 3-4.• Hand out three large sheets of paper and markers to each group.• Ask each group to think about “human rights” and make a list of words

connected to human rights. Have each group share their answers.• Ask each group to now draw a picture to answer the question: “What are

human rights?”. Have each group present their answers.• Divide the participants into new groups of three to four and ask them to

complete a diagram. They begin by drawing a small circle in the centre of their paper and then answer the following questions:1. What is important in our community? (In the small circle in the middle of the

paper, write the question and then make another circle around the centre and split it into four quadrants. Write one answer in each of the quadrants).

2. Why is this important? What need does it fill (Make four additional circles in the four corners of the paper and write the original answers in each circle. Draw another circle around each of the four new circles and divide them into four quadrants. Write one answer to the question in each quadrant).

3. Hand out copies of the UDHR to each participant. Ask them to find out which articles correspond to their answers and to write down the article number beside each answer.

4. Have groups present their responses.

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Diagram

Discussion:

• What did you learn from this activity? What will you do with that information?• How do human rights affect you in your everyday life?• Why are human rights important?

What is Important

in Our Community?

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Human Rights Charades (IO)

Ages: 8+

Time: 20 minutes

Resources: Slips of paper with charades written on them.

Purpose: This game provides an interactive way to introduce or reinforce human rights knowledge in an indoor or outdoor setting.

Procedure:

• Hand out slips of paper with charades to each participant.

• Give everyone a few minutes to plan their charade.

• Have a participant silently act out their charade. They may tell the audience how many words they are acting out by holding up fingers.

• Let the group guess what it is.• If clues are needed, the facilitator

can give out a few keywords or in older groups, the team/participant themselves can provide a keyword that does not contain the charade word in it.

• Once the charade is correctly guessed, briefly discuss its connection to human rights, its importance or what happens when the right is violated (if it’s a right).

• Continue until everyone has participated or it’s time to move on.

Discussion:

• Was it hard to act out your rights/charades?

• Which charades were the hardest/easiest to act out? Why?

• In real life can it be difficult to understand and respect other people’s rights and make them understand and respect yours?

Charade Examples: • Right to vote (Canadian Charter

Section 3)• Freedom of expression (UDHR

Article 19)• Right to education (UDHR Article

26)• Right to the best health care

possible (CRC Article 24)

• Right to food (CRC Article 27)• Right to clothing (CRC Article 27)• Right to play (CRC Article 31)• Right to rest (CRC Article 31)• Right to be protected from

kidnapping (CRC Article 11)

• Democracy• Right to equality (Canadian

Charter Section 15; UDHR Article 1)

• Literacy• No one can be forced into slavery

(UDHR Article 4)• Refugee• Freedom of religion (UDHR Article

18)• Universal• Culture • Freedom• Equality (UDHR Article 1)• Freedom of speech• Right to marry (UDHR Article 16)• Freedom of the press (Canadian

Charter Section 2b)

• Peace• Right to work (UDHR Article 23)• Right to rest and leisure (UDHR

Article 24)

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Human Rights Freeze Tag (O)Ages: 8-16

Time: 15 minutes

Resources: Gymnasium or outdoor area with defined boundaries.

Purpose: This classic variation of tag is a great energizer and tests the human rights knowledge of the group.

Procedure:

• Brainstorm some human rights examples as a group. • Explain that in order to protect their rights in this version of tag, participants

must avoid being caught. They can only regain their rights when they state a human right they have to the facilitator or leader.

• Explain the rules of freeze tag. Tagging can only be done from the shoulders down. Every time someone is tagged they have to stay still and freeze with their hands overhead in a diamond shape (i.e. making the gesture for the right to shelter).

• To become unfrozen, each participant must correctly say a human right (or freedom) to the leader.

• To start, ask for a few volunteers (depending on group size) to be “it” and do the tagging.

• Begin playing. After a while, change who’s “it” and continue the game.• At the end of the game, gather the children/youth for a discussion.

Discussion:

• Which rights were the most common answers when “unfreezing” participants? Why?

• Are some rights easier to remember or more important than others? Why or why not?

• In reality, do some people lose or gain their rights? In what situations?• How would it feel to lose your rights?• How can you protect your rights?

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Human Rights Squares (I)

Ages: 14+ Time: 15 minutes Resources: A copy of Human Rights Squares (see the following page) for each participant, a copy of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights for each participant (see Appendix A on p. 262). Purpose: This activity reveals what participants already know about human rights and the issues that are of concern to them. It also stimulates discussion about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and categories of rights. Procedure: • Give every participant a copy of Human Rights Squares. Explain that

participants must walk around the room and find people who can answer the questions in their Human Rights Squares. Everyone tries to get an answer and a signature from a different person for each square. Participants must try to fill in as many squares as possible.

• Stop after five minutes.• Variation: Have participants work in partners or teams instead of going around

the room. Discussion: • Which were the easiest squares to find answers for? The most difficult? Why?• Which squares had global answers? National answers? Local or community

answers? • Can you match any of these squares to articles of the Universal Declaration of

Human Rights? To articles of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms?• Which of the squares are related to civil and political rights? To social,

economic, and cultural rights?• Do you think that there are some squares that should be more emphasized

than others in discussions relating to Human Rights? Why or why not?• What additional squares might you create for this game?

Adapted from: David Shiman, 1993. “Teaching Human Rights”. Denver: Centre for Teaching International Relations Publications,

University of Denver. [Online]: Available at: http://www1.umn.edu/humanrts/edumat/hreduseries/hereandnow/Part-3/Activity4.

htm [Accessed on 20 August 2012].

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Human Rights Squares

Get an answer for as many squares as you can and write your answers in the correct box below. Stop when the time is called.

A human right A human right sometimes denied to women around the world

Document that proclaims human rights

A right that women in Canada gained after men

Children at war & child soldiers are often denied this right

Child workers & labourers often have this right neglected

A right every child has in the world

A woman who has fought for women’s rights in Canada

Country where people are denied their rights because of race/ethnicity/gender

Country that respects rights Type of human rights violation that disturbs you the most

Human right not yet achieved by everyone in this country

Right you would be most willing to give up

A right that is important to you Country where human rights are violated

Organisation that fights for human rights

Country where people are denied rights because of their religion

A right often denied to refugees

A right that is not respected in your community

A right that is respected in your community

A right that is respected in Canada

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Introducing Human Rights (IO)

Ages: 8+

Time: 10 minutes

Resources: Flipchart/whiteboard, markers.

Purpose: This is one example of an initial introductory discussion on human rights that can be used at the beginning of a RiP session. At the end, participants should know what a human right is, be able to list examples of their rights, and be able to identify different types of rights.

Procedure and Discussion:

• Write down the question “What are human rights?” on a whiteboard or flipchart. Ask students to respond to the question and write down their answers.

• Explain that human rights are for everyone, young, old, male, female regardless of where they live or what religion they practice.

• Ask for examples of human rights. Write these down. • Explain that human rights can be grouped into categories: rights that are

associated with needs (shelter, food, healthcare etc.), rights to keep them safe from harm (protection from exploitation and cruel punishment), and rights to take part in decisions that affect their life (right to be listened to by adults etc.).

• Ask “why do we have human rights and why are human rights important?”. Write the answers down.

• Explain that human rights ensure everyone can live a dignified life and grow to reach their full potential. Human rights ensure everyone is safe and has their basic needs met.

• Ask “What would life be like without human rights?”, “Can you think of any examples of human rights abuses”? Write these down.

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Puzzle Relay (O)

Ages: 11-16

Time: 30 minutes

Resources: Puzzle pieces (with the Charter of Rights on one side and corresponding picture and written rights on the other side), two copies of the questions (found on the following pages), a large open space, two facilitators.

Purpose: This game teaches the participants the rights they hold as Canadians. It also teaches them the value of working together.

Procedure:

• Break apart the puzzle you have created and place all of the pieces with the rights pictures in one pile and all of the pieces with rights phrases in another pile. Make sure you know which picture represents each right before starting the game.

• Tell the participants that you are going to run a relay; the object is to build a puzzle.

• Divide the participants into two equal groups and have them form two lines behind the start line. The facilitator will read a question to the person at the front of the line. That person will hop, skip, etc. to get to the pile of puzzle pieces. S/he must then choose the puzzle piece that correctly answers the question and return to the facilitator.

• The facilitator will check the puzzle piece. If it is the correct answer to the question, the participant will put the puzzle piece in a “successful” pile and return to the end of the line while the next person steps up for a new question. If the answer is incorrect, the next person in line will take the puzzle piece and be asked the same question by the facilitator. S/he will follow the instructions, taking the incorrect piece back to the answers pile and choose the piece s/he thinks is correct. This process repeats until the correct piece has been found.

• Run the relay, encouraging each line to go faster and “race” throughout the game.

• As soon as one line has all of its puzzle pieces, the facilitator passes them to the group and tells them that they can begin building the puzzle of the Charter of Rights.

• The group will quickly realize that they are missing pieces. Once both groups have discovered this, they may recognize that they need to put all the pieces together to build the puzzle.

• Once they have discovered this and built the puzzle, congratulate them on figuring it out.

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Discussion:

• What did you think of this game? Did you find it difficult to match any of the rights you had to the corresponding puzzle piece? Did you find that some rights corresponded to more than one puzzle piece and vice versa? Which one(s)?

• Were there any rights that we have that surprised you? What were they? • How do you think our lives would be different if any of these rights were not

a part of our Charter? Why is it necessary for these rights to be in place? Can you think of a place where people don’t have all these rights? Can you imagine what it is like to be afraid of your government?

• How did you feel when you discovered that the two lines were racing to get puzzle pieces that would be shared?

Created by: Caitlin MacLachlan, Aaida Rajabali and Darcie Tymrick for the John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights,

2006.

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Questions

Each of the two facilitators should have a copy of the question, answer and instruction sheet here.

I = Incorrect | C = Correct Answer

Q. What right allows you to have the religion of your choice or, if you choose, no religion?

I. Hop to get your puzzle piece and come back. C. Freedom of conscience and religion (You are free to make choices about the

beliefs you want to hold, and you are free to practice your faith). Q. What right allows you to hold your own opinion without worrying

that the government will persecute you for it? I. Crab walk to get your puzzle piece and come back. C. Freedom of thought, belief, opinion (You are entitled to hold the beliefs and

opinions you choose without any danger of the government persecuting you for your ideas).

Q. What right allows you to voice ideas and opinions without fear of being punished by the government?

I. Run to get your puzzle piece and come back. C. Freedom of expression (You can voice your opinion and express your ideas

without fear of being punished by the government. This right also guarantees freedom of the press).

Q. What right allows you to hold meetings to share your ideas without worrying that the government will punish you?

I. Hop backwards to get your puzzle piece and come back. C. Freedom of assembly and freedom of association (You can hold meetings,

reunions, political assemblies, etc., to share ideas, teach, work, etc., without worrying that the government will punish you).

Q. What right allows you to have a say in who your political leader is once you are 18 years old?

I. Skip to get your puzzle piece and come back. C. Every citizen has the right to vote in an election (Anyone over 18 years of age

who is a Canadian Citizen can vote in a Canadian election).

Q. What right allows you to move around and within Canada, and enter or leave Canada as you wish?

I. Hop on one leg to get your puzzle piece and come back. C. Every Citizen has the right to enter, remain in or leave Canada (In Canada, you

are allowed to come and go whenever you wish. You also have the right to move around within Canada and to work anywhere in Canada).

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Q. What right makes it law that the government cannot put you in jail unless you have committed a serious crime?

I. Crab Walk to get your puzzle piece and come back. C. Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of the person (The government

cannot take away your life, your freedom or violate your security unless there is a VERY good reason to do so. For example, the government cannot take away your freedom by sending you to jail UNLESS you have committed a serious crime).

Q. What right forces the government to give you a fair and

proportional punishment to any crime you may commit? I. Run to get the puzzle piece and come back. C. Everyone has the right not to be subjected to cruel or too harsh punishment

(If you commit a crime, the government cannot punish you too harshly. You cannot be tortured. For example, you cannot be put in jail for 15 years for stealing one loaf of bread).

Q. What right forces the law to accept all people as equal and to

treat everyone fairly without discrimination? I. Hop backwards on one leg to get your puzzle piece and come back. C. Everyone is equal before the law and has the right to equal protection

and benefit of the law without discrimination and, in particular, without discrimination based on race, national or ethnic origin, colour or physical or mental disability.

Q. What right gives everyone in Canada the choice of getting services from the government in either of our two official languages – English and French?

I. Skip to get your puzzle piece and come back. C. English and French are the official languages of Canada and have equal status

and equal rights and privileges in their use in government institutions (If you need services from the Federal government, it must offer you those services in English AND French).

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Rainbow of Rights (IO)

Ages: 7-12 Time: 30 minutes Resources: Sets of colourful balloons or laminated rights cards (a set of 10 for each group playing and a different coloured set for each group), 7 “Safety Deposit Boxes” (these could be boxes, pails or envelopes clearly labeled 1 through 7). Purpose: This activity introduces the concept of universal human needs and rights. Participants must think about which rights they consider most important and why. Are some rights so essential to our well being that we should never surrender them? Procedure: • Introduce the idea that there are many types of rights in the world. Some are

more important than others for our lives and are essential to humanity. At this point you may wish to introduce the Universal Declaration of Human Rights or the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child.

• Tell the participants that, in their groups, they are going to decide which balloons/cards represent the rights they consider to be the most important. They will then run a relay race to deposit their most treasured rights in the safety deposit boxes. Introduce each of the 10 rights and privileges to be considered, discussing each briefly to make sure everyone understands its meaning.

• Separate the participants into groups of approximately 5 people and give each group its set of balloons/cards. Tell participants that they will have 5 minutes to decide amongst themselves which 7 of the 10 balloons/cards they think are most important. They must rank them from 1 to 5. Everyone in the group should have a chance to speak and the group should try to come to a consensus.

• After calling “Time”, line the participants up in their groups at a start line. Place the safety deposit boxes at a finish line several meters ahead of the children. This is a relay race: only one member of each group can run at a time with one balloon/card. The next member of the group can start running when the previous member returns to the group to tag them. Tell the participants that since the balloons/cards are very valuable, each member of the group can only carry one balloon/card at a time across the field to the deposit box.

• They are not allowed to carry the balloon/card in their hands but must carry it wedged between their knees. If that is impossible for some, have them balance it on their heads (only if they are using cards) or tuck it under their chins.

• Each group must drop the balloon/card that their group has decided is MOST important in Safety Deposit Box #1. Each group’s second most important right goes in Box #2, and so on. Run the relay and congratulate groups not only for being the fastest group, but also for being the most harmonious, most cooperative, most careful, etc.

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Discussion:

• Discuss what happened during the decision-making process and selectively ask certain groups why they ranked their rights in the order they did.

• Indicate which balloons/cards represent internationally recognized fundamental rights (i.e., enshrined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child).

• If they have not done so, connect the rights that children found most important with basic human needs. Ask: can you identify which balloons or cards represent basic human needs that are common to all people across the world and which balloons or cards stand for privileges that exist in Canadian society?

• Is there anything else that is so important to humanity that it should be protected by a right?

Adapted from: Pike, Graham and Selby, David, 1998. “A Chapter of Activities.” .Educating for a Peaceful Future. Smith, D,C, and

Carson, T.R. Toronto: Kagan & Woo, 1998. 188.

List of Rights

Choose 10 from this list to use in the game. Choose 7 that are children’s rights and 3 that are privileges.

• Right to my own bedroom• Right to clean air to breathe• Right to an allowance• Right to love and affection• Right not to be bossed around• Right to be different• Right to have vacations away from home• Right to food and water• Right to play• Right to be listened to• Right to education• Right to watch TV and read the newspaper• Right to be treated fairly and equally by parents and teachers• Right to express my opinion

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Right to my own bedroom Right to clean air to breathe

Right to an allowance Right to love and affection

Right not to be bossed around Right to be different

Right to have vacations away from home Right to food and water

Right to play Right to be listened to

Right to educationRight to watch TV and read the

newspaper

Right to be treated fairly and equally by parents and teachers

Right to express my opinion

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Rights Auction (I)

Ages: 15+ Time: 45 minutes Resources: A Rights Auction worksheet for each participant, a pair of dice for every four participants, paper play money, mallet or shoe. Purpose: This activity raises questions about the relative importance of the different rights we claim and introduces the idea of basic rights. Procedure:

• Hand out the worksheets. Ask participants, working on their own, to underline the six rights they find most important in one colour and the six rights they regard as least important in a second colour. They can also add other rights of their own choosing.

• Divide the participants into groups of four or five. Have groups share and discuss each other’s choices (for approximately ten minutes). After the group discussion, a brief opportunity should be given to individuals to amend their choices if they wish.

• Prepare the participants for the auction. Give participants each an equal amount of paper play money. Each person then has the opportunity to throw the two dice once to determine how much more money they receive. Dice dots have a value of a hundred units. A throw of nine, for instance, would earn nine hundred extra units. A participant throwing two sixes can have the privilege of throwing one extra die. Either you or a participant can serve as Banker.

• The auction then begins, rights being ‘sold’ to the person bidding the most money. As auctioneer, you should be brisk and build up excitement using typical auction language (“Going once, going twice, sold to the gentleman in the blue ballcap”). A deal is sealed by the mallet or shoe being banged on a table. Each participant keeps a careful record of money spent and must withdraw from further bidding when s/he has no money left.

Discussion: • Prioritization of Rights: Which rights did you originally underline as most

important, which as least important? What amendments did you make to your choices after the group discussion? Why did individual participants bid so eagerly on particular items and not others? Were there certain items for which most participants bid heavily? Why was that? Were there items which attracted little interest? Why? On reflection, what rights would you bid higher for next time? After playing this game, are there other rights you would have included in the auction?

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• Wealth and the Enjoyment of Rights: How did the amount of currency you had affect your ability to obtain the rights you value most? How did it feel when you had the highest or lowest bid for an item? Did ‘buying power’ affect your willingness to take risks? To what extent does the auction reflect reality in that the wealth of a nation, group or individual influences their ability to actually enjoy and exercise their rights? Did anyone find it offensive that rights were on auction to the highest bidder? Is the concept of equal rights impossible to achieve as long as there is disparity in wealth throughout the world?

• Perspectives on Rights: To what extent did the different prioritizations of rights by participants reflect different perspectives as shaped by factors such as participants’ gender, ethnicity, ideology, race and religion?

Adapted from: Pike, Graham and Selby, David, 1993. “Human Rights: An Activity File”. Centre for Global Education: Stanley

Thornes (Publishers) Ltd.

Rights for Auction

• The right to work, for payment, outside school hours.• The right to belong to a nation.• The right to see files kept on me by my school or employer.• The right to join a school participants’ union.• The right to negotiate what type of education I want.• The right to travel where I want.• The right not to have my private correspondence read by others.• The right not to be discriminated against because of my age, gender or race.• The right to a free primary and secondary education.• The right to own private property.• The right to a fair trial if accused of a crime.• The right to speak and write my opinions.• The right to a peaceful, unpolluted environment.• The right to freedom from slavery.• The right to participate in the management of the school.• The right to practice my religion without hindrance.• The right not to be arrested by the police unless there is good cause.• The right to freedom from torture and cruel or degrading punishment.• The right to medical care.• The right to vote in local and national elections.• The right to be consulted on decisions that affect my own future.• The right to voluntarily give up any or all of the above rights.

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Rights Balloon Game (I)

Ages: 7-12 Time: 20 minutes Resources: A Player’s Chart (see following page) for each participant. Purpose: This activity raises some questions about the relative importance of the different rights we claim and about the idea of basic rights. Procedure:

• Begin by briefly discussing the rights in the Player’s Chart.• Ask participants to imagine that they are on their own, gently drifting in a hot-

air balloon. Lead the participants in an active imagination exercise, vividly evoking the experience of being in the balloon. (Sun is shining, gentle breeze, etc.)

• On board the balloon are ten rights. Each weighs two kilos. Suddenly, the balloon begins to lose height. To stop their descent, they must throw a right overboard.

• The balloon then levels out for a while before beginning to lose height again. Another right must be jettisoned.

• The process continues until they have only one right left. Participants are asked to read the list carefully and think about which rights they are prepared to surrender and which they want to keep as long as possible. They then make their decisions—without discussion—by putting a “1” beside the first right to be thrown overboard, a “2” beside the second and so on. The most important right that remains at the end is numbered “10”.

Discussion: • Which right did you choose to throw overboard first and last? Why? • Which rights do we consider more important than others? Why? Is there

any one correct answer to this question? Are there times or places where the importance of the rights will vary (e.g. for children in a war zone or in an extreme drought)?

• Are some rights so important to our well-being and essential humanity that we should never surrender them? Which rights can be—and are—sometimes surrendered? Under what circumstances?

• Can participants suggest any rights that are even more important than the ones on the list, especially those they kept until last?

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Variation: Having made their own decisions (filling in the first column of the Player’s Chart), participants move freely around the room questioning the nine others and entering their scores on the same chart to compare to their own scoring. The participants can then be asked to analyze and reflect upon the results they have collected.

Adapted from: Pike G., and Selby, D., 1998. “A Chapter of Activities” In Smith, D. and Carson, T Educating for a Peaceful Future. Toronto:

Kagan & Woo Ltd., p. 188.

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RIGHTS WHEN EACH RIGHT LEFT THE BALLOON (1st – 10th)

Right to Education

Right to Food and Water

Right to Be Protected From Violence

Right to Be Heard

Right to Your Own Language, Culture and Religion

Right to Shelter

Right to Medical Care

Right to Be Raised by Someone Who Loves You

Right to Play

Right to Be Protected from Work that Damages or Exploits You

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Rights Flag Tag/G.R.O.W. (O)

Ages: 6-11 Time: 15 minutes Resources: Poster board with 5 key human rights listed on it, enough flags (ribbons/kerchiefs/strips of material) for each participant to have 5 different colours (one for each right). Purpose: In this game, participants become aware of their rights and must determine which rights are the most valuable to them. This activity aims to help children develop cooperative skills. Procedure:

• Separate participants into two groups (or three to four groups if you are dealing with more than twenty participants). Have all the members of the first team come up one at a time and select the three rights that they feel are the most important to them. The second team will then do the same thing and so on. You will be the ‘Rights Thief’.

Playing Field Diagram

Mixed Team

Facilitator

Rights thief

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• Use a soccer or other playing field and have all the children from all the teams at one end of the field. They should have their ‘flags’ hanging from their waist. They can place the ‘flags’ on whatever side they want in an attempt to keep their most valuable right.

• When you yell “Go”, the participants must get to the other side of the field with as many of their rights intact as possible. They must cross the field again 2-5 times. Determine how many times they cross based on how many children you have and your ‘luck’ at catching some of their flags.

• Once they have finished, participants get back into their groups to see how many rights they managed to keep. The team with the most rights, wins.

For the discussion, do the follow up activity called G.R.O.W. (Getting Rights ‘Ollover” the World) on page 109 immediately after this game. Variation: The participants try to collect flags from one another while crossing the field. This variation makes it clear just how easily any one of us can violate another person’s human rights. Participants can then be asked about how they felt when they took someone else’s rights or when they had their rights taken by their peers.

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G.R.O.W. (O)(Getting Rights ‘Ollover’ the World) This activity is specifically designed to follow the Rights Flag Tag activity on page 49 as the results from that activity are needed to start this one. Ages: 6-11 Time: 10 minutes Resources: None required. Purpose: Children imagine what their world would be like without certain rights. It is hoped that this activity will cultivate compassion and empathy for those without rights. Procedure: • Keep children in the same teams they had in Rights Flag Tag. Tell them that you

are going to play a quick imagination game.

Stage 1 (Cultivating empathy, compassion, and a feeling of empow-erment)

• Place the two teams side by side, each in their own circles. Go to each team and remind them which rights they kept and which rights they lost.

• Have them try to imagine what it would be like to live in a society without those rights. Give them about a minute or two to imagine this. Help them to imagine by asking questions. How would the world be different without the right to play? Why do you think children might not be able to play?

• Remind the children that not everyone in their circle society has the same rights (perhaps most of their teammates lost a particular right and only some of them kept it). Imagine if only half the people in your group had the right to play. Imagine if you were one of those who did not have the right to play. Imagine how you would feel watching other children playing.

• Now imagine instead that you have the ‘right to play’ but your best friends do not. How do you feel now?

• Finally, imagine that you convince the people in power in your community to give everyone in your circle the ‘right to play’. Now picture your friends’ faces as they receive their right. How do you feel knowing that you helped them get their ‘right to play’?

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Stage 2 (Overcoming unreasonable fears and feeling safe around newcomers and in a diverse society)

• Connect all the circles. Tell the children to keep their eyes shut. As you connect them, tell the children that at first they all feel in danger of someone new entering their circle and taking their rights away. Now tell them to take a deep breath in and to feel themselves relax.

• Imagine that you just realized that the new people in your circle are NOT going to take away your rights. Now imagine that you feel happier as you find out that because they have joined, you now have some new rights. You now have the right to feel safe and to not be hurt by anyone no matter if you are a boy or a girl, no matter what colour you are, and no matter where you came from. Imagine you feel happy because they helped you get that right.

• Now imagine yourself smiling at one of the newcomers and imagine him/her smiling back at you. Imagine yourself being friends with that person and imagine yourself feeling protective of your new friend and caring enough about him/her to make sure that no one takes away his/her rights. Open your eyes.

Created by Cheryl Deshaies, Jim Barabash and Patricia Kidziak, for“Harmony in the Park, Human Rights, Non-Violence Conflict

Resolution and Recreational Learning Activities.” John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights, 2001.

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Suitcase of Rights (IO)

Ages: 8+ Time: 30 minutes Resources: A copy of the CRC or UDHR (see Appendix A on p. 262), enough small backpacks for each team of 4-6 participants (the bags must be small enough that they will NOT hold all of the items below), a set of suitcase of rights cards, or copies of the UDHR for each team. If using backpacks, use the following items:• A ball - Label: The right to play.• A fake passport or birth certificate - Label: The right to a name and an identity,

the right to belong to a country.• A microphone - Label: The right to express yourself, and to have adults listen to

you.• A box of bandages - Label: The right to be strong and healthy, the right to have

access to medical help.• A bottle of water and a piece of fruit - Label: The right to food and clean water.• A newspaper or magazine - Label: The right to information.• A box of chalk - Label: The right to an education.• Several dolls with different costumes or religious symbols - Label: The right to

choose your own religion and to know your own culture. Purpose: This game encourages participants to consider the Convention on the Rights of the Child and apply this to their own lives. Participants will also think about which rights are most important to them. Procedure: • If the participants are unfamiliar with rights, begin by explaining what rights are.

Tell the group about the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. • Place children in groups of 4-6. • Tell the children to imagine that there has been a human rights problem in their

area. They have decided to leave, and they have to do so quickly. They have been told to pack their bags for a new country. Since they will have to travel far, they can only take what will fit in their backpacks. The group’s job is to decide, as a team, which rights they will fit in their bags and which they will leave behind.

• Give each team a backpack and the items listed above if playing that variation. If playing with rights cards, give each team a set of cards to choose from, similar to the Rainbow of Rights cards. If playing with copies of the UDHR, give each team a simplified version of the document. Tell groups they have 5 minutes to decide what they will take and what they will leave behind, and to pack their bag. You can tell teams they can choose their top 8 rights to start and then eliminate rights until you are down to the top 3 or top 1.

• If the group seems restless, have them finish this game by running a relay race similar to the one described in Rainbow of Rights.

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Variation: For older groups, hand out a copy of the CRC or UDHR to each team and ask the teams to choose their top rights by highlighting them on the sheet. Discussion: • Begin by asking each group which right is most important to them. If they

cannot choose, have them decide what they chose as their most important rights in the game. Why are they the most important rights?

• Why did groups choose not to pack the rights they left behind?• Have participants imagine what it would be like if they did not have the rights

they left behind. Have a few participants share their vision of what their world would be like without these rights.

• How hard was it to decide as a team which rights to pack? Were there different values or ideas that came into conflict? Did people feel differently about what was most important or least important? Was there agreement on certain rights?

• Discuss the connection between basic human needs and rights. Often rights protect those human needs. Have the group connect some of the rights in front of them with human needs.

Variation: if you would like to add another dimension to the game, give teams very differently sized bags. One bag should hold almost all of the rights, one bag will hold half of them, one bag that might only hold one right, etc. If you have given the children different sized bags, also discuss with them how it felt to only be able to pack one right or to be able to pack almost all of the rights. How did it feel to watch other teams pack more or fewer rights than your team? Discuss how this may be a metaphor for the difference on the implementation of rights across the world.

Created by Andy Pearcey and Jane Conly for the John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights, 2005.

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The Right to Information The Right to an Education

The Right to a Name and an Identity; The Right to Belong to a Country The Right to Play

The Right to Food and Clean Water The Right to be Strong and Healthy

The Right to Express Yourself and to Have Adults Listen to You

The Right to Choose Your Own Religion and Know Your Own Culture

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The Calendar Game (I)

Ages: Any age

Time: 30 minutes

Resources: Approximately 12 photographs or other good quality pictures from around the world of people in as many situations as possible (calendars, newspapers and magazines are good sources for these pictures), one copy of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and/or the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (see Appendix A on p. 262).

Purpose: This game teaches the concept that rights are universal (everyone has them) and indivisible (you cannot enjoy some rights while denying others).

Procedure:

• Spread the pictures out on the floor or on a table where everyone can see them.

• Ask the participants as a group to pick out the three pictures that they like best.

• Remove all the other pictures so that they do not distract the children.

• Hold one of the three chosen pictures where everyone can see it. Ask the participants the questions from the discussion to stimulate their imaginations about the pictures. Be open to all of the suggestions!

• Repeat this imagination exercise for the other two chosen pictures.

• Ask the participants which rights they think each picture represents. They can consult the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

• Spread out all of the pictures again. Ask the participants what rights they think each picture represents and which rights are potentially being ignored. Use this opportunity to explain that all rights are universal, i.e., everyone has them.

• Now ask the participants to divide the pictures into different piles, each pile corresponding to one of the points in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The children will soon realize that this is impossible, as all rights are linked, so one picture will represent several rights at once. Use this opportunity to explain that rights are indivisible, i.e., you cannot enjoy some rights while denying others.

Discussion:

• Where do you think this photograph was taken?

• What do you think is happening?• What time of day is it?• Are these people related?• Are they rich/poor? How are they

feeling?• What are they looking at/doing/

saying?• Where are they going? Where

have they been?• Do they know the photographer?• What do they think of her/him?

Variation: Instead of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, you may use the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Adapted from: Human Rights Education Team, 1996. “First

Steps: A Manual For Starting Human Rights Education - Part

Three: Younger Children.” Amnesty International Secretariat.

[Online]: Available at: http://www.hrea.org/erc/Library/

First_Steps/part3_eng.html. [Accessed on 20 August 2012].

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Treasure Hunt (O)

Ages: 7-12 Time: 25 minutes Resources:

• One right or responsibility paper slip (on the following pages) for each participant. This game is designed for 20 players (there are 10 rights slips and 10 matching responsibilities slips). If there are fewer players, do not use the last few rights and responsibilities. If there are more players, make more than one copy of the rights slips and responsibilities slips you find the most important.

• A copy of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms (See Appendix A on p. 262) and possibly a copy of your provincial human rights code/charter.

• A large area in which there are many hiding spots. Purpose: Children begin to reflect on the rights they hold as Canadians. During the second part of the game, children are also asked to reflect on their responsibilities as citizens of this country. This game could be adapted to introduce the Universal Declaration of Human Rights or the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Procedure:

• Photocopy the rights and responsibilities below. Cut out each individual right/responsibility, creating 10 “rights slips” and 10 corresponding “responsibility slips”.

• Before the children arrive, hide each article in a different place in the room/field.

• Tell the children that there are valuable “treasures” hidden around the room/field. You have therefore created a “treasure” hunt. Each child must search the room for one slip of paper.

• Tell the children that each treasure has two sides to it. When they have found their slip of paper, therefore, they must next search for their partner with the other side of their “treasure”. To do so, they will have to talk to other children, sharing their slips of paper with other children. When they think they have found their match, the pair will come to you to see whether they have been successfully matched. If they have, congratulate them and have them sit down together. Continue the activity until all pairs have found their match. Reassure the last groups that some pairs are harder to find than others.

• It may take children (especially younger groups) a long time to figure out that a “treasure” pair consists of a right and a corresponding responsibility. If this is the case, when the first pair has matched up and brought their slips to you, read their matching slips out loud to the group. Follow this up with each subsequent pair. This offers the children a clue to finding their own match.

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Discussion: • Ask a few people to read their rights slip out loud. What do you think a right

is? Why are rights important?• Point out the fact that one half of the “rights” slips are freedoms (religion,

expression, thought, assembly, etc.) and the other half are rights (vote, equality, not to be subjected to cruel or unusual punishment, etc.). Ask the groups whether they think there are any differences between freedoms and rights.

• Ask the children to give you examples of human activities that are protected by the rights they have found.

• Begin a discussion of responsibilities. Ask a few children with responsibility slips to read them aloud. Ask the children what they think the differences are between rights and responsibilities. Can they think of any responsibilities they have at camp or school? (Hint: often responsibilities are written out in the form of rules). How do these responsibilities protect the rights of others?

Important: Before the children’s attention wanes, explain that Canada has two very important ways of protecting the human rights of all people in Canada:

1. The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms: This Charter is not a law for how people must treat each other in Canada. What the Charter does do is set out laws for how the governments in Canada have to treat people. The purpose of the Charter is to ensure that all people in Canada will have certain rights and freedoms that their governments cannot take away. Explain that the Charter is one of the most important laws in Canada - it is supreme. Ask participants to raise their hands if they are holding a slip of paper on which is written a right/freedom. Explain that they are holding rights guaranteed in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

2. Human Rights Codes: Remind the children that it is also very important to have rules for how each person in Canada treats other people. Therefore, each province in Canada has created laws that protect human rights. Many are contained in human rights codes and the Quebec Charter. These laws set out responsibilities that each person in Canada has towards other people in Canada. Ask the children with responsibilities slips to raise their hands. Tell them that they all have responsibilities that correspond with laws in their provincial human rights code and the Quebec Charter.

Created by: Andy Pearcey and Jane Conly from the John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights, 2005.

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SLIPS OF PAPER TO BE CUT OUT: RIGHTS

Freedom of conscience and religion You are free to make choices about the beliefs you want to hold, and you are free to practice your faith. Freedom of thought, belief, opinionYou are entitled to hold the beliefs and opinions you choose without any danger of the government persecuting you for your ideas. Freedom of expression You can voice your opinion and express your ideas without fear of being punished by the government. This right also guarantees freedom of the press. Freedom of assembly and freedom of association You can hold meetings, reunions, political assemblies, etc. to share ideas, teach, work, etc. without worrying that the government will punish you. Every citizen has the right to vote in an election Anyone over 18 years of age who is a Canadian citizen can vote in a Canadian election. Every citizen has the right to enter, remain in or leave Canada You are allowed to come and go in Canada whenever you wish. You also have the right to move around within Canada and to work anywhere in Canada. Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of the person The government cannot take away your life, your freedom or violate your security unless there is a VERY good reason to do so. For example, they cannot take away your freedom by sending you to jail UNLESS you have committed a serious crime. Everyone has the right not to be subjected to cruel or unusual punishment If you commit a crime, the government cannot punish you too harshly. You cannot be tortured. For example, you cannot be put in jail for 15 years for stealing one loaf of bread. Everyone is equal before the law and has the right to equal protection and benefit of the law without discrimination and, in particular, without discrimination based on race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, and/or mental or physical disability. Every person in Canada - regardless of race, religion, gender, national or ethnic origin, colour or physical or mental disability - is to be considered equal. English and French are the official languages of Canada and have equal status and equal rights and privileges in their use in government institutions.If you need services from the Federal government, those services must be offered in English AND French.

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SLIPS OF PAPER TO BE CUT OUT: RESPONSIBILITIES You have the responsibility to respect the religious beliefs and practices of other people. You must not hurt other people through violence or words because of their religion or unnecessarily prevent them from practicing their religion. You have the responsibility to respect the opinions of others and not to be mean to others because of their beliefs. You may not harm others by acting on your beliefs or opinions in ways that show that you feel hatred towards them or hurt them. You have a responsibility to let others express themselves. You MAY NOT express yourself in a way that seriously harms other people because your expression is full of lies about people or is full of hate for a person or group of people. In your expression you may not ask others to join you in hurting a person or group of people. If you take part in a meeting or assembly, you have a responsibility to be peaceful while you do so (not to harm people or property). As a citizen, you have a responsibility to take a role in deciding how your country should be run. You also have a responsibility to ensure that your country respects you and other people. You have a responsibility to leave and enter Canada through customs agencies, and you must tell the truth about your Canadian citizenship. You have a responsibility to ensure that you do NOT act in a way that will threaten someone else’s security. You may NOT take someone’s life, and you cannot deprive a person of his/her liberty. You have a responsibility to ensure that you do NOT subject another person to cruel punishment for ANY reason, or allow another person to do this.

You have a responsibility to ensure that you do not discriminate against another person because of his/her age, gender, race, origin or disability. You have a responsibility to respect both official languages of Canada and the people who speak either language.

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Tug of Rights (O)

Ages: 8-17 Time: 30 minutes Resources: Long tug of war rope, two sets of the 11 rights phrases (each phrase should be cut out individually and laminated with a hole punched in the top), two sets of 11 laminated and hole-punched pictures (each picture should correspond with the 11 rights), binder rings with which you can use to attach the laminated pictures and phrases to the tug of rights rope. Purpose: This activity introduces children to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Participants are asked to consider why different rights are important, how different rights are interconnected and what happens when children are denied certain rights. Procedure: • Divide the participants into two teams of equal size. Teams should be matched

evenly for strength. Get each team to sit in a circle.• The aim of the first part of this game is to match pictures with the 11 Rights of

the Child from page 63 .• In each of the 2 circles pass out the 11 rights and the 11 corresponding

pictures. Do this in random order so that they are mixed up. • Have each child who is holding a right read her slip of paper in a loud voice.

Tell the children who are holding pictures to listen carefully so that they can match their picture with the corresponding right when it is read out loud.

• When pictures and rights have been successfully matched, place them in the centre of the circle so that everyone can see them.

• Tell the children they are about to play a Tug of Rights with the rope. The object of the game will be to preserve as many rights as they can as a team. Each team will attach their rights to their side of the rope using the binder rings. They will then pull the rope as a team like a tug of war game. Any team that has one of its rights pulled across the centre line by the other team will lose that right.

• Before teams can play the Tug of Rights, they must make some important decisions. They will want to protect their most important rights during the tug. To do so, they should place those rights towards the back of the rope. The rights they are most willing to risk should be placed closest to the centre of the rope.

• Before attaching their rights to the rope, participants must order their 11 rights from most important to least important. Through vote or consensus decision-making, they must decide the order of their rights.

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• To have the participants think critically about the order of their rights, ask questions about each right. Why is the right to freedom of expression so important? What would happen if children were not protected from dangerous work? Why do children need adults to care for them? Can you think of examples of places where children do not have freedom of language, culture or religion? Do you think all these rights are respected in Canada?

• Once groups have ordered their rights, have them attach those rights to the rope using the binder rings.

• Line up each team on their side of the rope. Mark out the centre line through the middle of the rope. At the beginning of the tug, each team should have all of their rights safely on their side of the rope.

• Lay the ground rules and then have the participants tug two or three times.• As they play, keep track of which rights go across the line. • When the game is done, have the participants assemble for a discussion. Discussion: • Begin by asking the teams which rights they decided were most/least important

and why.• Talk about the fact that the children just competed for their rights. What

happens when people compete or fight for rights?• Was it hard to put the rights in order from most to least important? Why?

Discuss the fact that all the rights are essential.• Are there places in the world where the order of importance of the rights might

be different? How so? (e.g. Children in hot climates might find shelter less important than children in winter countries would).

• How are some of these rights interconnected? (e.g. If children are not protected from work that could hurt them, they often lose the right to education and the right to play as well).

• Pick one or two rights each team lost. Ask the children to discuss what life would be like without these rights.

Created by Andy Pearcey and Jane Conly from the John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights, 2005.

63

RIGHTS EVERY CHILD HAS THE RIGHT TO PROPER CLOTHING.

EVERY CHILD HAS THE RIGHT TO PLAY. EVERY CHILD HAS THE RIGHT TO BE PROTECTED FROM WAR AND VIOLENCE. EVERY CHILD HAS THE RIGHT TO FOOD AND WATER. EVERY CHILD HAS THE RIGHT TO SHELTER. EVERY CHILD HAS THE RIGHT TO AN EDUCATION. EVERY CHILD HAS THE RIGHT TO BE PROTECTED FROM WORK WHICH COULD HARM THEM. EVERY CHILD HAS THE RIGHT TO MEDICAL CARE. EVERY CHILD HAS THE RIGHT TO HAVE PARENTS OR OTHER ADULTS TO CARE FOR THEM AND THE RIGHT TO BE LOVED. EVERY CHILD HAS THE RIGHT TO THEIR OWN CULTURE AND LANGUAGE AND RELIGION. EVERY CHILD HAS THE RIGHT TO FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION.

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SECTION 3

CELEBRATING DIVERSITY

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Celebrating Diversity

Diversity and similarities are explored in the games in this section. The games encourage a celebration of diversity and foster attitudes that embrace the acceptance of all people (for more information on celebrating diversity, visit www.unicef.org). Aspects of diversity that can be explored include: race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age, physical abilities, religious beliefs, political beliefs, or other ideologies (for more resources on these specific topics, see the other sections of the curriculum, including: Disabilities, Discrimination, Stereotypes, and LGBTQ Rights).

Cultural diversity is a main focus of this section and is often brought up in international human rights documents. Culture provides children and adults with identity and continuity. Respecting cultural diversity through the promotion of minority rights is brought up in Article 30 of the CRC (see the full text of the CRC in Appendix A on p. 262) which protects the rights of children who are from minority or indigenous groups to enjoy their culture, practise their religion and use their language together with other members of their group. Article 27 of the UDHR also promotes cultural diversity by guaranteeing the right to freely participate in the cultural life of the community.

Canadian society is increasingly diverse and multiculturalism has become an integral part of the Canadian identity. The Canadian Multiculturalism Act is a legal instrument used to promote cultural diversity and equality in the economic, social, cultural and political life of the country. The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms is also a source of multiculturalism policy. Section 27 of the Charter specifies that the courts are to interpret the Charter “in a manner consistent with the preservation and enhancement of the multicultural heritage of Canada.” However, in some cases, diversity poses a challenge in Canada. Tensions over the “reasonable accommodation” of cultural and religious traditions, and racism and discrimination persist.

Games in this section include:

• Children from Around the World• Diversity Welcome • Early Contact• Sets• Step with Me• The Amoeba Race• The History of Your Name• Zombies

For more informations visit:www.unicef.org

See the full text of the UDHR in Appendix A.

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Factoid: Celebrating DiversityDefinitions:

• Diversity: the recognition of differences; that each individual is unique. Differences can include race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, age, physical abilities, religious beliefs, political beliefs, or other ideologies.

• Multiculturalism: the idea that several different cultures can live together peacefully and equitably in a single country.


Diversity is an integral aspect of human rights. Human rights promote the equality of all people and provide a framework for respecting and celebrating diversity. Human rights guarantee the right to culture, to religion and to other aspects of diversity such as non-discrimination based on sex, race or language. Promoting multiculturalism is a way of embracing diversity in Canada. Multiculturalism ensures the ability of all to practice their own religion, keep their identity and take pride in their ancestry.

Did You Know?

• There are around 21 major religions in the world today and hundreds of smaller religions.

• Around 196 countries exist in the world, many with people of more than one culture or national group within them. That means that there are a huge number of different and diverse cultures and peoples in the world.

• Canada is home to over 200 different ethnicities.3 • The first country in the world to adopt multiculturalism as a policy was Canada

(1971).• May 21st is the World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and

Development.• May is Asian Heritage Month and February is Black Heritage Month in

Canada.

3. Citizenship and Immigration Canada, 2010. “Annual Report on the Operation of the Canadian Multiculturalism Act 2010-

2011”. [online]: Available at: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/publications/multi-report2011/index.asp. [Accessed on 22

July 2012].

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Children from Around the World (I)

Ages: 6-10

Time: 25 minutes

Resources: Approximately 15-20 photos of children from your local area and around the world. Choose pictures which show as many different sorts of food, climate, physical types and ways of life as possible.

Purpose: This activity helps participants explore the similarities between the children of the world regardless of nationality, gender or ethnic group and helps them understand that rights are based on the similar needs of different people.

Procedure:

• Show the children the picture collection.• Ask the children to help you sort the photos by obvious attributes. For example,

boys and girls, hair colour, older or younger and so on. Include a mixture of attributes that mix up the pictures from around the world. For example, group together children who are talking, or playing, or who are older or younger than the group. Repeat this sorting activity several times with the same photos and different criteria.

Hint: Try pairing this activity with an activity from the “Games From Around the World” Section.

Discussion:

• What was the same about the children?• What was different about the children? (It is critical to emphasize that

differences between individuals are just as important to acknowledge as similarities. It is crucial to respect each other’s differences, as well as similarities, which is promoted by the UDHR, CRC, and Canadian Charter of Rights)

• Were there any things in the pictures that you didn’t recognize?• What do you think children in the pictures would think if they came here?• What would it be like to live in their country?• Imagine that some children from the pictures are coming to visit. What would

you say to other children about how to treat the visiting children?• Do all children in the world have the same needs? The same human rights?

(Every child has the same human rights as stated in the CRC). • How do human rights promote and protect diversity?

Adapted from: Human Rights Education Team, 1996. “First Steps: A Manual For Starting Human Rights Education - Part Three:

Younger Children.” Amnesty International Secretariat. [Online]: Available at: http://www.hrea.org/erc/Library/First_Steps/

part3_eng.html. [Accessed on 20 August 2012].

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Diversity Welcome (I)

Ages: 15+

Time: 5 minutes

Resources: None.

Purpose: This opening tool aims to illustrate and address the range of diversity in the room while setting a positive tone for the session. It is very adaptable to the group.

Procedure:

• The leader begins by saying: “I’d like to welcome…” and then includes some or all of the following:

• Women, Men, Transgender People & Spirits• Your bodies• *(Specifically name provinces or countries represented) • Those living with a chronic medical condition, visible or invisible• People of all shapes and sizes• Your dreams and desires and passions• Languages spoken by people here (try to know as many as possible ahead

of time): Spanish, English, German . . .• Survivors• People of Hispanic descent, African descent, Asian descent, European de-

scent, Aboriginal descent• Anyone who is gay, lesbian, bisexual, heterosexual, queer• People who identify as activists, and people who don’t• Those in their teens-20s -30s - 40s - 50s - 60s- 70s - 80s (depending on

group)• Single, married, partnered, dating, celibate,…• Your emotions: joy & bliss, grief, rage, indignation, contentment, disap-

pointment• Those who support you to be here• Your families• Mystics, seekers, believers of all kinds• Those dear to us who have died• Our elders: Those here in this room, in our lives, and those who have

passed away• Anyone else who would like to be welcomed?

Adapted from: Training for Change, 2012. “Diversity Welcome”. [online]: Available at:. http://www.trainingforchange.org/

diversity_welcome [Accessed on 16 July 2012].

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Early Contact (IO)

Ages: 12 + Time: 30 minutes Resources: 12 Plastic Knives and 12 Kerchiefs (or other trading items), culture cards (mounted and laminated). Purpose: Early Contact helps participants realize that not all peoples share the same values, customs, and social norms. Fascinating historical accounts tell of the first contact between peoples of widely divergent cultures. At times, these encounters were simply humorous, but more often they resulted in serious misunderstandings, with sometimes tragic consequences. These early contacts sowed the seeds of prejudice (See Background Information following the Debriefing Section). Procedure: • Any number of people can take part in this exercise as long as they are divided

into two distinct groups, ideally with males and females present in each. These groups are the two tribes that will trade with each other, the Alcans and the Bumbas.4

• Consider beginning the activity by introducing cultural difference. You may want to share the background information found below.

• The object of the game is to engage in trading. However, this can be tricky with no common language and very different social values between the two groups. This means that the groups cannot talk with each other, they may only use sounds and gestures to make their intentions clear.

• A dozen kerchiefs and a dozen butter knives or plastic knives make good trade items.

• Assign each group a private village or trade-ship location where the members may speak freely amongst themselves without being overheard by the other group.

• Give each group an index card with the name of their group and a set of cultural values they must abide by. The culture cards can be found on the next page. Hand out the trading items to each group.

• Give the tribes 5-10 minutes to devise their trading strategy before welcoming them into the “trading arena” for the first of two to three trading sessions.

• After a few minutes, close the trading sessions and ask the teams to return to their trade-ship location or village. Give them 5-10 minutes to come up with a revised trading strategy after evaluating how their first trading session went. They now know some traits of the other culture and should use that information in their planning.

• Repeat the trading session.

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• Once trading is done, have both groups sit opposite one another. Have the Alcans describe what they think the values of the Bumbas were then switch. More often than not, each group developed a dislike for the other and considered their counterparts stingy, ruthless, and somewhat barbaric. On rare occasions, a level of understanding may emerge, with some successful trading completed and both parties satisfied.

• Once the two groups have stated what they thought the values of the other were, have a person in each group read out loud their actual values.

4. These tribal names are fictitious but the sets of cultural values closely parallel some real world cultures.

Discussion: • What did you think about the game? How did you feel towards members of the

other culture? Were you frustrated at any time? Why?• What methods could you have used to allow you to understand the members of

the other culture better?• What characteristics of each culture made it harder to communicate and trade?• Discuss cultural differences that exist in the “real world”. What are some

common reactions to cultural differences (uncomfortable feelings, fear, stereotypes, discrimination, celebration)? What are some advantages to a world with different cultures? What would be lost if we did not have differences?

• What are some other differences that exist amongst cultural groups? Perhaps discuss some inequalities that have resulted from differences that exist amongst humans.

• Which human rights protect difference and diversity?

Background information: When Natives on the eastern American seaboard first encountered Europeans taking their lace handkerchiefs from their pocket to blow their noses, then carefully folding them back into a breast pocket near the heart, they naturally assumed that mucus was something white men cherished. The Natives simply cleared their sinuses by pressing against one nostril and snorting the other toward the ground. Other encounters were far more serious. Violation of social customs could wittingly or unwittingly produce conflict. A classic case occurred on Haida Gwaii in 1789, when a Boston trader, Captain John Kendrick, returned to trade for furs with the Haida. Although the first visit by Kendrick resulted in amicable trade, a minor incident on the second visit triggered years of bloody conflict. Cultural misrepresentations and misunderstandings can have serious impacts on social interaction.

Adapted from: Henley, Thom 1996. Rediscovery: Ancient Pathways New Directions; Outdoor Activities Based on Native Traditions:

pp. 114- 116.

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Group A- Alcans

1) You are aggressive traders, very clever, always out to get the best possible deal. Men are usually dominant in the trade negotiations.

2) Knives are a hot commodity; all of the tribes people in this region want them.3) You show your straightforward willingness to trade using direct eye contact, and

a good firm handshake and possibly a friendly pat on the back.4) Each of you looks out for yourself, trying to acquire as much cloth as you can,

because people back home value it.5) Get as much as you can from the Bumbas—after all, they are uneducated sav-

ages in your mind, their culture certainly is not as advanced as your own.

Group B-Bumbas

1) Your society is a matriarchal society—the eldest woman is the leader, and only she can engage in the direct act of trading. Others in your tribe can only bring traders to her.

2) The matriarch signals her willingness to trade by waving her hand at the person that she is willing to trade with as if shooing away a dog.

3) You do not look strangers directly in the eye and no one outside your tribe must touch you. To break this taboo is to be banished from the tribe. It is important that your matriarch not be contaminated by the touch of others.

4) You always do everything as a group—even trading—and no one works toward personal gain.

5) You could use some knives for cutting up food, but you are reluctant to trade too much cloth, for it is sacred among your people because it is all handmade.

6) You are peaceful people, slow to anger, but you have great pride and expect to be treated with utmost respect.

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Sets (IO)

Ages: 6-12

Time: 10 minutes

Resources: None.

Purpose: This game can be used to show the differences and similarities that exist between us. It can also be used as an indoor warm-up activity.

Procedure:

• This game works best with a group of 10 or more players. • The leader begins by explaining that “sets” of players are going to be asked

to stand up or come to the front. These players all have common traits. Those who aren’t chosen have to guess what unites them. See examples below.

• Once you have played several rounds and chosen everyone (if possible) to be part of a set, initiate a discussion on similarities between people.

Discussion:

• How does this game relate to reality? Do similarities exist between all people? What makes us human?

• How did it feel to be part of a large “set”? A small “set”?• Did you ever wish you were part of a set when you weren’t chosen? Does this

happen in real life?• Sometimes we think that all people from a group are the same. What is this

called? (stereotypes) What are the consequences of making such assumptions? • Was everyone in the set the same in all respects? • In this game we discussed similarities, what about differences? Why are

differences between people important? What rights do we have that protect us on the basis of our differences?

• How can we show respect to different groups or “sets” of people in our community?

• Which human rights protect diversity?

Examples of “sets”: • hair colour• eye colour• type or colour of clothing• height• pattern on clothing• type of shoes

• glasses• bracelet• necklace• watch• gender• age

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Step with Me (O)

Ages: 12+

Time: 15 minutes

Resources: None.

Purpose: This activity addresses and highlights the diversity present within the group.

Procedure:

• Have the group stand in a large circle. • Explain that in this activity, someone will step forward into the centre of the

circle when they feel motivated to do so and then will say: “Step with me if you _______”. They finish the sentence with something that is true about them. For example, “Step with me if you speak Spanish” or “Step with me if you are female” or “Step with me if you like rollerblading”.

• Everyone who feels that the statement is also true for them joins the person in the circle by stepping forward.

• Everyone then returns to the circle.• This exercise can be done in complete silence or with speaking allowed,

depending on the group dynamics. • Begin by asking for a volunteer to start or by sharing something true for you as

an example.• From time to time, you may want to step in and redirect the group with higher

level statements.

Discussion:

• Did you enjoy this game? Why or why not?• Was this activity hard or easy? Why?• Were any of your reactions or the group’s reactions surprising to you?• How did it feel when you stepped in? When you did not?• Were you the only person in the centre of the circle at any point of the game?

If yes, how did it make you feel? • In this activity, we highlighted diversity. Why is diversity important?• What would the world be like with no diversity?• How is diversity related to human rights? Which rights protect the diversity

present amongst people?

Adapted from: Hunter, Daniel, 2012. “Step with Me”. [online]: Available at: http://www.trainingforchange.org/step_with_me.

[Accessed on 17 August 2012].

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The Amoeba Race (O)

Ages: 9-14

Time: 20 minutes

Resources: A large open space, a group of at least 15 participants.

Purpose: This game demonstrates the idea that people have different strengths and can come together to use each person’s individual strengths to achieve a goal. It builds cooperation between participants and shows how important it is to respect both similarities and differences.

Procedure:

• Explain to the group that an amoeba is a single celled organism made up of a nucleus (the control centre), cell wall (barrier to the outside world), and cytoplasm (the body of the cell). Tell the participants that they are going to make their own amoeba.

• Begin by assigning positions. One person will be the nucleus, many people will be the cytoplasm, and enough people to go around the whole group will be part of the cell wall.

• Tell the different cell parts about their traits. The nucleus acts as the eyes of the cell and is responsible for directing it; the cytoplasm must be comfortable squishing very close together to make up the body of the cell; and the cell wall must be strong and rigid to act as a barrier to keep the cell together.

• Now that the participants know their jobs, have them form a cell with the wall around it and the nucleus at the front on someone’s shoulders (or alternatively in the centre).

• Ask them to try to move around together as a cell. Try timing their “sprints”.

Hint: You may have to suggest a method of counting or singing to coordinate the participants so they move as a unit.

Discussion:

• How did it feel when you were assigned a role? Did you like your role? Did you like being part of the majority? The minority?

• Was it hard to co-ordinate at first? Was it difficult to coordinate everyone’s individual goals to achieve the group’s goal? What made it easier?

• If all of the people in your group had the same position (for example, all cytoplasm) would the game have been harder/easier? Would it have been more/less fun? Would it have been harder/easier to stay together or direct yourself as an amoeba?

Variation: If the group gets very good, try splitting them into two amoebae and running an amoeba race.

Adapted from: Kreidler, W.J., 1984. Creative Conflict

Resolution: More than 200 Activities for Keeping Peace in the

Classroom. Glenview: Scott, Foresman and Company. p.65.

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The History of Your Name (I)

Age: 12-25

Time: 20 minutes

Resources: None.

Purpose: For a group with a lot of diversity, this game is a great way to acknowledge the diversity in the room and allow people to slowly realize the importance of cultural difference in how people operate.

Procedure:

• Have everyone sit in a circle and explain that we are going to share the history of our names.

• Set the tone by modelling a full disclosure of your name and its meaning (taking five minutes to tell its story is a good way to model that it’s not to be just a light tool).

• Have participants share where their names come from, how people pick/give/get names, what the meaning of their name is, etc. You may ask “Does your name have a meaning in your culture”?

Discussion:

• What does this activity teach us about diversity?• Were you surprised by any of the responses? Did you learn anything about

another culture?• What do human rights teach us about diversity?• Why is diversity necessary in our world? • Is diversity adequately recognized and celebrated in Canada?• How can we promote cultural understanding and acceptance at home? In our

community?

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Zombies (O)

Ages: 6-10

Time: 15 minutes Resources: None. Purpose: This game shows participants that diversity is valuable. Procedure: • Explain to the group that they will all become zombies in a few minutes. As

zombies they must all do the same things, though not necessarily at the same time.

• Have the group decide what three things a zombie can do. If the group is having trouble coming up with three things, suggest walking around stiff legged, holding your arms straight out in front of you, dragging one leg behind you, groaning, etc. Be sure that whatever they choose are zombie-type actions (lethargic, dreary). No skipping and jumping.

• Designate a certain area the “zombie zone”. All zombies must remain in this area. You are the zombie patrol. If you catch someone who is not doing one or a combination of the three zombie actions, pull them out of the game for 10 seconds.

• Continue the game until participants begin to appear tired of doing the same things over and over again.

Discussion: • How does it feel to be able to do only three things/always having to do the

same things? • Were you bored from always doing the same thing? What might the world lose

if everyone was the same?• How does diversity make life more interesting? What kinds of differences exist

amongst the people of the world? How do these differences add variety to life? • Which human rights protect diversity and differences? Adapted from: Kreidler, W.J. 1984. Creative Conflict Resolution: More than 200 Activities for Keeping Peace in the Classroom.

Glenview: Scott, Foresman and Company. p. 65.

SECTION 4

CHILDREN AND WAR

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Children and War

This section focuses on children and war and the games explore how conflict and war violate children’s human rights. The use of child soldiers is one such example (for more information on children and war, refer to www.unicef.org and/or www.amnesty.org).

Children may be recruited as soldiers during a conflict for many reasons. In countries that are already poor, children may participate in the conflict to secure food and water resources. War also disrupts schools. This may lead children with few other alternatives to be more easily swayed to join in the conflict. In prolonged conflicts, children may also be recruited to replenish the ranks. Lastly, in some areas, urban gangs, and the children they involve, can morph into militias and become involved in larger scale conflicts.

Child soldiers are forced into appalling situations. Sometimes they are drugged before fighting and forced to commit atrocities against their families and friends. Girls often become victim to sexual abuse and violence. Since 2002, the enlistment, recruitment or use of children under the age of 15 in hostilities is defined as a war crime. The Optional Protocol on the Convention of the Rights of the Child, in effect since 2002, outlaws the use of children in armed conflict until they are 18. Despite strong efforts, ending the use of child soldiers is very difficult as they are often recruited by non-government groups.

A long-lasting effect of war is the threat of landmines that remain in areas post-conflict. For example, in Cambodia, landmines are buried in almost half of the villages. Other contaminated countries include: Colombia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Nepal and Sri Lanka. Children may lose fingers, toes or limbs from landmines; most die before receiving medical attention.

Some children and adults are forced to leave their homes during armed conflicts due to a reasonable fear of persecution. They may be internally displaced or become external refugees. The physical and psychological stresses placed on refugee children are enormous. They may lose their community structures, family, traditional roles and culture. Children are also highly susceptible to the disease and malnutrition that accompany refugee outflows.


• Landmine Field Simulation Game• No Place Like Home • Packing Your Suitcase

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Factoid: Children and WarDefinitions:

• Asylum: when a country grants protection to someone who has left their own country as a political refugee.

• Child Soldier: any child under 18 years of age, who is part of any kind of regular or irregular armed force or armed group, including: cooks, porters, messengers, and anyone accompanying such groups other than family members. It includes girls and boys recruited for forced sexual purposes and/or forced marriage. 5

• Landmine: an explosive charge that is detonated by pressure.• Persecute: when a person is caused to suffer because of a belief they hold.• Refugee: a person who has fled his or her country because of a well-founded

fear of persecution.


Modern conflicts are often characterized by government breakdown and the subsequent deterioration of social and economic conditions. The children involved are affected by war in many ways. Some lose their access to basic resources, education and health care while others become directly involved in the conflict as child soldiers or are forced to flee their homes and/or countries and seek asylum.

Did you know?

• As many as 300 000 children are exploited in conflicts around the world.6 • Of the 33.9 million people worldwide who are refugees, asylum seekers or

stateless, around half are children.7 • At least 20 percent of the estimated 15,000-20,000 people who are killed

or disabled each year by landmines are children. Remnants of war threaten children in more than 80 countries, most of which are no longer in conflict.8

• Organizations such as UNICEF and Amnesty International actively work to eliminate the enlistment of children as child soldiers.

5. United Nation’s Children’s Fund, 1997. Cape Town Principles and Best Practices. In: UNICEF, Symposium on the Prevention

of Recruitment of Children into the Armed Forces and demobilization and Social Reintegration of Child Soldiers in Africa. South

Africa, 1997, Cape Town: UNICEF. Available at: http://www.unicef.org/emerg/files/Cape_Town_Principles(1).pdf

6. United Nation’s Children’s Fund, 2003. Guide to the Optional Protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict.

[online] New York: UNICEF: Available at: http://www.unicef.org/publications/files/option_protocol_conflict.pdf [Accessed on 9 July

2012].

7. UNHCR, 2012. The UN Refugee Agency. [online] Available at: http://www.unhcr.org/pages/49c3646c1e8.html. [Accessed 9

July 2012].

8. United Nation’s Children’s Fund, 2006. Saving Children from the Tragedy of Landmines. [online] Available at http://www.unicef.

org/media/media_32034.html. [Accessed 9 July 2012].

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Landmine Field Simulation Game (O)

Ages: 10+ Time: 30 minutes Resources: Blue tarp measuring approximately 20 by 24 feet; coloured tape (mark out at least fifty squares on the tarp with the tape, letter off the bottom row of squares and number off the squares up the left-hand side of the tarp); master copy of the landmine field, indicating the placement of the hidden mines.

5

4

3

2

1

A B C D E

Purpose: To teach children and youth about the effects of landmines on communities. Procedure:

• The simulation should begin with an introductory discussion on what a landmine is and the realities of living in an area where there are landmines. A landmine is: an explosive charge that is detonated by pressure. They are often concealed just under the ground and are remnants leftover by wars. At least 20 percent of the estimated 15,000-20,000 people who are killed or disabled each year by landmines are children9 (that’s at least 3,000 children).

• The participants are then told that there are 15-20 mines somewhere on the field. The mines are of different sizes, so that some just injure a person while others kill anybody who steps on them. The goal is to travel from one location to the next without hitting a mine.

• Participants are then asked to line up behind the beginning of the landmine field. They can begin on any square at the edge. The game begins. Up to six players can be on the board at a time. The participants choose a number and call it out as they step on it (e.g., A1, B2, etc.).

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• Keep a master list that indicates where all the mines are found. If the participant has hit a mine ask him to sit down at the side. The participant is not able to jump over any squares – the square you choose has to be directly connected to the previous square chosen.

• At the end of each simulation there is a pause to discuss the placement of the land mines in the field and how they have affected the lives of the people in that area.

• Once a ‘mine’ goes off, that square is safe for the rest of the game.• The following three simulations have been suggested by the UN Association in

Canada: 9. United Nation’s Children’s Fund, 2006. Saving Children from the Tragedy of Landmines. [online] Available at http://www.unicef.

org/media/media_32034.html. [Accessed 9 July 2012].

Simulation 1: This field represents a community: the numbers indicate your home, the market place or the community school – the places you would go to and from every day. Be aware that the market is the most heavily mined area. Have props to indicate each place. You have to walk from your home to school and then from school to the market and back home. Simulation 2: The field has natural resources and materials for your basic daily needs. The purpose of this exercise is to make a trip to gather water at the well and return home. Be careful because the area around the well is heavily concentrated with small explosives. Simulation 3: The purpose is to cross the field from one side to the other where you can gather water from the river and wash your clothes. You then have to return across the field by a different route. Discussion: • How did it feel to cross the landmine field? Were you nervous? What kinds

of things would be dangerous or impossible for children living in areas with landmines? What human rights are harder to meet in an area with landmines?

• Why do you think that landmines are particularly devastating for the civilian population? Discuss with the group reasons why landmines might strategically be placed in such a way that they block community services or resources or the delivery of aid.

• At the end of the simulation, look at the participants who safely crossed the field and look at the participants who ‘stepped’ on a landmine. Are any of them your friends? How does it make you feel that some of your friends were the ones who ‘stepped’ on a landmine?

• Which human rights protect children from the effects of war and landmines? You may want to hand out a copy of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Adapted From: Lennox, Corrine and Wildeboor, Ian, 1998. “Action Guide: A Human Rights Resource Manual for Secondary

Schools”. Ottawa: United Nations Association in Canada. pp. 36-37.

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No Place Like Home (O)

Ages: 10-17 Time: 60 minutes Resources: A large space divided into five territories (skipping ropes make good “borders”), five sheets of large paper, five thick felt pens, five sets of coloured cards (one colour per territory and one card per participant), ten units each of five different currencies for a total of fifty units, furniture, equipment and materials (e.g. chairs, tables, gym mats, boxes, newspaper) in each “territory” with which to improvise “homes.” Some groups will be given “luxury goods” such as gym balls and beanbags. Purpose: This activity provides a springboard for a discussion about the rights denials involved in the arbitrary deprivation of homeland or nationality and the plight of refugees. Procedure: • The participants form five equal sized groups. Each group is given a territory,

ten units of currency and enough cards of a particular colour so there is one for each member. Groups are asked to choose a name for their “homeland”. The country’s name is written in big bold letters on paper and prominently displayed.

• Individual group members prepare their own passports by writing their name and the name of their country on their coloured card.

• Groups are also given time to discuss how they wish to make decisions. During this time a president (to represent the country) and a treasurer (to look after the units of currency) can be appointed if a group wishes.

• Ask the groups to make their land agreeable to live in by building houses, etc., out of the materials available in their territory. They can also use equipment for enjoyment purposes.

• After sufficient time has been given for the development of the homeland, announce that one group has been so successful that it needs more room to continue its building program. It is therefore taking over an adjacent land. The people in the annexed territory have to leave and must not return. They must find a new place to live.

• At regular intervals thereafter, announce that countries with “extra” people (people who have been forced off their land and who have different coloured passports) must pay two units of currency per “extra” person to the international bank (facilitator) to cover the costs of extra food, housing and education. Each group is left to decide what to do.

• It is probable that the refugees will sooner or later have nowhere to go and will call for their land back. At a suitable moment a ‘United Nations’ conference is called at which each group/country explains how it sees the problem and puts forward its suggestions for a solution. Debate follows.

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Discussion:

• How did it feel to be a refugee? How did it feel as a member of another country to see those without a homeland wandering around?

• Ask the participants how they felt towards those who had not dispossessed them. How did the group that dispossessed the refugees feel?

• Ask participants, at any point in the game, whether they tried to put themselves in another player’s position to consider what he/she was experiencing.

• Did countries take in refugees? If not, why not? If so, why? How did it feel to have newcomers? Did attitudes change as the refugees became a burden on the country’s finances?

• Now that the game is over, what do participants think the solution should have been? Discussion can then be broadened to consider examples of arbitrary deprivation of nationality or homeland in today’s world.

• Which human rights are important in this situation?



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Packing Your Suitcase (IO)

Ages: 12-17 Time: 20 minutes Resources: Several copies of the scenario below. Purpose: This activity simulates the emotional and practical decisions a refugee must face and the unforeseen consequences of these decisions. The activity also helps develop an understanding of the difficulties experienced by refugees.

Procedure: • Read the following scenario:

You are a child in a country at war. Your brother disappears and your mother is fearful for your brother’s life. Your family’s name appears in a newspaper article listing suspected rebels. Later, you receive a threatening letter from an unknown sender. You decide you must flee to a new country.

PACK YOUR BAG. You can only take five things, and only what you can carry. You don’t know what will be provided at your destination. List what you would take.

• After the participants have had time to absorb this information, have them (alone or in teams) write down a list of things that they will try to take with them as they ask for refugee status in Canada. Tell them that they will read out this list and you will either deny or grant them their refugee status. For some groups, a worksheet with options allows the children to know what types of things they can choose from. A sample is on the following page.

• After a few minutes, call on participants to read their lists aloud. For every list participants who do not include the newspaper article or the threatening letter and a form of identification, say, “Asylum denied!”

Discussion: • Read the legal definition of a refugee.

“ a person who ‘owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for rea-sons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality, and is unable to or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country or return there because there is a fear of persecution...’”

(1951 United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees)

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• Discuss how this definition is applied in real life and that most participants were denied “asylum” because they had no proof of well-founded fear of persecution to qualify for refugee status.

• What are some reasons that people are forced to flee their homes? Can you think of any examples you have heard about in the news?

• What would it feel like to be a refugee? What would you be forced to leave behind? How would your life change? Which human rights would be most important to you in this situation? Discuss making decisions under pressure, reasons for personal choices, and emotions evoked by the decision-making process.

• Discuss the hardships faced by refugees. What kinds of human rights violations do refugees face in their home country? What kinds of potential human rights violations do refugees face when they flee their country?

Adapted from: Donahue, David and Flowers, Nancy. 1995. The Uprooted: Refugees and the United States. Alameda, CA: Hunter

House Publishers. p. 24.

Scenario

You are a child in a country at war. Your brother disappears and your mother is fearful for your brother’s life. Your family’s name appears in a newspaper article listing suspected rebels. Later, you receive a threatening letter from an unknown sender. You decide you must flee to a new country.

PACK YOUR BAG. You can only take five things, and only what you can carry. You don’t know what will be provided at your destination. List what you would take. Choose from the following items:

O one set of clothing O a picture of your family O your favourite toy O a brush O a toothbrush O the newspaper article listing rebels O food O water O a book O a notebook O your birth certificate O your identification card or passport O soap O the threatening letter sent to you O your savings ($) O a blanket O a pillow O other:______________________

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SECTION 5

CHILD LABOUR AND POVERTY

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Child Labour and Poverty

The games in this section explore child labour and poverty from a human rights perspective. According to the UDHR, everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of him/herself and of his/her family (Article 25). However, poverty is a widespread problem affecting many people in both developing and developed nations. Children living in poverty have the full range of civil, economic, political and cultural rights but may have difficulty in having their rights enforced and respected.

Poverty-related hunger and undernutrition have lasting effects on the health and development of individuals. Many people living in poverty spend a disproportionate amount of their income on food but still do not manage to eat enough and instead become undernourished. Nearly a billion people were undernourished in 2010; 10 many of them were children.

Increased susceptibility to disease is also common when poverty is present. For example, when poverty is combined with inadequate services, such as in slums, high urban child mortality rates are common. Moreover, overcrowding, lack of ventilation, and inadequate natural light often lead to chronic ailments for children who are living in urban poverty poverty.11 Today, the locus of poverty is gradually shifting to urban areas and illuminating these problems.

Child labour is a large problem in extremely impoverished areas where children must contribute to the family’s resources. Children may work on the streets, in homes, stores or factories. Some are forced into bonded work, armed combat or other illicit activities. Often, child labourers do not attend school or have adequate time to play and rest. This violates their rights as guaranteed by the CRC.


• What’s in a Name?• Building a House• Understanding Our Rights• The Urban Poor• Tao…Bahay…Lupa 10. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2010. The State of Food Insecurity in the World 2010. [online]:

Available at: http://www.fao.org/docrep/013/i1683e/i1683e.pdf [Accessed on 16 July 2012]. p. 10


sowc2012/pdfs/SOWC%202012-Main%20Report_EN_13Mar2012.pdf [Accessed on July 3 2012]. p. 14

For more informations visit:www.unicef.orgwww.fao.orgwww.wfp.org

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Factoid: Child Labour and PovertyDefinitions:

• Child Labour: work that is mentally, physically, socially or morally dangerous and harmful to children and interferes with their schooling.

• Homeless: a person who lives on the street or in a shelter or someone without access to shelter that meets the basic criteria considered essential for health, human, and social development.

• Hunger: when the body signals it is running short of food and needs to eat something.

• Malnutrition: when the body can no longer maintain its natural capacities.• Poverty: the lack of, or the inability to achieve, a socially acceptable standard

of living.12 • Undernourishment: when caloric intake does not give the amount of energy

needed for light activity and to maintain a minimum acceptable weight for attained height.


Poverty affects many people in the world as well as in Canada and worsens problems such as child labour or malnutrition. Children living in poverty have the full range of civil, political, social, cultural and economic rights; however, many poor children have a difficult time realizing their rights and having them protected. Solving poverty is essential if everyone’s rights are to be realized.

Did You Know?

• Over one third of children in urban areas globally and half of children in urban areas in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia go unregistered at birth.13 This increases trafficking and exploitation.

• Urban children living in poverty often suffer from respiratory infections, asthma, and lead poisoning due to air pollution. Polluted indoor air is responsible for 2 million deaths annually of children under five years old.14

• In Canada, around 9 percent of the population lives on a low income.15

• Globally, around 215 million children aged 5-17 were engaged in child labour in 2008, 115 million of them in hazardous work.16

12. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2005. “Impacts of Policies on Poverty: The Definition of Poverty”.

[online]: Available at: http://www.fao.org/docs/up/easypol/312/povanlys_defpov_004en.pdf [Accessed on 16 July 2012]. p. 1


sowc2012/pdfs/SOWC%202012-Main%20Report_EN_13Mar2012.pdf [Accessed on 3 July 2012]. p. 13

14. Ibid. p. 22

15. Statistics Canada, 2012. Table 202-0802 – Persons in low income, annual, CANSIM database. [online]: Available at: http://

www5.statcan.gc.ca/cansim/a05?lang=eng&id=2020802. [Accessed on 16 July 2012].


sowc2012/pdfs/SOWC%202012-Main%20Report_EN_13Mar2012.pdf [Accessed on 3 July 2012]. p. 32

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Building a House (I)

Ages: 8-15

Time: 45 minutes

Resources: A table, art paper, crayons/colored pens, paste.

Purpose: This activity shows how distribution of wealth in a given society or community (as symbolized by one’s house) affects the well-being of an individual.

Procedure:

• Ask participants to list 20 important materials used in building a house. List them on the board.

• Divide participants into 5 groups. From the above list, ask each group to make drawings of 4 important materials used in constructing a house. Before the groups start, each group must specify the 4 materials they are going to work on to avoid duplication of materials.

• After the groups are finished, collect all the materials and place them on a table.

• Randomly assign the groups numbers 1 through 5.• Remind the groups that their objective is to construct a beautiful house using

materials on the table. Ask members of Group # 1 to come to the table and pick 10 materials they think are important in constructing a house.

• Ask members of Group 2 to choose 6 materials. • Ask members of Group 3, 4 and 5 to choose one material from the 4

remaining on the table. • Ask the groups to start constructing their houses.

Discussion:

• How do you feel about the activity? • For the groups that had enough materials, did you encounter problems in

constructing your house? • For groups that did not have adequate materials, did you encounter problems

in building your house? What did you do to solve these problems? • At any point during the game, did you consider another group’s situation and

what hardships or luxuries they may have had over your group? • How does this activity relate to the situation of the urban poor? • Based on the discussion, ask participants to express their insights/learning on

the activity.• Which human rights may be especially important to those living in poverty?

Which human rights are often violated in situations of poverty?

Adapted from: Barrameda, Teresita V. & Espallardo, Lea L. 1996. “Learning, Reflecting, and Acting for a Human Rights Future - A

Training Manual for the Education of the Human Right to Housing in Urban Communities: How to Build a House Activity”. [Online]:

Available at: http://www.pdhre.org/materials/learning2.html#2.2.1. [Accessed on 20 August 2012].

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Tao… Bahay… Lupa (O)

Ages: 10-17

Time: 25 minutes

Resources: Chalkboard or flipchart paper.

Purpose: To demonstrate the problems of the urban poor (displacement).

Procedure:

• Ask participants to stand in a large circle and to form groups of three and stand shoulder to shoulder. The participant at the center will be the tao and those on both sides, form a bahay.

• Instruct participants that when you say tao, the participants in the center will have to transfer to a different bahay. When you say bahay the participants on both sides, with hands together, will transfer to a different tao. When you say lupa ALL the participants will have to find a new partner or group.

• After one trial, directly after calling lupa, the facilitator will pull two people from the circle. Now add on another instruction: the person caught without a bahay will have to state a PROBLEM presently faced by urban poor communities. Remind participants that the problem mentioned previously by other participants cannot be repeated by succeeding participants. This participant will then also sit on the side with the other people for the remainder of the activity.

• As participants state the problems, write them on the board or paper.

Discussion:

• Review the problems stated by the participants. Ask them if there are still problems that were missed

• Draw a circle on the board, at the center draw a symbol of women. Ask participants to cite problems that specifically affect women. List these in the circle.

• Draw an outer circle. Based on the problems of urban poor communities discussed in the preceding activity, ask participants to write them in the outer circle.

• Ask for their observations on the situation or problems faced by women in comparison to men in urban poor communities.

• Based on their observations, synthesize key differences in the situations of men and women.

• How are human rights related to poverty? Which human rights violations are often present in impoverished areas?


Training Manual for the Education of the Human Right to Housing in Urban Communities: Tao…Bahay…Lupa”. [Online]: Available

at: http://www.pdhre.org/materials/learning2.html#2.2.1. [Accessed on 20 August 2012]

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The Urban Poor (I)

Ages: 10-25

Time: 20 minutes

Resources: Several bundles of bamboo skewers, role cards (see following page).

Purpose: Highlight the reasons for the differences in status of people in a society as given by the participants. Provide a definition of who the urban poor people are.

Procedure: • Pass each participant a card, asking them not to show others. Ask them to form

a circle. At the center, place the bundles of bamboo skewers.• Explain that the goal of the activity is to determine the features of urban poor

people. • Instruct participants that you are going to say something, if it is true for the role

on their card, they will get one bamboo skewers. • Start the game by asking the following:

• Who among you comes from this province? • Who among you owns numerous goods, i.e., furniture, stereos, cars? • Who among you owns a house? • Who among you has a regular job? • Who among you has income that adequately meets daily needs? • Who among you has access to health services? • Who among you has adequate electricity and water at home? • Who among you has access to proper waste disposal? • Who among you goes to school? • Who among you lives in a clean environment?

• Instruct the participants to count the number of sticks they have.

Discussion:

• What reactions or insights can you draw from the activity? • What assumptions did you make about the role you had? Looking at the

questions asked, why did you choose to pick up a stick or not?• How do you define who the urban poor are? • How does poverty relate to human rights? (basic needs, dignity etc.)• Does poverty affect children differently in comparison to adults? If yes, why and

how? If no, why not? • How many children in your community live in poverty?• What can we do?


Training Manual for the Education of the Human Right to Housing in Urban Communities: The Urban Poor Activity”. [Online]:

Available at: http://www.pdhre.org/materials/learning2.html#2.2.1. [Accessed on 20 August 2012].

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UNIVERSITY STUDENTREFUGEE WHO HAS JUST ARRIVED AND DOES

NOT SPEAK THE NATIONAL LANGUAGE

YOUTH LIVING IN A YOUTH HOME SINGLE PARENT

HOMELESS YOUTH 20 YEAR-OLD, IN A WHEELCHAIR

SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS OWNER LAWYER

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Understanding Our Rights (I)

Ages: 8-15

Time: 30 minutes

Resources: Chalk board, white board or chart paper, chalk or markers, housing issues identified by facilitator.

Purpose: Understanding the rights of urban poor people.

Procedure:

• Start by explaining that people who are considered poor are often in situations where others have been unfair to them. Ask for some examples of such situations. List them on the left side of the board.

• Ask participants how they reacted to or felt about each particular situation. List their associated reaction on the right side of the board.

• Explain that in such situations, we can react in three ways: • We can do nothing. (Passive) • We can get angry and make the other person angry too. (Aggressive) • We can explain our concern and try to resolve the situation. (Assertive)

• Divide participants into 3 groups. • Ask each group to prepare a skit depicting a situation relating to a particular

issue identified in advance by the facilitator in an urban poor community. • Each group performs a skit for the larger group. Move into discussion.

Discussion: • What kind of behaviours were presented in each situation? • What was the result? • Would another type of behaviour have resulted in better outcomes? • Is it good to be passive? To be aggressive? To be assertive? Why? Why not?

What are the outcomes resulting from each kind of behaviour? • What are some effective ways to deal with someone who is unfair to you?• What ideas can you suggest to secure your individual rights?• How do human rights protect people living in poverty?


Training Manual for the Education of the Human Right to Housing in Urban Communities: Understanding Our Rights Activity”.

[Online]: Available at: http://www.pdhre.org/materials/learning2.html#2.2.1. [20 August 2012].

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What’s in a Name (I)

Ages: 12-17

Time: 25 minutes

Resources: A page of myth vs. reality statements.

Purpose: The urban poor issue is a social problem that has its roots in the unequal distribution of resources or the unequal access and control over society’s resources. This activity examines words/phrases which describe the urban poor. It challenges participants to uncover the truth about the reality that the urban poor face.

Procedure:

• Divide one side of the room into 2 parts. On the left side, post the word MYTHS and on the right side, post the word, REALITIES.

• Instruct the participants to walk quickly to the side (Myths or Realities) that they think best responds to your statement.

• Ask the individuals from each side to explain to the individuals on the other side their reasons why the statement is a myth or a reality. After the discussion, if the whole group is convinced that it is: 1. MYTH - they will provide a counter-statement that will correct the myth. 2. REALITY - they will provide reasoning for their beliefs.

• If the whole group is still divided, have them provide an explanation for each.

Suggested Myth Statements (please add your own myths to the list):

• Homeless people choose to live on the street• Youth who don’t finish school didn’t apply themselves enough• Poor people drink and abuse drugs often• People who have low paying jobs aren’t willing to put in the effort to get ahead.

Suggested Reality Statements (please add your own realities to the list):

• Many poor people in Canada have a poor quality of healthcare• Children from poor families may not do as well in class because they do not

have proper nutrition.• Females are more affected by poverty than males.

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Discussion: • What is your reaction to the activity? • What are the names or words used to denote urban poor people? What did

you notice about the words used?• What kinds of stereotypes are being used to represent the urban poor? • How do you define homelessness? • Based on the discussion, ask participants to express their insights/learnings on

the activity. • What would you say are the realities of the urban poor? What are your

realities?• Do males and females experience poverty differently? (Access to employment,

assets, housing, transportation etc.).• What are some underlying reasons that people remain in poverty?• Are people who are homeless discriminated against by mainstream society?

How? (Discrimination often stems from myths and stereotypes). • Which human rights protect us from discrimination? Which human rights

violations do people living in poverty often experience?• Have your perceptions of the urban poor changed? If yes, how?


Training Manual for the Education of the Human Right to Housing in Urban Communities: What’s in a Name Activity”. [Online]:

Available at: http://www.pdhre.org/materials/learning2.html#2.2.1. [Accessed on 23 June 2006].

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This alternative activity will be done if the participants are not familiar with urban poor conditions.

Alternative Activity: “What’s in a Name Relay Game”

Time: 30 minutes

Resources: Photos depicting urban poor conditions, paper, pens, masking tape.

Procedure:

• In one corner of the room, mount several pictures/photos depicting conditions in urban poor communities. These can often be found in magazines or newspapers. Let participants examine the pictures/photos for 5 minutes.

• Divide participants into two equal groups and have them stand in two lines. The participants on the left side become members of Group 1 and those on the right become Group 2.

• Divide the board into 2 parts (or 2 large pieces of chart paper). Ask the groups to face the board.

• Present the rules of the game: 1. The first member will write one problem that they see in the pictures on the

paper. 2. After s/he has finished, s/he will pass the pen to the next person and move

to the end of the line. 3. The next person will write another problem and so on.4. Participants should not repeat problems that have already been stated.

• Ask the groups to start writing when they hear you call “Start”. Once both groups have had everyone write and are running out of ideas, stop the game. The group who has come up with the most problems wins.

Discussion:

• Review the answers. Ask them to add the problems that were missed. Compare the lists of the two groups. Was there anything written on the lists that you disagreed with? If yes, explain.

• Do males and females experience poverty differently? (Access to employment, assets, housing, transportation etc.).

• What are some underlying reasons that people remain in poverty?• What kinds of stereotypes are used to represent the urban poor? • Are people who are homeless discriminated against by mainstream society?

How? (Discrimination often stems from myths and stereotypes). • What human rights are important in this situation?• Have your perceptions of the urban poor changed? If yes, how?

SECTION 6

COMMUNICATION AND COOPERATION

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Communication and Cooperation

Communication and cooperation are closely tied with human rights themes and form an important section of the curriculum. The games in this section help to develop communication and cooperation skills and explore how human rights, communication and cooperation are interdependent and interrelated. Cooperation entails working together to meet shared goals and to seek mutually beneficial outcomes; it promotes greater self-esteem, empathy and social competence. Communication involves an exchange of information and enables cooperation.

Article 28 of the UDHR states that everyone is entitled to a social and international order in which the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration can be fully realized. Everyone also has a responsibility to ensure that the rights of others are respected (UDHR Article 29).The full realisation of human rights goals for everyone within a rights respecting social and international order requires effective cooperation and communication on individual, state and global levels. The CRC also reiterates the need for global cooperation to achieve children’s rights goals (see the preamble and Articles 4, 17, 22, 24 and 45).

Cooperation and communication are also important in situations of conflict resolution and vital to the fulfillment of human rights goals. Cooperation and communication demand an awareness of differences and the ability to listen to others and respect their opinions regardless of those differences. This is a vital skill in conflict resolution.


• Active Listening• Ankle Walk• Bears in the Air• How Do You See It?• One-Way, Two-Way Communication• Talking Circle• The Smarties Game

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Factoid: Communication and Cooperation

Definitions:

• Altruism: selfless concern for the well-being of others that can be distinguished from feelings of duty or loyalty.

• Cooperation: working together.• Collaboration: mutual engagement of participants in a coordinated effort to

solve the problem together.• Communication: the exchange of information between people through a

common system of signs, symbols, speech or behavior. 17


Cooperation, listening, communication and conflict resolution all share ties with human rights. Through cooperation and communication, a rights respecting society can be achieved. Active rather than passive listening is an essential aspect of effective communication.

Did You Know?

• One of the most prominent examples of global cooperation is the United Nations (UN) which officially began in 1945 after WWII. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was signed by the countries of the UN in 1948, only three years after the UN was created and is a great example of global cooperation.

• Historically, democratic countries have been less likely to go to war with each other than non-democratic countries and more likely to cooperate and remain at peace. This is called “The Democratic Peace Theory”.

• Humans have many techniques for communication including body language, drawing, speaking and showing. Long-distance communication techniques have improved vastly over the last centuries. Today, the computer and the internet have become strong contenders for the most popular means of long-distance communication.

• Empathy may be a root cause of human cooperation. For example, when many infants are together, if one of them starts crying and communicating their discomfort, often, the others start crying too.

17. Adapted from Merriam-Webster Dictionary, 2012. “Communication”. [online]. Available at: http://www.merriam-webster.com/

dictionary/communication. [Accessed 8 August 2012].

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Active Listening (I)

Ages: 10 +

Time: 25 minutes

Resources: One copy of “What helps us to listen?” and “What prevents us from listening?” from the next pages.

Purpose: This listening activity helps participants to improve their listening skills, to think about what makes “good” and “bad” listening and why some conflicts or misunderstandings arise.

Procedure:

• Form the group into pairs. • Explain that in a moment one person in each pair will have to speak without

stopping while the other person listens as carefully as s/he can. The speakers can speak about anything they want. For example, the speakers can talk about themselves, their family, or an interesting experience.

• Allow a moment for the pairs to decide who will talk and who will listen. • Give the signal for the speakers to begin speaking. • Allow the speakers a minute or two of uninterrupted speech. Then, before they

begin to run out of things to say, clap your hands and ask them to stop. • Ask the listeners to repeat back to their partner the last two sentences that

person said. This request is usually a big surprise - few people will be able to remember the two sentences perfectly!

• The pairs exchange roles, the listener now speaks and the speaker listens. • After a couple of minutes, stop the speakers again. It is likely that the listeners

this time will have been listening more carefully - so ask them to repeat the last THREE sentences which their partner said!

• Use the questions below to draw out the learning points.

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Discussion:

• Could you remember the sentences? • Was it easier to remember them the second time? Why? • What did you do to help you to listen? Did you do anything special with your

body? Or with your face? What about your mind? • What prevented you from listening? • Now show the class the information in the boxes “What helps us to listen?” and

“What prevents us from listening?” from the next pages. Is there anything in these boxes which they did not think of? Why?

• Listening is an important skill for respecting and protecting human rights. It is especially important for Article 12 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, but also for all of the other Articles. Why is this so? What do we gain from listening to each other? Have you ever been in a situation where no one would listen to you? How do we feel when our opinion is ignored? Do you agree with the idea that we can improve our listening skills by practicing?

Variations: If you wish, you can continue the game, maybe swapping partners or increasing the number of sentences that the listener must remember each time. It can be fun to repeat the game, making it harder every time. If you repeat the game, over several days or weeks, the students can see their listening improve.

Author unknown.

What prevents us from listening?

• On-off Listening People think faster than they talk. This means that when you listen to someone,

you have a lot of spare time for thinking. Often, we use this time to think about lunch, or what we did last night, instead of thinking about what the other per-son is saying!

• Prejudice Listening In every part of the world, there are words or phrases which cause people to

stop listening. Words like “capitalist”, “communist”, and “fundamentalist” are examples. When people hear these words, they stop listening and start to plan their defence, or a counter-attack.

• Closed-Minded Listening Sometimes, we decide quickly that the person or the subject is boring, wrong,

or not relevant, or that we know what the speaker is going to say. Then we stop listening.

• Distracted Listening Noise, lights, temperature, other things in the room, or what you ate for break-

fast can all prevent us from listening to what people are saying. However, with practice, we can still listen well in these circumstances.

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What helps us to listen?

• We listen with our bodies as well as with our minds. • Face the speaker. • Have good eye contact. • Have an open posture (don’t fold your arms, turn your back, etc.). • Lean towards the speaker. • Relax.

• Listen to what is being said. • Listen for the central theme, not just the facts. • Keep an open mind. • Think ahead. • Analyze and evaluate. • Don’t interrupt.

• Listen to how it is being said. • Non-verbal signs (e.g., facial expressions, body posture, etc.). • Tone of voice.

• Listening is important because: • It shows people that you value their experience and what they say. • It encourages people to talk honestly and freely. • It can help you to identify areas where people agree or disagree, and helps

you to think of solutions to these disagreements.

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Ankle Walk (O)

Ages: 10+

Time: 20 minutes

Resources: None.

Purpose: This activity aims to strengthen teamwork, decision-making and communication skills.

Procedure:

• This activity is best-suited to a group of no more than 25 people.• The goal is for the group to walk from one place to another in one line with

their feet touching their neighbours’ feet the whole time.• Explain where the starting and finish lines are going to be and that if their feet

don’t stay together the whole time, they must return to the start and try again.• Give the group a few minutes to strategize and practice.• For younger groups, divide them into smaller teams of up to four people and

have each team cross the space.

Discussion:

• You can debrief this activity for problem-solving, communication and group decision-making.

• How challenging was it to decide how to proceed as a team? Did everyone’s ideas get heard?

• In real-life, when do we have to work as a team? When can it be difficult to work as a team?

• How are communication and teamwork related to human rights?

Adapted from: Hunter, Daniel, 2012. “Ankle Walk”. [Online]: Available at: http://www.trainingforchange.org/ankle_walk.

[Accessed on 24 July 2012].

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Bears in the Air (O)

Ages: 10-17

Time: 20 minutes

Resources: A stuffed bear or another object that is soft and easy to catch and throw, a stop watch.

Purpose: In this activity, participants experience a situation where they must formulate improved methods of accomplishing a goal. The activity demonstrates the value of thinking outside the box and the assumptions that drive behaviour.

Procedure:

• This game is more effective with many participants.• Ask the participants to stand in a circle shoulder to shoulder, with yourself

included in the circle, and show them the bear.• Explain that there are only two rules to the game:

1. Everyone must touch the bear2. They must touch the bear in the same order each time.

• Have everyone hold their hands out and toss the bear to anyone in the circle. That person will then pass the bear and drop his/her hands. Everyone must have a chance to catch the bear. The last person will pass the bear back to you.

• Practice once more so that everyone becomes comfortable with the sequence.• Tell the group that now you will time them to see how fast they can do it.• After each run, tell the group that you are sure they can do it faster. The group

should be able to speed up until they reach a certain point. At that point they may in fact get slower if they are less careful because they are trying to throw more quickly.

• Stop the group and ask them if they could do the activity differently. Repeat the two rules.

• Continue until the group figures out a new system.

Hint: Systems may include standing next to each other in the correct order and passing the bear down a line or lining up their hands vertically in the right order and cascading the bear down vertically.

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Discussion:

• What happened the first few times you went through the activity? Did you go faster? Why?

• Was there anyone who had ideas to improve the system who did not speak up? What kept them from sharing their ideas? Were there any solutions suggested that were ignored? Why?

• Were there any assumptions about unstated rules that limited your ability to succeed in reaching the goal?

• Can you think of any real world situations where success is limited by only thinking in terms of going harder and faster?

• Do you have any ideas as to how to change some of the systems in our society to achieve greater success?

Adapted from: Facing the Future, 2006. “Engaging Students Through Global Issues: Lesson 8 – Bears in the Air.” [Online]:

Available at: http://www.monroecounty.gov/Image/8.Bears.in.the.Air[1].pdf. [Accessed on 20 August 2012].

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How Do You See It? (I)

Ages: 11+

Time: 25 minutes

Resources: A model design of any sort the facilitator can create, the supplies necessary for groups to redesign the model, a space large enough that groups can build a model without other groups seeing.

Purpose: This game gives each participant an opportunity to contribute ideas to the group. It also demonstrates the different perceptions that people may have of the same object and how we must work to communicate and understand each other.

Procedure:

• Find a spot where you will set up the model design and divide the participants into groups of approximately five people. Send them to different areas so that they cannot see each other’s model.

• Tell the group that using the supplies that they have, they will recreate the model design that you have. However, they can’t look at the model while they are creating their design.

• Tell them that each person from their group may only come up and see the model once and that group members must view the model individually. Each participant is to instruct the group on the design the group is to create. When the group is unsure what to do, the next participant should go look at the model.

• Once all of the participants have seen the model design, declare that the game will end in two minutes.

• Have the groups share their designs with the rest of the participants and compare it to the model design.

Hint: This game can be done using a picture, shapes or even Lego; just make sure each group has enough supplies to recreate the original design.

Discussion:

• What did you think of this game? Was it hard for you to take directions on how to create or change your design if you didn’t know what the original looked like, or if you had a different idea of what it looked like?

• Did you learn anything about communicating effectively when two people had different opinions? Did you notice that different people see things differently?

• How did you work through a solution to this problem?• Can you relate this type of problem solving to situations in the real world?

Adapted from: Neil, James, 2005. “The Wilderdom Store: Gear for Adventurous Learning”. [Online]: Available at: http://www.

wilderdom.com/games/descriptions/AmoebaRace.html. [Accessed on 23 June 2006].

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One-Way, Two-Way Communication (I)

Ages: 10+ Time: 20 minutes Resources: Copies of Chart 1 (One-way Communication) and Chart 2 (Two-way communication) on the following pages, a sheet of paper and a pencil for each participant, large copies of each of the diagrams (hidden until the end of the game), a watch. Purpose: This activity not only effectively demonstrates the concepts of one-way vs. two-way communication, but more importantly, it provides an experimental base for participants to analyze past communication situations encountered in schools, society and the home. Participants can easily grasp concepts such as Paulo Freire’s idea of people as “objects” (passive receivers with little sense of efficacy) and “subjects” (full participants in the communication and social process resulting in an enhanced sense of competency and efficacy) after experiencing the two situations. They can begin to see how people can be rendered powerless through a social process. Procedure: • Ask for a volunteer from the group who feels he/she is effective at giving

instructions.• Seat the Instructor at the front of the group with his/her back to them.

Participants should have their paper and pencils ready.• Instruct participants to label one side of their paper “one-way” and the other

“two-way.”• The group is told that the instructor will give instructions on how to draw a

figure using rectangles. The participants are to draw the rectangles exactly as the instructor directs them.

• The first drawing will be made on the side marked “one-way.” During this phase, participants are not to ask questions or give any audible expression - this includes grunts, groans and laughter. They are in a one-way communication situation.

• The Instructor is given a copy of Chart 1 (One-way Communication) and is asked to study it. He/she is to instruct the participants as to how to draw the figure so that their rectangles will look exactly like the ones on the Instructor’s sheet. The size of the rectangles is not a factor. Remind the instructor to give his/her directions as quickly and accurately as possible. Before beginning, caution the participants against asking questions and place the time on the board. Tell the instructor to begin.

• After completing this phase, place the elapsed time on the board.

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• Repeat the process with the following modifications: the Instructor uses Chart 2 (Two-way Communication) and sits facing the group while describing the figure to the group. In addition, group members are allowed to ask questions and the Instructor is allowed to respond.

• After completing this phase, place the elapsed time on the board.• After both phases are complete, ask the participants to guess how many

rectangles they drew correctly in each phase. Discussion: • Did the participants perform better during the one-way or two-way phase of the

exercise? Why?• Which took more time? Why? Which generated the most confidence? Why?• Which situation did the participants prefer? Which situation did the Instructor

prefer?• Which figure placed more responsibility on the participants? On the Instructor?

What are the implications of this?• What might be the long-term effects of being caught in a one-way situation?

Two-way?• What are the advantages of one-way communication? Of two-way

communication?• Which situation have you experienced most in school? In your family? Which

predominates in our society? Why? What disadvantages does one-way communication create for people who experience it?

• Can you think of other situations when people are more likely to be forced into one-way communication? (Discuss the powerlessness this creates)

Note: This game can also be used effectively to demonstrate the importance of good communication in conflict resolution. The discussion would then focus on communication in conflicts, how different types of communication can escalate conflict, etc.

Adapted from: Sawyer, Don & Lundeberg Wayne, 1993. The NESA Activities Handbook for Native and Multicultural Classrooms.

Vancouver: Native Education Services Associates.

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Chart 1: One-way Communication Instructions:

Study the figures shown here. With your back to the group, you are to instruct the participants on how to draw the figures. No questions from the group are permitted.

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Chart 2: Two-way Communication Instructions:

Face the group. Instruct the participants on how to draw the figure above. Answer all questions from participants and repeat if necessary.

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Talking Circle (I)

Ages: Any age Time: Variable Resources: A stick, stone, or feather as a special object. Purpose: A Talking Circle gives participants an opportunity to check in with one another in terms of how everyone is feeling. It also introduces a cultural aspect of First Nations culture to those who have not been part of it or have not seen it. Finally, a Talking Circle provides comfort and openness and therefore, the opportunity to be genuinely listened to by peers as well as adults. This activity can also be used as a wrap-up to a session. Background • The Circle is the philosophical foundation of Aboriginal culture. It is also a

forum or tool for group sharing and learning. • The Talking Circle is a time-tested technique for clearing issues and

allowing people the opportunity to express themselves in a safe and healthy environment. It can also be fun!

Procedure

• When holding a Talking Circle, it is important that the physical setting be an actual circle. Everyone is equal when sitting in the Circle.

• If this is the participants’ first experience with the Circle, begin by asking them to introduce themselves to you, say where they are from, etc. The purpose at this stage is to have the participants feel comfortable speaking in the Circle.

• Explain to the youth that, culturally, this is a very old and important activity that can be beneficial for everyone.

• Give them a reminder that whatever is said in the Circle stays there. • Start the session with some kind of brief activity, prayer or moment of silence to

center the group, establish the intention and set the mood. There must also be closure for the Circle. This would characteristically take the form of a prayer or moment of silence with everyone holding hands and may even include a song.

• A special object is designated to focus the Circle. This object is something which has been recognized culturally and represents principles of safety, strength and truth.

• Everyone in the Circle has a chance to hold the object. The only person to speak is the one holding the object. The person holding the object also understands that it is one’s privilege to do so. When each speaker is complete, s/he signifies completion with a recognized phrase. Many people use the expression “All My Relations” to signify completion.

• The Circle teaches that sometimes, the most important learning we can do is just about being human.

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Ground Rules For The Talking Circle:

• The person with the feather, stick or stone is the only person talking. The Creator gave us one mouth and two ears so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.

• What is said in the circle stays in the circle. You may not share stories from within the Circle with others unless given permission to do so.

• When someone is speaking there are to be no negative remarks about what is being said.

• When you speak it is NOT a time for you to put anyone else down. • If you have nothing to say, you can pass to the next person. Sometimes silence

is stronger than words.

Protocol • When using an eagle feather as the special object, it is important to understand

that in many cultures, the eagle is the animal that can get closest to the Creator. The eagle feather was given to the Circle as a gift that needs to be respected because it serves as a microphone to the Creator’s ears.

• When stones are used, it is important to understand that stones are known as the grandfathers of the earth who were here long before us and will be here long after we are gone.

• When we use a stick, it is important to understand that whatever tree it came from had a life of its own and that we are privileged to hold it in the Circle.

Discussion:

• It is very important that you acknowledge the fact that all took part in the Circle. If some were unable to share something with the group it is helpful to point out that it is just as important to be a good listener. Silence is very powerful. These participants can be encouraged to share in the next Circle.

Adapted from: MacPherson, S. & Tigchelaar, M., 2004. “New Horizons: Human Rights Education for Families”. Edmonton, AB: Indo

Canadian Women’s Association.

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The Smarties Game (IO)

Ages: 7 – 12 Time: 15 minutes Resources: A large box of Smarties or other candy. Purpose: This activity encourages cooperation and competition.

Procedure:

• Participants are asked to form pairs and to sit facing one another at a table. They each rest their elbows on the table and link hands (an arm wrestling position).

• Hold up the box of Smarties and tell the children that each time their partner’s hand touches the table they will win a Smartie, until the box is empty.

• When the signal to begin is given, some pairs will struggle to force each other’s arm down. Others will realize that a cooperative approach, in which each person in turn allows the other to press his or her arm to the table, will enable the pair to quickly accumulate a high score.

Variation: Use rock, paper, scissors instead of arm wrestling.

Discussion: • Identify games and activities that are competitive and cooperative. Ask children

how they experience each. Which do they prefer? What are the advantages and disadvantages of each?

• When in “real life” is it better to cooperate?• What advantages are there to paying attention to the needs of other people?• How does it help you to protect the human rights of other people (i.e., making

sure their needs are met)?• Discuss the way in which rights are accompanied by responsibilities. • The dilemma should also be posed as to whether the Smarties should be

re-distributed. Are those with the largest totals (gained through cooperation) entirely happy with an uneven distribution?

Adapted from: Pike, Graham and Selby, David, 1998. “A Chapter of Activities.” .Educating for a Peaceful Future. Smith, D,C, and

Carson, T.R. Toronto: Kagan & Woo, 1998. pp 173-174.

SECTION 7

CONFLICT RESOLUTION

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Conflict Resolution

Conflicts often arise because of differing needs. They can exist between individuals, groups, organisations or states. Effective conflict resolution is an important aspect of meeting human rights goals and the ability to handle conflict and take cooperative action is at the core of human rights education. The games in this section explore the many facets of conflict resolution and promote critical thinking and teamwork.

Many strategies for resolving a conflict exist. These include: compromise, avoidance, accommodation, collaboration, and competition. The effective resolution of a conflict can lead to increased cohesion, self-knowledge, cooperation and understanding, as well as promote a rights respecting environment.

Human rights violations are both symptoms and causes of conflicts. Cruel acts including: indiscriminate attacks on civilians, the starvation of entire populations and massacres are symptoms of conflicts. On the other hand, human rights issues, such as limited access to resources, limited political participation, exploitation, and discrimination may form the root causes of conflicts. Practitioners of conflict resolution and human rights advocates often share similar goals. In conflict situations, in the short run, both seek to end violence and minimize suffering as quickly as possible. Post conflict, both assist societies in preventing a recurrence of hostilities and promote human rights.18

The CRC states that children have the right to be protected from being hurt and mistreated, in body or mind (Article 19) and have the right to protection in times of war (Article 38). The successful resolution of conflicts helps to prevent human rights and children’s rights violations.


• 5 Pictures• Doctor Harper and Doctor Gagnon• The Ambassadors

18. Lutz, Ellen L., Babbitt, Eileen F., Hannum Hurst, 2003. “Human Rights and Conflict Resolution from the Practitioners’

Perspectives”, The Fletcher Forum of World Affairs. Vol. 27:1. [Online]. Available at: http://heller.brandeis.edu/academic/coex/

pdfs-docs/humanrights/lutz4.pdf [Accessed 22 July 2012].

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Factoid: Conflict ResolutionDefinitions:

• Compromise: in conflict resolution, when a dispute is settled by each side making concessions.

• Conflict: a struggle resulting from differing needs, ideas, wishes, or demands.• Conflict Resolution: solving a dispute or the methods and processes used to

come to a peaceful ending to a social conflict.


Successful conflict resolution is important as it can lead to increased cohesion, self-knowledge, cooperation and understanding, as well as promote a rights respecting environment. Human rights violations can be both symptoms and causes of conflicts. Try to brainstorm a few examples of when human rights violations cause conflicts and when they are symptoms of conflicts and why.

Did you Know?

• Conflict is a healthy part of relationships. It provides opportunities for growth and development. Calm, non-defensive and respectful reactions are vital.

• Even animals deal with conflict. Chimpanzees are known to spontaneously provide comfort to recent victims of aggression, a behavior known as consolation.19

• Canadian politician and former Prime Minister, Lester B. Pearson championed the idea of peacekeeping during the Suez Crisis of 1956. He earned the Nobel Peace Prize in 1957.

• Increasingly, Canadian peace efforts are concerned with nurturing stable governments and promoting human rights.

19. Romero, Teresa, Castellanos, Miguel A., de Waal, Frans, B.M., 2010. “Consolation as Possible Expression of Sympathetic

Concern among Chimpanzees”, PNAS. Vol. 107:27. [online]. Available at: http://www.pnas.org/content/107/27/12110.full.

pdf+html [Accessed 23 July 2012].

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5 Pictures (I)

Ages: 10-18 Time: 30 minutes Resources: Nothing specific is required, although teams may be permitted to use the objects around them as props if they wish. Purpose: This game allows participants to work creatively through a problem as a team. It offers an alternative to the traditional role-play. Procedure: • This game can be used to

complement any section of this activity book. Often, it can be used by a skilled facilitator as an impromptu way of dealing with a problem or issue that has surfaced during a presentation, such as bullying, discrimination, something the participants have seen in the news, etc. It is up to the facilitator to pick a problem that can be dealt with using the five pictures.

• Some sample situations could involve: bullying that occurs on the school playground, discrimination towards a new student in the class who is from overseas, a child who sacrifices school to partake in laborious work in a developing country, etc.

• Divide the group into teams of 4-6 members.

• Give them each a problem that they must act out. They can all be given different problems, or it can be interesting to give them the same problem if there are only 3 or 4 teams. Each team will interpret it differently.

• Tell the teams that they have 10-15 minutes to create 5 different pictures that depict how the problem developed, the problem, what could happen if the problem is not dealt with properly, one or several solutions to the problem. They have complete flexibility to decide what they want each picture to reflect, but they have only 5 pictures with which to create their message.

• The pictures are still tableaus. Each participant takes up one position and maintains it long enough for the audience to get a sense of the whole picture.

• Groups may have a narrator who interprets each tableau, or they may choose to enact their situation silently and then discuss it with the audience after they are done.

• After 10-15 minutes of planning, each group returns to the presentation area. Each group takes a turn presenting their 5 pictures. Each explains what the problem was as they saw it, how they interpreted it and how they resolved it.

Discussion: • Discussion can be done either

after each individual presentation or after all the presentations. The nature of the discussion will vary greatly depending on the problems that were depicted.

• Relate the 5 pictures to human rights using the human rights documents found in Appendix A (p. 262) of the Curriculum.

Created by Andy Pearcey and Jane Conly for the John

Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights, 2005.

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Doctor Harper and Doctor Gagnon (I)

Ages: 14+ Time: 30 minutes Resources: Role descriptions for Dr. Gagnon and Dr. Harper. Purpose: In this activity, participants experience a conflict situation, and must find a creative way to resolve it. Participants are also asked to make important value judgments.

Procedure: • Divide the group into 2 (or 4) sub-groups of 4-5 persons. Half of the group will

receive a copy of Dr. Gagnon’s role, and the other half will receive a copy of Dr. Harper’s role.

• After all participants have read their roles, teams will have 5 to 10 minutes to define a strategy for the debate that will take place between Dr Gagnon and Dr Harper. They must decide how they will convince the other sub-group (holding the opposite point of view) that they should be the ones to get the “veginot” cultivation.

• Bring the “Dr. Gagnon” team and the “Dr. Harper” team together. The groups have 20 minutes to resolve the conflict.

• In reading both role descriptions, you will notice that there is a solution to the conflict: one group needs the peel of the fruit, and the other needs the seeds. However, the participants don’t know that. At the end of the 20 minutes, stop the discussion, even if the groups were unable to find the solution. Start the debriefing by giving the group some clues as to the solution.

Discussion: • Were you able to agree on a solution? If so, what is it?• What made it difficult to resolve the conflict? What helped you to find a

solution?• In a cross-cultural context, what are the factors that can make conflict

resolution more difficult? • What factors can facilitate conflict resolution?• How did you feel during the activity?• What were your reactions during the discussion? How did you react to the

conflict?• How is effective conflict resolution related to human rights?

Adapted from: Canada World Youth educational materials.

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Doctor Gagnon’s Character

You are a scientist doing research on a vaccine that prevents “stache,” an infantile disease that can permanently disfigure a victim and cause cerebral lesions. The disease is usually so rare that your research was considered to have no particular value. At this moment, however, there is an epidemic in a small community and a lot of children are in danger if they don’t receive the vaccine. Not administering the vaccine creates the risk of a national or even global epidemic. If the company for which you are working is able to produce enough vaccine to control the epidemic, the vaccine will be well known and will receive a government grant. You will be able to continue your research. Even better, you will be world-renown for your contribution to humanity. You will be a star! Unfortunately, the “veginots” that you use for the vaccine are very rare. The “veginot” is a kind of melon that has a toxic peel when it is ripe. It takes 4 months to produce the toxin. You need this toxin for your vaccine. Your latest crop was destroyed by an early frost just before the outbreak of “stache”. You need to have the peel of the “veginots” immediately, if not, it will be too late to prevent the epidemic. Your research has shown that only one other crop of ripe “veginots” exists. This crop is large enough to produce the quantity of vaccine you need to prevent the epidemic, but you won’t have any to spare. The owner of the “veginots” crop will only sell to the best offer. Doctor Harper, a scientist researching for a rival company, also needs the “veginots”. You are not sure of the type of research he is doing, but you know that it is related to national security. Doctor Harper is competing for the same crop of “veginots” as you. Your company has authorized you to bid for the “veginots” crop and gives you a budget of 3 million dollars. However, you have decided to talk to Doctor Harper before approaching the owner of the “veginots” with a purchase offer. You hope to be able to convince Doctor Harper to give you priority over the crop.

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Doctor Harper’s Character

You are a scientist that does research on a top-secret project for national security. By accident, you and your group have discovered “zeno”, a substance that has the power to neutralize the radioactive particles emitted by a nuclear explosion. By the time you made this discovery, you had almost run out of “zeno”. The ingredients necessary to recreate “zeno” are not too difficult to obtain, except for the seed of the “veginot”. The “veginot” is an experimental melon that takes four months to produce. There has been confirmation that there is a nuclear threat within the next few days in a conflict zone. Even though you don’t know exactly where the bomb will explode, you have narrowed it down to a particular region. If you have enough “zeno,” you can create “zeno” clouds to protect these countries. Your research is conclusive: the clouds will produce rain that will protect an area from radioactive particles. Obviously, the knowledge of this project must be kept top secret. Your research has shown that only one crop of ripe “veginots” exists. This crop is large enough to produce the quantity of “zeno” you need to protect the entire conflict zone, but you won’t have any to spare. The owner of the “veginot” crop will sell to the best offer. Doctor Gagnon, a scientist working at a rival company, also needs the “veginots” for his research into a very rare disease. Doctor Gagnon knows of the existence of the crop and also wants to buy it. The federal government is not totally convinced of the value of “zeno”. It has authorized you to spend 3 million dollars to obtain the “veginots”. However, you have decided to speak with Doctor Gagnon before approaching the owner of the “veginots” with a purchase offer. You hope to be able to convince Doctor Gagnon to give you priority over the crop.

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The Ambassadors– Modified Version (I)

Ages: 15+ Time: 60 minutes Resources: Small rooms or separate areas in a larger room for team meetings, a large room for the meeting of the whole group, copies of the lists of characteristics of each culture represented on the following pages, large sheets of paper (flip chart), markers in various colours, tape. Purpose: Participants come to identify the difficulties in an intercultural meeting. They identify the emotions experienced during such meetings and are encouraged to confront their own values. Procedure: • This activity simulates a diplomatic encounter between Canadian

representatives and those of other countries. Divide the participants into 5 teams: each team will represent one country at the meeting. Give every team a copy of its country’s cultural characteristics (which include their instructions for the activity). Provide 15-20 minutes at the beginning of the activity for teams to meet separately and plan their strategies according to their instructions.

• The Canadians, who have created international computer programs, had the idea to invite a few of their partners to discuss the possibility of working together to design an interactive world map for the Internet. This map would make it easier for everyone to learn about world geography. The meeting is organized by the Canadian delegation and is held in Canada.

• Before the meeting, each delegation is asked to draw a diagram of its design for the world map. This way, an initial draft would be made; discussions would not be as long and an agreement might possibly by reached during the meeting.

• Once teams have had the chance to create their vision of the world map, each delegation attends the meeting chaired by the Canadians and discussions begin.

• It is not necessary for a decision to be made but it is important for each delegation to play its role as described in the sheet of characteristics.

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Discussion: • What made it difficult to create the map? What helped you to find a solution?• In a cross-cultural context, what are the factors that can make conflict

resolution more difficult? What factors can facilitate conflict resolution?• How did you feel during the activity? What were your reactions during the

discussion? How did you react to the cultural characteristics of the other groups?

• How is conflict resolution related to human rights? • What methods can we use in solving conflicts?• Why is conflict resolution an important aspect of achieving human rights?

Adapted from: Canada World Youth Handbook, Intercultural Adaptation and Communication, Netcorps 2003.

The Canadians You have decided to create an interactive world map for the Internet and have therefore invited partner countries to help you create this map. You will be hosting delegations from these countries and chairing a meeting to discuss the look of the map. You wish to reach an agreement and get the project underway as quickly as possible. The delegations will soon be arriving.

• You must decide who will be responsible for greeting them.• You must decide how the meeting will progress.• You must decide what questions to ask them and what information you will or

will not provide about your ideas for the world map.• You must make a rough diagram of your design for the map.• You must meet the representatives from all of the delegations.

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Delegation from Lanivia Lanivians like to live in harmony. You are very attached to traditions. It is important for you to create good interpersonal relations. You have enormous respect for older people. You like to talk but don’t need to use many words since your non-verbal language is very expressive and you know how to use it very well. You don’t care much for people who seem to have too many personal interests. You like human interaction to be smooth, and any type of negotiations bother you. You do not talk with people with whom you disagree.

You value touching a great deal. Usually, you hold a person’s hand for as long as possible when meeting them for the first time. All of your conversations are interspersed with touching.

You have a tendency to ask people what their family rank is, and when you learn that someone’s rank in his family is lower than yours, you immediately lose interest in the person. For example, if you are the second child in your family, you would not be interested in a person who is the third child in his/her family. You see the world map with a lot of circles and a lot of red. You will soon be meeting the other delegations.

• You must determine how your team will present itself to the others.• You must decide how you will present your idea for the map.• You must make a rough diagram of your design for the map.• You must meet the representatives from all the delegations. * It is very important not to mention the characteristics of your culture to others

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Delegation from Montza Montzans prefer decentralized work. You never hesitate to consult your subordinates. On the other hand, you are very task-oriented. You like things to be accurate and precise. You are innovative. You don’t like being ordered to do something. Nor do you like formalities which lead to a waste of time. You hate it when emotions get mixed up in work discussions, but you are an open and friendly people. You talk a lot and use a great deal of hand gestures.

In addition, to show the person with whom you are speaking that you are really listening, it is considered polite in your culture to begin speaking before he has completed his sentence. You often talk instead of the other person because in your country this indicates respect. You see the world map with a lot of white spaces. You will soon be meeting the other delegations.

• You must determine how your team will present itself to the others.• You must decide how you will present your idea for the map.• You must make a rough diagram of your design for the map.• You must meet the representatives from all the delegations. * It is very important not to mention the characteristics of your culture to others.

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Delegation from Syrabia You Syrabians are a people of nature. You like to rely on what life gives you, which you always consider a gift (be it good or not so good.) You deem that life is a passage during which you are always in a learning situation. You are people who see the positive side and have great faith in life and human beings, since they come from nature. You are people who like to be close. You think this is a good way to grasp the ideas of the person you are speaking with.

Therefore, you stand very close to someone when you are talking to her. In your country, it is a sign of respect to listen very carefully to each word of the person who is speaking to you while remaining just a few centimeters away from her. It is also a great sign of respect to move closer when the other person moves back a little during the conversation. You see the world map with soft lines, close together, with a lot of green and blue.

You will soon be meeting the other delegations.

• You must determine how your team will present itself to the others.• You must decide how you will present your idea for the map.• You must make a rough diagram of your design for the map.• You must meet the representatives from all the delegations.

* It is very important not to mention the characteristics of your culture.

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Delegation from Zhabori You Zhaborians like rules of conduct, even those that don’t work. You are a very proud people and are certain that you hold the truth. In short, according to you, you are always right. You also know that you can predict things. You are always very emotional when you speak.

You don’t like anything that is not familiar to you. The environment in which people live is very important to you and gives you some indication about that person. You never hesitate to ask others about this type of information. You are bothered by people who are flexible and change their mind. You like things to be very clear and ambiguity disarms you.

In your country, it is impolite to look others in the eye. You always look at the ceiling or the floor, never at the person with whom you are talking. You see the world map with a well defined outline, straight lines, contrasting colours.

You will soon be meeting the other delegations. • You must determine how your team will present itself to the others.• You must decide how you will present your idea for the map.• You must make a rough diagram of your design for the map.• You must meet the representatives from all the delegations. * It is very important not to mention the characteristics of your culture.

SECTION 8

“CONSTRUCTING” PEACE

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“Constructing” Peace

A culture of human rights is a prerequisite for achieving peace (for more informa-tion, visit www.msf.org and/or http://www.nobelprize.org). Definitions of the exact nature of peace vary with culture, background or beliefs. In political terms, peace is the absence of war and hostilities. In international relations, peace is also the presence of positive and respectful relationships between states and cultures. Peace can refer to a state of being within a country (as opposed to civil war) or between countries (as opposed to international war). It can mean general disarmament or the dissemination of the concept of peace itself. Peace can refer to local or global situations and involve one person (inner peace), a small group, or everyone.

The quest for peace has had many manifestations over time. One of the best known is the “Flower Power” movement of the late 1960s where “Flower Power” was a symbol of passive resistance and non-violence. Another example is Mahatma Gan-dhi’s non-violent resistance to British rule in India during the early to mid 1900s. His philosophy of peace is said to have influenced Martin Luther King, Jr’s civil rights movement in the United States. In Canada, foreign policy is often associated with the practice of peacekeeping and peacemaking, as supported by Lester B. Pearson.

Establishing peace and respecting human rights are overlapping goals. The UDHR was signed after World War II with the intention of preventing future atrocities. Meeting the goal of peace is one way to prevent the violence of war. The most re-nowned prize for peace is the Nobel Peace Prize, which is often awarded for human rights triumphs. Cherished people such as Martin Luther King Jr., Desmond Tutu, the Dalai Lama, and Aung San Suu Kyi have won the prize in recognition of their com-mitment to human rights goals and peace.

The activities in this section are mainly crafts. For more ideas on peace-related activities, see the “Conflict Resolution and Cooperation” section.

The activities in this section include:

• 3 Things I Can Do• Cooperative Bridge Building• Human Rights Collage• Imagining Possible Futures• Rights Magnets• The Promise of the Peace Dove• What Characterizes Human Beings?

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Factoid: “Constructing Peace”Definitions:

• Pacifism: the opposition to any forms of war or violence as a means of solving conflicts.

• Peace: in a state of harmony or tranquility.


Peace is defined in many ways. It can refer to: the lack of war or hostilities, a posi-tive relationship between states and cultures, a global or local situation, or the state of an individual (inner peace). Peace has been sought after throughout the ages. Many people have become strong symbols of non-violence and promoters of peaceful conflict resolution. Mahatma Gandhi is amongst their ranks. Peace and human rights are intricately linked. The realisation of human rights goals is an important step on the path towards peace.

Did You Know?

• The word “peace” is originally a translation of the Hebrew word shalom. Shalom also means justice, good health, well-being, prosperity, equity, security, good fortune and friendliness.

• The Nobel Peace Prize has been given out since 1901. Henry Dunant, founder of the Red Cross and Frederic Passy, a leading international pacifist were the first recipients. The Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded for a wide range of peace-related acts such as human rights promotion, mediation and arms control.

• In some languages the word “peace” is used as a greeting or as farewell. The Hawaiian word “Aloha” and the Arabic word “Salaam” are examples.

• Many different peace symbols exist. These include the modern peace sign, the olive branch, the dove, a white poppy, a broken rifle, a paper crane, or the rainbow peace flag.

• The International Day of Peace is celebrated on September 21 each year.

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3 Things I Can Do (I) Ages: 6-14 Time: 20 minutes Resources: Many pre-cut strips of paper with human rights promoting actions on them, one piece of construction paper for each child, felt-tip pens and other items, such as stickers and sparkles, for decorating the contracts. Purpose: This activity shows children several concrete things that they can do to help promote human rights. At the end of a session, the participants will feel a sense of empowerment that they can do something to improve the world they live in. Procedure: • Children are asked to choose three strips of paper which describe three things

they will do to promote human rights. • The children glue these “3 Things I Can Do” to their piece of construction

paper. They may then colour and decorate their “contracts”. • When everyone has completed the craft, have them all sign the bottom of their

“contracts” demonstrating that they will do these three things. In so doing, they will help promote human rights around the world!

• Tell the children that it would be good to try very hard to follow their contracts, but if they are unable to, remind them that they can find other ways of promoting human rights.

• If the children are very young and cannot read, have them think of one or two things they can do to promote human rights and have them draw these things out. If you are working with older youth, use more complicated human rights actions and skip the contract decorating.

• Some examples of possible actions (for more ideas, see the “What Now?” section at the end of this curriculum):• I will write letters to Amnesty International to protest against people’s rights

being violated.• I will visit hungersite.com every day for a week and click to end world hun-

ger (www.hungersite.com: hit the “click here” button to give a cup of rice).• I will tell five adults about what I learned today.• I will tell five friends about what I have learned.• One time this week, I will stop kids from teasing someone else or I will hang

out with someone I do not normally talk to.• Tomorrow, I will compliment three people.

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Discussion: • As this is usually the last activity of a presentation, very little discussion is

needed. Instead, focus on how this activity is only the beginning. There are many other things people can do to promote human rights. Thank them for taking part in the day and congratulate them for making a promise.

Troubleshooting: If the children can think of things they would like to do to promote human rights other than those provided, allow them to write these things into their contracts. However, if their ideas seem too unrealistic or big, perhaps say “Good for you for thinking of such an important human rights action! Why don’t you pick two other things from the possibilities for your contract, and then put your idea down at the bottom as a ‘special project’ that you would like to see happen.” You want to minimize the possibilities of chil-dren signing on to something they cannot do. Created by Andy Pearcey and Jane Conly for the John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights, 2005.

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Cooperative Bridge Building (IO)

Ages: 8-17 Time: 20 minutes Resources: 3 large pieces of newsprint per group, 12 inches of masking tape, 1 ruler. Purpose: This activity will teach children about the benefits of cooperation. This activity is very useful as part of a bullying session. Procedure:

• Place participants into groups of 3.• Have each participant write a peace message or one thing s/he can do to

promote human rights on a piece of newsprint. • Give each group 5 minutes to discuss a plan of action for building a bridge

with a span of at least 9 inches long using only the supplies they have.• Have participants carry out their plan of action without speaking. Give them

15 minutes to complete the task. The level of difficulty of this exercise should increase or decrease depending on the participants’ ages, providing more or less supplies with which to build the bridge.

Discussion: • Ask the children what problems they encountered while building the bridge.

How did they feel while building the bridge? How important is cooperation in achieving a goal? How does lack of communication cause problems?

• Tell the children that they have now built a bridge towards human rights promotion. The image of a bridge is often used as a way of describing how to overcome a problem. All the bridges are powerful, since hidden within each one are important ways to create a better world.

• Discuss how peace, human rights, cooperation and communication are all very closely linked. Ask the children why they think effective cooperation and communication might be important for peace.

Adapted from: Schmidt, Fran. 1997. “KPAN: The Kids Action Network and the Peace Reporters”. Miami: Peace Education Interna-

tional. p. 36.

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Human Rights Collage (I)

Ages: 6-10 Time: 30 minutes Resources: Magazines, paper, glue, scissors, markers. Purpose: This activity helps younger children understand and appreciate human diversity and asks them to identify the human rights that children have. Procedure: • This game is a suitable conclusion to a program in which children have learned

about their human rights and why human difference (cultures, skin colour, languages etc.) is valuable.

• Have the children make individual collages or collages in small groups. Tell them first to pick pictures that show human diversity. Have them cut these pictures out. Next, have the children pick out pictures that they feel represent their human rights or show people having their human rights met (i.e. pictures of food or pictures of children receiving food).

• Once they have cut out their pictures, have the children glue them to construction paper to create their own human rights collage.

Discussion:

• To end the activity (and often the session), have the children share their collages with the group. Have them explain which pictures represent which human rights. If there is a right that comes up a lot in the pictures, have the children identify why that right came up so often (for instance, is it more important to them?).

Created by Linda Topacz

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Imagining Possible Futures (I)

Ages: 14+

Time: 30 minutes

Resources: Newsprint, pens, markers

Purpose: Using imagination to free the mind and envisioning possibilities for the future of the planet. There is no right or wrong answer but this activity invites stu-dents to explore and share ideas.

Procedure:

• Explain to participants that the group will be entering the world of 2030 by way of their imagination. To get comfortable in the imaging mode, ask participants to choose a personal memory to re-experience from their recent past or from their early childhood. The memory should be a good one, and one that they enjoy reliving. Ask them to think about all of the details of the setting including the people involved, the sights, the smells, the sounds and the feel of the place. Participants can make some notes or sketches about the memory if necessary.

• After a few minutes of individual imagining, participants should choose a partner and share some of the details of the memory. They should share all the details of the environment and what is happening in the memory. They need not focus on describing why it is a good memory, only on describing it so that their partner can also feel what it was like. Each partner takes a turn.

• Now it is time to move to the future, the year 2030. First, ask participants to focus on peace. What would peace look like? What would it feel like? How would a peaceful society operate? What is their personal hope for peace? Ask participants to think about peace and write down a goal statement that expresses their personal hopes for a peaceful future. Statements should be two or three sentences long.

• Next, ask participants to ‘remember the future’ in the same way they remembered past memories. Guide them through the exercise saying, “Keeping in mind your goal statements, allow your mind to envision a world in which your hopes have been realized. You are an observer, stepping into the peaceful year 2030 to look and see what is there. What do you find?”

• Some questions that you can ask are:• What are people doing – the children, the elderly, men, women, young

adults? • What kind of housing is there? • What do families look like? • What do buildings and structures look like? • How would you describe the physical environment? • What is the government like? • How are local decisions made and carried out?

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• How do people travel or make connections across long distances? • How do people of different ages learn things?• How are local and long-distance conflicts and differences approached and

handled?• Is anyone playing? How do they play?• What kinds of entertainment do people enjoy?

• Remember, participants are not trying to predict a realistic or probable world of 2030 in this exercise. They are envisioning possible alternative futures based on their hopes and fantasies about peace and justice. Encourage students not to get stuck on thinking, “but this could never happen.” Instead, they should let go of what they think is possible in order to dream.

• Organize students into groups of four to discuss what they see. Students should stay in the future, still observing in the year 2030, while describing what they see to classmates. Students should listen carefully to each other and ask questions only to clarify what the speaker has said. Give students time to discuss their various visions.

• Finally, in small groups, students can create a newsprint sheet that depicts their group’s vision of the year 2030. This process can be left largely to individual groups. They can create one collective vision in the group or represent their separate ideas on the paper.

• Newsprint pages should be presented to the class, still speaking from the present of 2030, and posted so that all can see. Once all the groups have presented, discuss commonalties and differences among student visions.

• Invite students to return to the present. If desired, continue discussion of the possible futures in terms of what students could do in the present to begin to prepare or build their imagined future of peace.

NOTE: The visioning part of this exercise could also be conducted in small groups. In larger classes, working in small groups may be advisable.

Discussion:

• How did you feel during the imaging activity?• How would you teach a friend or relative about global citizenship? (Make

sure children understand that a global citizen is someone who understands that their actions have both a local and global impact. Therefore, global citizenship promotes taking action to build a more just and sustainable world for everyone)

• How would you teach a friend or relative about leadership and vision?• Ask students to describe something they learned in this activity.• Do you think leadership and global issues matter in your life? If so, in what

ways?• How do human rights help protect/shape our future?

Adapted from: Boulding Elise 1990. “A Workbook for Imagining a World Without Weapons,” in Building a Global Civic Culture:

Education for an Interdependent World. Syracuse University Press. pp. 172-176.

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Rights Magnets (I)

Ages: 6-11 Time: 20 minutes Resources: Magnet strips (to be cut into pieces for the corners of each craft), glue, a copy of the “Children’s Rights” list (see the following page) for every child, glitter (assorted colours), large cookie sheet to catch extra glitter, stickers and con-struction paper in assorted colours. Purpose: This activity invites participants to become familiar with the rights of children and thus heighten their awareness of their own rights. It also provides chil-dren with their own copy of some of their rights as put forward in the Convention on the Rights of the Child adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on November 20, 1989. Procedure: • Read aloud the rights of children from the Children’s Rights list. After each

point, get the children to call out examples. • Hand out a copy of the Children’s Rights list to each participant. Also give them

the craft materials. Have the children decorate their own copy of their rights. • When the children have finished decorating their copy of the Children’s Rights

list, help them glue the magnetic strips to the back of their paper. • They now have a rights magnet. Discussion: • Ask children if they know what to do if someone is taking away their rights. Let

them come up with some ideas and give them others. For example:• Tell an adult they trust who will assist them.• Contact an organization that helps children.• Call the police if they are in danger.• Contact a teacher, a social worker, or any other trusted adult if they are not

getting enough food or water, or if denied things like shelter.• Contact a Human Rights Commission and ask them for help.

Created by Cheryl Deshaies

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Children’s Rights

I have the right…

• To education.

• To have a family.

• To food and shelter.

• To a safe environment and health care.

• To have a name.

• To be treated equally and fairly.

• To rest and play.

• To have views and opinions.

• To have protection from harmful acts

Children’s Rights

I have the right…

• To education.




• To have a name.




• To have protection from harmful acts.

Children’s Rights

I have the right…

• To education.




• To have a name.





Children’s Rights

I have the right…

• To education.




• To have a name.





Children’s Rights

I have the right…

• To education.




• To have a name.





Children’s Rights

I have the right…

• To education.




• To have a name.





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The Promise of the Peace Dove (I)

Ages: 7-14 Time: 40 minutes Resources: A copy of the guidelines for an origami paper crane/dove on the following page for each student, pre-cut six-inch (or 31.5 cm) squares of thin, coloured paper, (there should be sufficient paper for two or three squares per participant), thin markers, pens or pencils, thick nylon sewing thread and pins. Purpose: This exercise combines historical information with an exercise to teach children and youth about making commitments or pledges to change society or one’s life. Procedure: • Ask the participants if they know about the bombing of Hiroshima and

Nagasaki in 1945. Tell them about the bombing and the suffering of the Japanese people. You can show a film or tell a story about the dropping of the bomb. Then discuss the Japanese art of origami, paper folding, and how they began to make “peace cranes” as a way to remind the world of peace.

• In the West, we associate peace with a different type of bird, the dove. So, in this exercise we are calling our peace cranes “Peace Doves”. (Optional: Discuss the origin of the Dove of Peace in the story of Noah’s Ark.)

• Have the participants write a commitment or pledge for change in small letters in the middle of the white side of the paper (or the side of the dove that will be hidden). Tell them it can be a secret between the peace dove and themselves. Then help them to fold the peace dove by guiding them step by step.

• They should each have a copy of the instructions, but if possible, try to project the instructions on a screen using an overhead projector. This is not necessary if the equipment is unavailable or difficult to obtain.

• You could use a square double the size so everyone can see the folding you do to demonstrate. Ensure they are folding their promise on the inside so it is not visible and remains “a secret pledge”. Have them poke a hole with a pin in the top of the dove’s back so it can hang balanced. Then draw a thread through the hole and tie it.

Discussion: • Discuss how the children can remember their pledge and act on it by hanging

up their dove. Discuss the importance of honouring pledges and doing our best to accept responsibility for suffering or unfairness in our own lives and in the lives of others.



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What Characterizes Human Beings? (I)

Ages: 8-12

Time: 30 minutes

Resources: Craft paper, scissors, pencils, pens, paste, crayons/colored pencils, masking tape.

Purpose: In order to be a human, individuals must possess all the qualities that contribute to their human dignity — the totality of being human. When any of these qualities that comprise the totality of human dignity is missing in an individual, it means there has been a violation of one’s dignity as a human being. This craft encourages participants to think about these qualities.

Procedure:

1. Divide participants into groups. Ask the groups to discuss the following: 1) Their concept of human beings and the qualities of human beings.2) Important elements that individuals must have and enjoy in order to

enhance the qualities of human beings (e.g. food and nutrition enhances our health)

• After they have had a chance to discuss this, ask each group to draw human beings at the center of their craft paper, indicate the qualities that characterize them as human beings and surround them with the elements that they must have to fully experience these qualities as human beings.

• Let each group explain their drawing in a group discussion.

Discussion:

• After all the groups make their presentations, have further discussion and start by asking, what is your reaction to the activity?

• Deepen discussion on the contents of the drawings. Ask the following questions: • What does it mean to be a human

being? • What do we need as human beings? • Why have some individuals been denied the elements necessary to be fully

human? What are some of the consequences when individuals are denied these elements?

• How do you define human rights?• Highlight key points in the discussion and briefly provide input based on key

points that surfaced in the discussion.


Training Manual for the Education of the Human Right to Housing in Urban Communities: What Characterizes a Human Being?

Activity”. [Online]: Available at: http://www.pdhre.org/materials/learning2.html#2.2.1. [Accessed on 20 August 2012].

SECTION 9

DIFFERENT RESOURCES

142

Different Resources

The world is abundant in resources. The UDHR states that everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing, and medical care (Article 25). However, with an uneven and inequitable distribution of world resources, this isn’t always possible. The games in this section look at competition and fairness in society in regards to the distribution of resources (for more ideas, look at the Status, Child Labour, and Poverty sections).

For many years, economists believed that population growth would soon lead to a shortage of food in the world, as less space would be available to grow food for an ever-increasing population. Today, innovation in agriculture has increased produc-tivity and efficiency to a level where an increasing population doesn’t jeopardize food security. However, an unequal distribution of food resources means that in many areas, people still don’t get enough to eat or can’t afford the food that is available. This makes it difficult for countless people to realise their right to food. Some countries and regions use more of the world’s resources per person than others. This can be measured and compared using a tool called an ecological footprint. The United Arab Emirates and the United States are the two countries that have the largest ecological footprints per person in the world.20 This means that the amount of biological materials consumed and the carbon dioxide emissions gener-ated by each person per year are the highest in these countries. Canada ranks ninth, with roughly half the ecological footprint of the UAE. Bangladesh has the lowest measured ecological footprint per capita (per person) in the world.

The uneven distribution of resources can cause competition over available resources. Competition is an important aspect of a healthy society as it allows for people’s talents to shine and often rewards people for hard work. However, compe-tition can also be harmful when it is the source of human rights violations.


• Jellybeans to Feed the World• Peace Monster• Something to Think About• Unequal Resources 20. World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), 2000. “Ecological Footprint by Country”, Living Planet Report 2000. Gland, Switzerland:

2000.

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Factoid: Different Resources

Definitions:

• Ecological Footprint: A measure of human demand on the Earth’s ecosystems and the ability of the Earth to regenerate.

• GDP per Capita: a measurement of the total output per person of a country (or the total income per person). It can be used as a rough estimate of standard of living.

Understanding the Concept

The UDHR states that everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing, and medical care (Article 25). The world is abundant in resources. The uneven distribution of world resources means that while there are excesses of some resources in certain areas, there are also shortages in other areas. The Earth has the capacity to provide food and water for all, yet people don’t always live where resources are available; in many areas salt water, or contaminated fresh water are abundant rather than clean drinking water.

Did You Know?

• In 2000, The United Arab Emirates had the largest ecological footprint per capita (per person) in the world, followed by the United States. Canada ranked ninth and had an ecological footprint around half the size of the UAE’s. This means that the amount of biological materials consumed and the carbon dioxide emissions generated by each person per year was the highest in these countries. Bangladesh had the lowest ecological footprint per capita of the countries measured.21

• Access to resources can be affected by material wealth. Recently, Liechtenstein had the highest Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita in the world. This means that citizens of Liechtenstein on average have the most money per person in the world to spend on resources. Canada was ranked number 20. The Democratic Republic of the Congo was number 226.22

• The wealthiest 20 percent of the world population in 2005 accounted for almost 80 percent of total private consumption. The poorest fifth, just 1.5 percent.23 This illustrates a large difference in resources.

21. World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), 2000. “Ecological Footprint by Country”, Living Planet Report 2000. Gland, Switzerland:

2000.

22. CIA World Factobook, 2012. “Country Comparison: GDP Per Capita (PPP)”. [Online]: Available at: https://www.cia.gov/library/

publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2004rank.html# [Accessed on 26 July 2012].

23. Global Issues, 2010. “Poverty Stats and Facts”. [Online]: Available at: http://www.globalissues.org/article/26/poverty-facts-

and-stats#src16 [Accessed on 26 July 2012].

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Jellybeans to Feed the World (I)

Ages: 7-14 Time: 20 minutes Resources: A bag of jelly beans with enough for at least three per participant. Purpose: The distribution of jellybeans in this game helps participants real-ize that there is enough food for everyone in the world, but food is not distributed evenly. The game also helps children understand how it feels to not have enough food. Procedure:

• Each participant picks a slip of paper from a hat. Eighty per cent say “poor” and twenty per cent say “rich”.

• Divide the group so that the rich participants have two-thirds of the space and the poor participants are crowded into a corner at the back of the designated area.

• Give the “rich” group a bowl of jellybeans (more than three per participant) and the “poor” group a small bowl with just a few jellybeans (not enough for each child).

• Before the participants begin to eat, they must decide how to divide the jellybeans

Note: Before the end of the exercise, provide extra jellybeans for the children in the “poor” group. Discussion:

• How did the two groups feel about the way the jelly beans were distributed?• Did the rich group share with the poor group? If they did share, how did they

decide to share and how much to share?• Why is food important? Why is sharing important? What happens when you

never have enough to eat and always feel hungry?• Should rich countries share with poorer countries? How can we do this?• Discuss the distribution of space during this exercise. Compare the population

of Canada to other countries that are heavily populated. How did it feel to be in the space you were in, depending on which group you were assigned?

• Which human rights guarantee essential resources to all humans?

Adapted from: Scouting Web, 2006. “Jellybeans to Feed the World.” [Online]: Available at: http://www/scoutingweb.com/Scoutin-

gWeb/SubPages/JellyBeansGame.htm. [Accessed on 14 June 2006].

145

Peace Monster (I)

Ages: 6-10 Time: 25 minutes Resources: Scissors, popsicle sticks (of various colours), white paper, milk cartons, egg cartons, coloured markers, glue, tape, toilet paper rolls, googly eyes, construction paper in various colours, pipe cleaners, pencil crayons, newspaper, stickers, paint. Each group gets a different bag of resources. • Group 1: Pencil crayons, newsprint paper, old newspapers, toilet paper rolls

and tape.• Group 2: Pencil crayons, newsprint paper, plain white paper, milk cartons,

toilet paper rolls, tape and scissors.• Group 3: Coloured markers, milk cartons, some coloured construction paper,

scissors, glue, toilet paper rolls, popsicle sticks, tape and newsprint.• Group 4: Many coloured markers/a lot of paint, multi-coloured construction

paper, glue, scissors, pipe cleaners, googly eyes, milk cartons, egg cartons, toilet paper rolls, sparkles, stickers, popsicle sticks, tape.

Purpose: To provide an opportunity to explore issues of inequality, unequal resources, and competition or cooperation during conflict. Procedure: • Divide participants into four groups. The groups should sit far enough away

from each other so that they cannot easily see each other’s resources.• Explain that the participants must work together in their group to create as

funky, beautiful and impressive a peace monster as they can. The monster should be a friendly and happy monster if possible.

• Tell them that when all the monsters are completed, a contest will be held to determine which is the best one. The group producing the most artistic monster will win a prize.

• Distribute materials to each group. Tell them not to open the bags until you have said “go”. Each group’s materials should be in identical bags. Do not draw attention to the fact that each group is receiving different materials. If any group notices this and objects to it, reply with, “just try to do your best with what you’ve been given.”

• Allow about 15 minutes for the groups to work. Walk around and observe all, but reserve most praise for Group 4. Allow group members to do any sharing or bargaining for resources if they so choose, but do not suggest or encourage it.

146

• At the end, ask each group to stand at the front and hold up their monster. Group 4’s monster will likely be the most visually attractive. Announce that they have won the prize for the best monster.

• By this time, the inequality of resources should be obvious to most, if not all, participants and other groups are likely to complain that it wasn’t “fair”. At first, respond to objections by pointing out how much larger and more impressive Group 4’s work is and how it uses a greater variety of materials. Add that all the groups had the same directions but Group 4 produced a superior product.

• Drop the simulation role of “judge” and announce that this was an exercise to see how they coped with an unequal situation.

Discussion:

• Was this activity fair? Why or why not?• Did participants have feelings of powerlessness, frustration, and anger? What

did people do about those feelings? How did it feel to have very few resources? To have all the resources you needed?

• How did the groups see each other? Was there mostly competition between groups or was there some cooperation?

• Perhaps discuss how this relates to the distribution of resources among different peoples/countries of the world. Analogies could be drawn to how minority groups or developing nations relate to those with more power.

• Look at how this helps us to understand the idea of common human needs. Can you name any groups in society that begin with certain disadvantages, yet are judged by the same standards as more privileged groups? What are their reactions to injustice and discrimination? What would the more powerful groups think of such reactions?

• Which human rights guarantee access to basic needs?• What can we do to promote these rights?

Adapted from Morton, T. and McBride, J., 1997. Teacher’s Resource Book – Go Look Again: The Process of Prejudice and Discrimi-

nation. Vancouver: Concept Publishing. pp. 35-36.

147

Something to Think About (I)

Ages: 12-17 Time: 20 minutes Resources: Large Lego-style blocks or any stackable item - enough to give each group 10 blocks. Purpose: This game encourages participants to think about the inequalities in the distribution of power and resources in the world. Potentially, they will also be asked to make some value judgments about the way in which the world’s resources should be distributed. During the debriefing, these issues are linked back to human rights. Procedure: • Divide the participants into groups of 4 or 5 and give each group 10 blocks.• Explain that you will ask a series of questions about the population of the

world and about the distribution of world resources. The groups will be asked to come up with answers using the blocks. Once every group has come up with a guess, you will reveal the correct answer and supply some additional information. Also tell the participants that some of the questions will require them to make value judgments about the distribution of the world’s resources.

• There are many questions below. It would take too much time to go through all of them. Select those that you feel best suit your theme.

• There are several questions in the discussion section of this game that require participants to link what they have learned back with human rights. These questions can also be asked at various times throughout the game.

Discussion: • Was there any information that surprised you as you completed this game?• What inequalities surprised you the most?• Do you feel that these inequalities are human rights violations? What do you

think this game has to do with human rights?• What kinds of rights are being violated if humans cannot eat, read or work?

(At this point, talk about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Mention pertinent articles and discuss how the Declaration came into being).

• How might these different statistics be linked? For instance, how might the low literacy rate be linked to high poverty rates amongst women?

• What can we do to combat inequality? Variation: This game works well if used right after the Scramble for Wealth and Power. Use the pennies from that game rather than the blocks. Adapted from a game developed by Harold Heufeld, Winnipeg #1 School Division.

148

The Questions: Questions About Demographics: If these 10 blocks represent the population of the world (10% each), we want you to guess how many blocks represent each of the following: 1) How many would be children? (3 - children under 18 made up 31% of the total

world population in 2012) 2) How many people would live on less than $2.00 a day? (4 - 3 billion people

live in poverty where 1.2 billion of this population are children) 3) How many do not have clean water to drink? (1 – 1.1 billion people worldwide

do not have safe drinking water)

4) How many people lack basic sanitation? (4 – 2.6 billion people worldwide do not have access to basic sanitation)

5) How many people live without electricity? (2 – 1.6 billion people live without

electricity in the world)

6) How many do NOT have access to the internet? (7 - approximately 2 billion people use the internet)

7) If the blocks represented all the people in the world, how many would have a

university degree? (O - Only 1% of the world’s population, 1/10 of a block have university degrees)

8) How many people were illiterate in the 21st century? (1 – nearly 1 billion

people entered the 21st century unable to read a book or sign their names)

9) How many blocks would represent the people in the world that are NOT white? (7 - roughly 30% of the world’s population is Caucasian)

***Other useful statistics that can be turned into questions: • 57% of the world’s population is Asian, 21% is European, 14% is from the

Western Hemisphere (both North and South America), 8% is from Africa. • 80% of the world’s population lives in substandard housing.

149

Questions About Spending Power and Resources: Now, imagine that each block represents one hundred billion dollars. 1) How many hundreds of billions do you think are spent on the military WORLD-

WIDE in a year? (17 – over $1.7 trillion was spent globally in 2011 on military expenses! And less than 1% of what the world spent every year on weapons was needed to put every child in school by 2000)

2) How much do you think North Americans spend on fast food every year? (1 -

100 billion dollars are spent by North Americans on fast food every year) 3) How many hundreds of billions of dollars do you think North Americans spend

on foreign aid every year? (0 -18 billion are spent every year by the United States and Canada on foreign aid)

If each block represented 10% of the world’s population again: 1) How many people would consume 86% of the world’s resources/products? (2) 2) How many people would consume 13% of the world’s resources/products? (6) 3) How many people would consume 1% of the world’s resources/products? (2) 4) How many blocks would represent the people that hold 51% of the world’s

wealth? (1 - 12% of the world’s population controls 51% of the world’s wealth) HINT: make a pie chart that shows the percentages of resources/products used. These statistics were taken from the UNICEF website: www.unicef.org

150

Unequal Resources (I)

Ages: 10 + Time: 30 minutes Resources: Scissors, rulers, paper clips, glue, black felt-tipped markers, sheets of coloured construction paper, task sheet for each group (see the following page), large envelopes to hold each group’s resources as shown below: • Group 1: scissors, ruler, paper clips, pencils. Two 4” squares of red paper and

two 4” squares of orange paper.• Group 2: scissors, glue and whole sheets of construction paper (two blue, two

orange, two yellow).• Group 3: felt-tipped markers and whole sheets of construction paper (two

green, two orange, two yellow).• Group 4: whole sheets of construction paper (green, yellow, blue, red,

purple). Purpose: To provide an opportunity to observe the influence of inequality and competition on cooperation and conflict. Procedure: • Divide the participants into 4 groups with 1-6 members. The groups should

sit far enough away from each other so that they cannot see each other’s resources.

• Ask the groups to be seated and distribute an envelope and Task Sheet to each group.

• Ask the groups not to open their materials until you tell them to begin the task. Explain that each group has different materials but that each group must complete the same tasks. Groups may bargain for the use of materials and tools in any way that is mutually agreeable. The first group to complete all tasks is the winner.

• Give the signal to begin and observe as much group and bargaining behaviour as you can so that you can supply some feedback during the debriefing.

• Stop the process when winners have been declared and groups have been allowed to complete ongoing tasks.

151

Discussion: • Analogies may be drawn between this experience and how minority groups

or underdeveloped nations relate to those with more power. Comparisons between marginalized and non-marginalized groups in Canada could also be discussed.

• Observe the way resources were used, shared and bargained for. How did the groups see each other? How did the groups see their own members (e.g. did a group member use a bargaining tactic that you would’ve approached differently?)?

• Was there competition between the groups? Was there cooperation between the groups?

• How might this game mimic the distribution of resources amongst and within countries? Amongst individuals?

• How does this help us understand human rights issues? How does this help us understand prejudice? In what ways are countries or individuals sometimes measured by the same standards even though they have very different resources and abilities?

Each group is to complete the following tasks: 1. Make a 3” x 3” square with orange paper.2. Make a 3” x 2” rectangle with yellow paper.3. Make a 4-link paper chain, each link in a different colour.4. Make a 3” x 5” T-shaped piece with green and orange paper.5. Make a 4” x 4” flag with any three colours. The first group to complete all tasks is the winner. Groups may bargain with other groups for the use of materials.

Adapted from Morton, T. and McBride, J., 1997. Teacher’s Resource Book – Go Look Again: The Process of Prejudice and Discrimi-

nation. Vancouver: Concept Publishing. pp. 35-36.

SECTION 10

DISABILITIES

153

Disabilities

Disability is a complex term reflecting the interaction between society and the features of a person’s body. Disabilities come in many forms and can include physical traits or mental, learning, sensory or developmental aspects. The games in this section focus on creating understanding and awareness of disabilities within a human rights context. They aim to foster an atmosphere of inclusion and accep-tance.

In 2006, the United Nations drafted the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which Canada ratified in 2010. This document aims to address the need for greater protection of the human rights of people with disabilities. Other human rights documents also make special mention of the rights of people with disabilities. For example, Article 23 of the CRC states that you have the right to special education and care if you have a disability, as well as all the rights in this Convention, so that you can live a full life.

Despite human rights protection, people with disabilities still face barriers and even human rights violations in their daily life. For example, everyone has the right to equality; they are born free and equal in dignity and rights; yet, people living with disabilities may face barriers when it comes to finding meaningful employ-ment or education and are in that manner not treated equally. Another example is the case of health care for people with disabilities. Often, women with disabilities receive less screening for breast and cervical cancer than other women.24

Accessibility is a very important part of fostering inclusion for people with disabili-ties and helps people with disabilities to participate in all areas of community life. Increasing accessibility can involve remodelling physical barriers, such as stairs and doors that are too narrow for wheelchairs to pass through, as well as making it easier for everyone to access services.

Fostering inclusion and working towards changing societal attitudes are important steps towards achieving the full realisation of human rights for people with dis-abilities. In Canada, Section 15 of the Charter of Rights and Freedom makes it illegal for the government to discriminate against persons with disabilities. This is an important article for protecting the rights of people with disabilities in Canada.


• A City Like No Other• Alligator Pond• Sandpaper Letters• Signals• You and I

24. World Health Organisation, 2011. “Disability and Health – Fact Sheet No 352”. [Online]: Available at: http://www.who.int/

mediacentre/factsheets/fs352/en/index.html. [Accessed on 23 August 2012].

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Factoid: Disabilities

Definitions:

• Accessibility: The ability to use without barriers. • Ableism: societal attitudes that devalue or limit the potential of people with

disabilities.• Disabilities: covers many conditions, some visible and some not visible.

A disability may have been present from birth, caused by an accident, or developed over time. There are physical, mental and learning disabilities, mental disorders, hearing or vision disabilities, epilepsy, drug and alcohol dependencies, environmental sensitivities, and other conditions. 25


Many people worldwide live with a disability. Disabilities can be emotional, mental, physical, cognitive, sensory, and developmental or a combination of these. Despite human rights protection, people with disabilities often face barriers to becoming fully included in society; this includes access to education and employment. Foster-ing inclusion, increasing accessibility, eliminating discrimination and promoting un-derstanding of disabilities are important steps towards realising the rights of people with disabilities.

Did you Know?

• Braille is a writing system used by the blind and visually impaired. Instead of writing traditional letters, words are spelled out using raised dots that can be felt. Braille was first invented by Louis Braille in 1824.

• Today, Braille is used less frequently and electronic screen-readers have become more popular. These readers “speak” to the user to identify what is being displayed on the screen

• Guide dogs have been used to help people who are blind or have visual impairments since the 16th century.

• The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities was written in 2006. Canada ratified it in 2010.

• An estimated 14.3% of Canadians live with some form of a disability. 26

• Over a billion people in the world live with disabilities. 27

25. Ontario Human Rights Commission, 2011. “Disability and Human Rights”. Queen’s Printer for Ontario. [Online]: Available at:

http://www.ohrc.on.ca/sites/default/files/attachments/Disability_and_human_rights.pdf: [Accessed on 20 August 2012]

26. Statistics Canada, 2008. “Prevalence of Disability in Canada 2006”. [Online]: Available at: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/89-

628-x/2007002/4125019-eng.htm. [Accessed on 23 August 2012]

27. World Health Organisation, 2011. “Disability and Health – Fact Sheet No 352”. [Online]: Available at: http://www.who.int/

mediacentre/factsheets/fs352/en/index.html. [Accessed on 23 August 2012].

155

A City Like No Other (I)

Ages: 12+

Time: 30 minutes

Resources: Large chart paper for each group, markers, list of scenarios.

Purpose: This game is a good way of getting youth to think about what having a disability means as well as to think of the world from another per-spective.

Procedure:

• Divide the participants into small teams of 3-6 and give each group a piece of paper and markers.

• Hand out one scenario to each team. They must imagine and describe what a city would look like if all the citizens had a particular “disability”. Have each group draw or list their ideas on their paper.

• Possible scenarios are listed below:• a city where no one can see• a city where no one can hear• a city where no one can walk• a city where no one uses lan-

guage to communicate• a city where no one can use

their arms• Guide each group with a few

questions. • What would be different in this

city from the city you live in?• What would be the same in

this city as the city you live in?

• If you were to visit that city, would you be at any disadvan-tages? Would you be consid-ered to have a disability?

• You may also want to ask specific questions to each group. For example, the group that has no language may have a hard time figuring out how people communicate. Ask, “How would you know how someone is feeling with-out speaking to them”; “How would you get directions with-out talking?”

• Have each group present their results.

Discussion:

• How would it feel to live in the city you were given in your scenario? What would be difficult? What would be easy?

• Would you be at a disadvantage in your new city? How would that feel?

• Are people who live with disabilities treated fairly and equally in society? What obstacles do they face?

• Which human rights protect people who live with disabilities? (There are many answers)

• Which human rights violations are people with disabilities extra susceptible to?

• What can we do?• Have you increased your

understanding of what obstacles people with disabilities are sometimes faced with? If yes, how?

This activity was created by Sarah Hamill and is used with

permission.

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Alligator Pond (O)

Ages: 10+ Time: 40 minutes Resources: Rubber jar rings (about 40), blindfolds, sponges, bandanas for ear covers or ear plugs. Purpose: Participants come to understand that the notion of diversity not only applies to race, colour, gender and ethnic origin, but also to persons with disabili-ties. Through this exercise, the participants will develop empathy for persons with disabilities so that they can develop co-operative skills to overcome obstacles. Procedure:

• Set out the jar rings on the floor to represent alligators in a pond. Make sure that the rings are not too close to each other.

• Organize the participants into groups of four. Within each group, assign the following roles:• Fully blind (visual disability).• Partially deaf (communication disability).• One leg amputated (mobility disability) (Note: They can hang onto their

teammate when they get tired).• Instruction dyslexia (learning disability) (Note: If someone says right they go

left; if someone says forward, they go backward; if someone tells them to go, they will stop).

• Take aside one participant from each group and explain that he will be “blind” and that when he is back in their group, he will have to explain his disability to the others. Blindfold each child and lead them back to their group area.

• Next, do the same with the participants from each group who will be “deaf”. Send them back with their sponge ear covers or ear plugs on.

• Continue until all participants understand their roles. Tell them the object is to cross the pond without stepping on an alligator.

• Once the participants are in their groups, they will have to figure out how to communicate with one another and overcome some real barriers. Think of trying to explain to the participant who is deaf about the learning disability of the participant with information dyslexia.

• Teams must line up one team behind the other at the start of the Alligator Pond. Give them a minute to discuss their strategy for crossing.

• Send the first team in. Once that team is about 30 seconds into play, send the next team, and so on until they are all in the Alligator Pond. Anyone who steps on an alligator must go back to the start line.

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Discussion: • Ask the participants how difficult they found the task of communicating with one

another. Do you have a better understanding of what it would be like to have a disability?

• What kinds of activities might be a lot harder for people who live with these disabilities? What kinds of extra challenges might they face?

• Besides the disabilities highlighted in this game, what other kinds of disabilities or differences might create extra challenges for people who live with them?

• Finally, ask the participants if they are now more comfortable and likely to assist and be friendly to someone with a disability. Would they be more willing to take the time to figure out a way to communicate rather than getting frustrated or irritated with that person?

• What special human rights protection do people with disabilities have? Are these rights always respected?

The original source of this activity is unknown. The idea for this activity came from discussions with social workers who recounted

taking part in a sensitivity exercise in which they were assigned disabilities and had to overcome a difficulty such as getting over

obstacles in their path, building things, etc. This activity was developed by Patricial Kidziak who would like to state that should

there be a documented activity similar to this somewhere, she has no intention of claiming ownership of someone else’s work.

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Sandpaper Letters (IO)

Ages: 6-8 Time: 15 minutes Resources: Sandpaper cut out into letters and numbers, blindfolds for each player. Purpose: This activity allows young children to experience one of the challenges of living with a disability. Procedure: • Blindfold all the participants. Tell them that they will each have the chance

to feel the sandpaper letters and guess what letter of the alphabet they are holding.

• If a participant guesses incorrectly, tell him to try again once or twice more. After all the participants have tried guessing several letters, get them to remove their blindfolds.

Discussion: • How did you feel not being able to see the letters? Was it difficult?• Would you have liked to have someone to help you?• What do you think it would be like to have a disability? Which parts of your

lives might be more challenging? Do you think people who do not have disabilities might sometimes get frustrated with people who do? How would this make people with disabilities feel?

• How can you help people who have a disability?

Adapted from: Amnesty International Human Rights for Children Committee, 1992. “Human Rights for Children”.

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Signals (O)

Ages: 6-10 Time: 30 Minutes Resources: Blindfolds—enough for half of the group. Purpose: This game is a good way to get small children thinking about the challenges faced by people with disabilities. It is also a good game to teach chil-dren about the importance of communication. During the debriefing, children can make connections between the activity and the disadvantages some people must overcome.

Procedure:

• Divide the group into pairs and have them stand in their pairs around an area filled with non-dangerous obstacles. Make sure there is enough space between each set of pairs so partners are able to hear each other.

• One member of each team is blindfolded so that s/he cannot see.• The other team member becomes the guide and must help their partner

navigate the area.• The guides may only use noises and sounds to guide the blindfolded person.

They may not use words or guide the person with their hands - unless the person who cannot see is in danger of hurting him/herself.

• At first, the sounds will not mean anything to the “blind” people and they will bump into many obstacles.

• After a while, the guide will find that by using the same sounds over and over (e.g., clicking the tongue to indicate an obstacle straight ahead), they can begin to communicate effectively with the person who cannot see.

• After the teams have had a chance to begin to develop a communication system, have the members switch places so that the guide becomes the person who cannot see.

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Discussion: • Ask the participants whether they were able to develop any kind of

communication system between the person who could not see and the guide. How hard was it not to use words? (If there is time, discuss how important words are for understanding the world around us). How hard would it be to live somewhere where you did not understand what people were saying? What kind of issues would arise? Do you think the same issues arise even when we speak the same language?

• Ask participants what other senses they used to navigate around the room when they could not use their eyes.

• What kinds of activities might be a lot harder for people who are blind? What kinds of extra challenges might they face?

• Are there other kinds of disabilities or differences, besides being blind or not understanding the language, that can create extra challenges for people who live with them?

• End by talking with participants about how inclusive society is of people who are different (e.g. sometimes there are no ramps for people in wheelchairs, sometimes children who have a speech impediment are mocked). Often during the activity, the guides will laugh at the people who cannot see as they try to navigate the area - you can link this back to what sometimes happens to people who are different. For participants who were blindfolded, ask them how they felt when they couldn’t see.

• Ask the group how they think it might feel to be different than other people? What can we do to make sure people who are different feel welcome wherever they go? How can we communicate with people who might not understand our language?

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You and I (I/O)

Ages: 10-13

Time: 20 minutes

Resources: Paper with the words “agree” and “disagree” in large print to label the sides of the room.

Purpose: This activity encourages participants to see disability as just another trait in a person that doesn’t detract from the other commonalities one shares with that person.

Procedure:

• Label the activity area with “agree” and “disagree” on opposite sides.

• Have the participants stand in the middle of the area and explain that they are now standing on a large opinion scale. You will read a series of statements to which they must respond by standing by the “agree” or “disagree” signs. These questions describe a particular individual.

• If they strongly identify with the statement, they should move all the way and if they only partly identify, they should move part of the way. If they feel they are neutral, they stand in the middle.

• The questions are listed below:• I like French fries• I like music• I get bored in class sometimes• I fall asleep in class sometimes• I’m hoping to play sports dur-

ing the summer• I volunteer sometimes• I have friends at school whom I

like to play with• I like summer• I don’t like cold weather• I don’t speak• I use a wheelchair sometimes

Discussion:

• Around how many of the above statements did you identify with?

• Which statements did you not identify with?

• The statements that were read aloud describe a particular individual who lives with disabilities. How does it feel to learn you have a little or a lot in common with them? Was it surprising?

• What would it feel like to live with a disability?

• Are people who live with disabilities treated fairly and equally in society? What obstacles do they face?

• Which human rights protect people who live with disabilities? (There are many answers) Are these rights always respected?

• Which human rights violations are people with disabilities extra susceptible to?

• What can we do?

This activity was created by Sarah Hamill and is used with

permission.

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SECTION 11

DISCRIMINATION

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Discrimination

The UDHR states that “Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status” (Article 2). Although traditions of discrimination are difficult to combat and change can be slow, it is necessary to discuss issues of discrimination, the consequences of discrimination, and the possible solutions. The games in this section investigate the concepts of power, abuse, minorities and majorities, as well as discrimination.

Many international efforts have been made to prevent discrimination. These include:

• The Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (1948)

• The International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (1965)

• The International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid (1973)

Globally, different forms of discrimination have occurred for centuries. The racial segregation imposed by Apartheid in South Africa from the 1940s to 1990s is a large-scale example. Another example is the widespread discrimination against women common during the Taliban rule of Afghanistan in the 1990s; women were forced to wear burqas to leave their houses, not allowed to work outside of the home, and denied the right to education.

There are also many examples of racial discrimination or racism in Canada. These include the internment of Japanese Canadians in detention camps during World War II, the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1923, which banned Chinese immigration from 1923 to 1947, and the segregation of black people in the armed forces during World War I. Human rights values and knowledge can be useful tools in the prevention of discrimination to prevent further violations.


• 4 Corners• Backpacks of Privilege• Barnyard• Discriminatik• Exclusion• Unpacking the Privileges

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Factoid: Discrimination

Definitions:

• Discrimination: when someone makes an unjust distinction between people because of their class or “category.” Examples include: racial, religious, sexual, disability-related, ethnic, age and physical appearance-related discrimination.

• Racism: the belief that racial differences produce inherently superior and inferior races. Racist practices often protect and maintain the advantageous position of the dominant group(s) in society

• Xenophobia: a fear of or an aversion to people from foreign countries.


Discrimination can take many forms and occurs both between individuals and on a larger scale. Racism is one example of discrimination. Human rights goals aim to eliminate discrimination; the UDHR states “Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status” (Article 2). Although traditions of discrimination are difficult to combat and change can be slow, it is necessary to engage in conversation regarding discrimination, the consequences of discrimination, and the possible solutions.

Did You Know?

• Over 5 million Canadians (16 percent of the population) were members of a visible minority group in 2006.28

• About 6 in 10 reported hate crimes in Canada in 2006 were motivated by race/ethnicity. Around half of racially motivated hate crimes are directed towards Blacks, 13% towards South Asians, 12% towards Arabs or West Asians, 5% towards East and South east Asians, 5% Caucasians, and 3% Aboriginal people 29

• An example of cultural discrimination in Canada was the Aboriginal residential school system, in place from the second half of the 1800s through the 1970s. The schools were designed to assimilate Aboriginal children into mainstream Canadian society. They were known for sexual abuse, lack of sanitation and overcrowding and left long-term emotional and physical scars on many Aboriginal people.

• Canada celebrates the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on March 21 each year

28. Statistics Canada, 2008. “Hate Crime in Canada”. [Online]: Available at: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/

pub/85f0033m/85f0033m2008017-eng.htm [Accessed on 15 June 2012].

29. Ibid.

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4 Corners (I0)

Ages: 7-12 Time: 10-15 minutes Resources: None. A minimum of 16 participants (the more the better) are required for this game. Purpose: Children experience being treated unequally for arbitrary reasons. Participants reflect on what it feels like to be rejected because of differences. Procedure: • Four leaders are chosen from the group, and everyone is told that these four

leaders will pick teams for the game. Secretly, each of these 4 leaders is told a characteristic that he or she will use when picking people to join her team. This characteristic should be something semi-obvious (e.g. only people wearing jeans, only people with blond hair). Also inform leaders that one classmate may possess multiple characteristics that the leaders themselves are looking for, but the leader whom the classmate passes by first gets to choose that classmate to join their team (e.g. a classmate who is blond and is wearing jeans)

• Each leader goes to a corner. • The remaining participants (IN SILENCE,) walk around and pass each of the

leaders extending their hands, as if to shake. The leaders shake their heads yes or no as to whether or not the next person gets to join their group.

• When a participant joins the group, that participant must stand behind the leader so that the leader may see the person who is coming next in line.

• Ideally, a few of the people will not be chosen at all. Let the participants pass all 4 leaders several times so that some participants are rejected by the leaders twice.

• Call an end to the game.

Discussion:

• Ask the leaders how it felt to have to reject people.• Ask the chosen people how it feels to be accepted.• Ask the remaining participants how it feels not to be chosen.• Ask each team if they can figure out why they were accepted to the teams.

Before this point, do not tell the group that it is a physical characteristic. Sometimes the participants can figure it out, sometimes they cannot.

• What are some reasons why children (or people in general) might be rejected by others?

• How might this affect the person who is rejected? • How does being rejected affect someone’s human rights?

Adapted from: Gallagher, Molly, 1999. “Games for Girl Guides and Girl Scouts: Games to Teach Values” [Online]: Available at:

http://www.oocities.org/heartland/plains/3209/Values.html. [Accessed on 20 August 2012].

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Backpacks of Privilege (O)

Ages: All ages Time: 30 minutes Resources: Large backpack, small backpack, fanny pack, small pencil case, Newsprint on which the rules for the relay are written, the following objects (a recipe card is to be attached to each of these objects explaining which rights they represent). Note that there should be 4 sets of each item because there will be 4 groups for this game.

• chalk • keys• clothing• boxes of food• a piece of card in a heart shape• a diary• pictures of children from different racial backgrounds• hammers• balls • bandages. Purpose: This game teaches kids about the inequalities between different groups of people. Procedure: • Divide children into 4 equal groups of 4-6. • Before the race begins, each team must take a look at all the rights available to

them and decide which one(s) to put in their team’s bag (which rights are most important to their team). Each team has a different sized bag and therefore can fit a larger or smaller number of rights in their bag.

• After all teams have finished putting their rights in their bags, they all run an obstacle course. The first team to finish the obstacle course wins.

• Once all teams have packed their backpacks, have each team line up (for a total of four lines) at the start of the obstacle race. When you yell “Go”, the first member from each team will run out to the first obstacle. Only one person from each team should be on the obstacle course at a time. Once the first person from a team has completed all 4 obstacles, they run back to their team and tag the second person in their team’s line and that person then runs the obstacle course. The first team to have all their members complete the course wins.

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Discussion: • Suggest to the participants that the winners of the race were declared before

the race even started (because the team with the largest bag was able to acquire more rights).

• How did you feel about the privileges that you received? How did it feel to notice that other teams around you were not receiving the same treatment?

• The activity demonstrates the inequalities in our society. This can lead to some people not having the same access to jobs, etc. because they are not in dominant groups and are not as privileged.

• How did you feel when you realized that different teams had different bags and different rights?

• How did the group with the largest bag feel? Did you think about the other groups who didn’t have such a luxury? How did the group with the smallest bag feel?

• Have the groups read out the rights they chose to put in their bags. What does this activity tell us about the world that we live in? What are some of the reasons some individuals or groups may have unearned privileges? Is this fair, why or why not?

Developed by Andy Pearcey and Jane Conly for the John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights, 2005.

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The Rights Backpacks:

• Right to education (chalk). • Right to food (a box of macaroni). • Right to shelter (keys to a house). • Right to love (construction paper heart). Right to clothing (clothing). • Right to freedom of speech (diary). • Right to freedom from racial discrimination (picture of children from different

racial backgrounds). • Right to work (hammer). • Right to play (ball). • Right to Health Care (bandages). Team OneGive this team a huge backpack. All the rights should be available to them. They can fit them all in their bag: Team TwoThis group gets a small backpack. All the rights are available to them, although they can’t fit them all into their bag. They will have to decide which rights to take in their pack.

Team ThreeThis group gets a smaller bag.All the rights are available to them, although they can’t fit them all into their bag. They will have to decide which rights to take in their pack. Team FourThis team gets a small pencil case.All the rights are available to them, although they can’t fit them all into their bag. They will have to decide which rights to take in their pack.

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The Obstacle Course • Create four identical instruction cards, one for each group, to be placed at the

other end of the gym, field, etc.

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Obstacle one (either these instructions are posted, or someone is there to read them to the participants): • Your youngest child has fallen out of a tree and possibly broken his arm. Look

in your bag. If you have the appropriate “right” to help him, run back to the starting line and pass your bag to the next team member.

If you do not have the appropriate “right” to help him, crawl back to the starting line and pass your bag to the next team member.

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Obstacle two: • Your family does not have enough money to pay the rent. You need to get a

job to help support them. If you have the appropriate “right” to help them, hop on one foot back to the starting line and pass your bag to the next team member.

If you do not have the appropriate “right” to help them, walk backwards to the starting line and pass your bag to the next team member.

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Obstacle three: • You are really hungry. If you have the appropriate “right” to fill you up, skip

back to the starting line and pass your bag to the next team member. If you do not have the appropriate “right” to fill you up, crab walk back to the starting line and pass your bag to the next team member.

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Obstacle four: • Your work week is long, but on Sundays you have time for relaxation. If you

have the appropriate “right” to enjoy the day, run back to the starting line and pass your bag to the next team member.

If you do not have the appropriate “right” to enjoy the day, walk backwards to the start line and pass your bag to the next team member.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Obstacle five (use if there are 5 participants in each group): • You and your brothers and sisters want to finish high school. If you have the

appropriate “right” to continue your education, do sideways cross over steps back to the starting line and pass your bag to the next team member.

If you do not have the appropriate “right” to continue your education, do jumping jacks back to the starting line and pass your bag to the next team member.

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Obstacle six (use if there are 6 participants in each group): • You and your friend are walking to the store and a group of people from

another ethnic background are walking towards you. You feel nervous that they may tease you. If you have the appropriate “right” to feel secure, dance back to the starting line.

If you do not have the appropriate “right” to feel secure, crawl backwards to the starting line.

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Barnyard (IO) Ages: 6-9 Time: 20 minutes Resources: None. Purpose: This is an exercise that both young people and adults enjoy. It allows participants to experience what it is like to be in a minority group.

Procedure: • Have the participants stand in a circle. • Explain that you are going to whisper an animal in every participant’s ear. • Have participants as a group make the animal sounds out loud so they know

what sounds to make. • Randomly whisper “cow” in most participant’s ears, whisper “pig” in several

ears, whisper “cat” in only a few ears, and whisper “bird” in only two participant’s ear.

• Ask the participants to close their eyes and make the sound of their animal. Then ask them to walk around with their eyes closed and try to find and link arms with other like animals.

• Allow them to do this for a few minutes, or until you notice that all like animals are together.

Discussion: • How did you feel when you found out there were a lot of cows? How did you

feel when you found your first cow? What was it like when you realized there were only a few other cats or birds?

• Explain to the group that being the bird or the cat can be somewhat representative of being a minority (you may need to explain this term) group member. Depending on the group, you can choose a particular emphasis (e.g., skin colour, religion, language). Sometimes people who are different are tempted to join the majority in order to feel less alone (isolated) and more accepted. What would it be like to be a minority group?

• Discuss what discrimination is. Do you think minority groups are discriminated against? Are excluded? Did the cats and birds feel discriminated against?

• What did all the animals have in common? What do all people have in common?

• What can we do to make sure people do not feel isolated?

Adapted from: Youth Pride Inc. 1997 “What Can You Do Creating Safe Schools for Lesbian and Gay Participants: A Resource Guide

for School Staff”. [Online]: Available at: http://twood.tripod.com/guide.html. [Accessed on 20 August 2012].

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Discriminatik (O)

Ages: 6-12 Time: 10 minutes Resources: Blindfolds. Purpose: This activity allows participants to experience what it feels like to be excluded from a group. Procedure:

• A planning group of about one-fifth of the participants is brought together and secretly briefed to run around the playground pretending to ‘tag’ the other participants. They are to make a noise when they tag (or pretend to tag) participants.

• When the planning is over, the rest of the participants are blindfolded and told to sit cross-legged on the ground far enough away from each other so that they cannot touch with outstretched arms. They are asked not to remove the blindfolds, speak or stand up until tagged by having both their hands held and squeezed. At that point they can remove their blindfolds and join the ‘tagging’ group.

• The planning group then runs around pretending to play although they do not actually tag anyone.

• As the game goes on the planning group are to make more and more noise so it sounds as though the number doing the tagging is increasing. In fact, they are to touch nobody.

• After about five minutes blindfolds are removed and it becomes clear that nobody has been tagged.

Discussion: • Begin by asking the group how it felt to be excluded from the secret planning

group and not to know what was being planned. • What did it feel like not to be tagged when they thought others were being

tagged?• The planning group, for their part, might wish to reflect upon how comfortable

or uncomfortable they felt in their privileged, manipulative role. • Would participants from either group would have wanted to switch roles? Why

or why not?• This discussion can eventually be broadened to compare the experience of the

game with situations in society and the world. What groups have been subject to discrimination in the world? How might this affect people in these groups?

Adapted from: Schneidewind, N. and Davidson, E. 1983. Open Minds to Equality: A Sourcebook of Learning Activities to Promote

Race, Sex, Participants and Age Equity. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall.

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Exclusion (IO)

Ages: 13-17

Time: 15 minutes

Resources: Chairs and a room with a door.

Purpose: This activity helps the participants understand the nature of social exclusion.

Procedure:

• Students sit in a circle on chairs. A group of five students are asked to leave the room for a while. In their absence, their chairs are removed and the class starts singing a song.

• Those who went out are asked to come back while the class is singing.• Purposely, the rest of the students do not pay attention to them. They are made

to feel excluded.

Discussion:

• What happened here? Explain to the five students that the exclusion was done purposely to provide a learning experience.

• How did you feel being excluded? How did you feel when you were excluding others?

• Have you experienced exclusion before? If so when? Can you share your experience? How did you feel when you were being excluded?

• What are some situations where people feel excluded?• Complete the sentence: “I feel excluded in school when . . . ”. Every student fills

in the blank.• Does exclusion violate any human rights?• How do we address exclusion and how do we prevent it from happening?

National Council for Teacher Education. “Exclusion.” [Online]: Available at: http://www.nctein.org/pub/unesco/ch14.htm.

[Accessed on 15 June 2006]

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Unpacking the Privileges Game (O) Ages: 7-13 Time: 20 minutes Resources: 12-24 participants, a large field or hall, many bean bags or balloons, four copies of the story below for four facilitators, a baseball diamond or four markers that can be used to indicate “bases”, coloured “dots” (stickers) for all participants (red, blue and green), red construction paper cut into 20 squares, blue construction paper cut into 4 or 5 squares, a large piece of paper. Purpose: To teach children about the unearned privileges and undeserved burdens that some people in Canada have because of their ethnic background or other inherent characteristics. Procedure: • This game works best with smaller groups. Divide the participants into 4 groups

of 3-6 people. Have each of the 4 groups start the game at a different “base” in the field.

• Within each group of 3-6 children, give every participant a coloured dot. Ideally, there should be an equal number of reds, greens and blues in every small group.

• Explain to the participants that they live in a world much like our own, except that people have green, red and blue skin. Their dots represent their skin colour.

• Tell the children that they will progress around the field in their group-as if they were running between bases in a game of baseball. As they reach each base, they will encounter a scenario in a “regular” day for school children.

• At each base, a facilitator will tell the children a story of something that happened during their day. The children will then have to complete an obstacle.

• While all of these events appear to be “positive”, some children will experience them differently based on their dot colour.

• Each time someone has a negative experience (is unable to complete the obstacle at a base), that participant must take on a small “burden” (a bean bag or a balloon). Some children will collect many of these as they walk. The burdens will become harder to carry.

• When a participant drops one of his/her burdens, he/she is out of the game.

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THE STORY: (one copy for each facilitator) Base 1: Facilitator’s Role 1. Before the game, set up a small pile of “Bandages” (little pieces of construction

paper) at a spot 20 meters away from your base. In the pile are a lot of red bandages, one blue bandage and NO green bandages.

2. When participants arrive at your base read them the following story: Even though it’s Monday, you wake up excited. You actually want to go to

school today! Your class put on a bake sale for the local animal shelter and raised $100 last week. Now you are going to have your picture in the town newspaper! You run to school. On your way in the door you fall and scrape your cheek. You are embarrassed about being so clumsy. You go to the school office to get a bandage to cover up the cut on your face.

3. Tell the participants they are going race to the “office”, a spot in the distance

where they will find “bandages”. Tell them to get a bandage in their dot colour. If there are none, have them get a bandage in another colour. They are to run back to you with their bandage. Line up the participants, and yell “Go”.

4. The participants will return to you with their bandages.

a) Ask the children who has a bandage in their dot colour. Read the following to these children: “The photographer takes your picture for the local paper. Fortunately, the bandages at the office match your skin colour and cover up your embarrassing fall!”

b) Ask the children who has a bandage in a colour other than their dot colour. Read the following to these children: “Unfortunately, the stores in your area don’t carry many/any bandages in the colour of your skin. You have to wear a bright red bandage on your cheek for the picture. You know people will tease you when they see the paper!”

5. Give the participants who were unable to get a bandage in their colour a

“burden” (a balloon or bean bag). This should include all the green dots and often one participant with a blue dot. Replenish the pile of bandages; repeat this story to the next group.

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Base 2: Facilitator’s Role

1. Before the participants arrive, prepare a large sheet with the following tongue twister on it: “She Sells Seashells by the Seashore” (for older groups you might want to use a harder tongue twister such as “Can you Imagine an Imaginary Menagerie Manager Managing an Imaginary Menagerie?”).

2. When a group arrives at your base, read them the following: “The smartest children in your country are known to be VERY good at tongue

twisters. So each year your country has a national tongue twister competition. Only the smartest kids get to go! Your school is preparing for the national tongue-twister competition. You will compete in the school-wide competition. Six of the best competitors will win the chance to go to the national competition!”

3. Have the participants take turns reading the tongue twister. If your group finished

before those at the other bases, you can conduct a Twist-off. Have the children read the tongue twister 3 times in a row and see who can go faster, who is the funniest, etc.

4. Award all the children in the group prizes for best/fastest/most improvement -

they will all be going to the nationals! a) Tell the reds and blues that all their friends congratulated them! b) Tell the greens that a few people congratulated them, but as they walked

through the hall they overheard one kid say that the greens got to go to the competition “just because they were green, and the government wants to see more green people at the competition to encourage racial diversity”.

5. Give the green(s) a “burden” to carry. Send the group to base 3 and wait for

your next group to arrive. We leave it up to you to develop the other bases. Topics could include:

• Writing a report on your favorite hero from history (green team members cannot find people from their cultural group as heroes in the history books they read).

• Auditioning for a role in a town play (no roles for people of green colour or only stereotypical roles).

• The colour of famous movie stars.• Stereotypes about the types of sports in which greens/blues excel.

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Discussion: • Explain to the participants that sometimes discrimination doesn’t just involve

directly being mean to a person. Many times it can be more subtle. • What about this race made it unfair? How did the different rules affect each

participant’s ability to compete in the race?• What might the balloons or bean bags represent?• How did you feel when you realized that different teams have different

burdens? • Did you ever put yourself in another player’s position? Did you ever want to

switch places with another player? Why or why not? How does this relate to real life situations?

• Ask certain group members to tell the others about the “obstacles” they encountered. How did it feel to be unable to find a bandage in your colour? Are bandages available in a variety of skin colours in stores near you?

• Can you think of any other ‘invisible’ obstacles that people may face? • Which human rights help to prevent discrimination and to promote diversity?

Adapted from: Abboud, R., et. al., 2002. “The Kit: A Manual by Youth to Combat Racism Through Education”. Ottawa: UNA-

Canada, 2002.

SECTION 12

GAMES FROM AROUND THE WORLD

179

Games from Around the World

All cultures have unique games and pastimes but many also share similarities such as being fond of race games, string games or competitive games. These similar features can be used as common ground to foster the social inclusion of children from diverse backgrounds. The activities in this section aim to promote cross-cultural awareness and understanding as well as to investigate the importance of the right to play for children all over the world. Through playing games from different places, children will begin to develop an appreciation for the similarities between children around the world.

Article 31 of the CRC outlines the right to play and includes several distinct but related rights such as rest, recreation, leisure and participation in cultural life and the arts. It reads:

1. States Parties recognize the right of the child to rest and leisure, to engage in play and recreational activities appropriate to the age of the child and to participate freely in cultural life and the arts.

2. States Parties shall respect and promote the right of the child to participate fully in cultural and artistic life and shall encourage the provision of appropriate and equal opportunities for cultural, artistic, recreational and leisure activity. 30

Often, Article 31 is dismissed as representing an optional dimension of children’s lives. Yet, play is an essential element in children’s emotional, physical, social and intellectual development.31 In modern Canadian society, “free” play time is diminishing for some children, often when both parents are working. Today, structured recreational and sports activities are often favoured over free play. Many children also spend large amounts of time watching TV or on the computer. Making time for free play is increasingly important under these conditions as it promotes children’s health, education and participation. For children, free play is not an indulgence, it is a necessity.


• Cover Your Ears (Korea)• My Little Bird (Tanzania)• The Big Lantern Game (Japan)• The Mitten Game (North America)• What is My Bride Like? (Israel)• Who is it? (Chile)

30. UN General Assembly, 1989. Convention on the Rights of the Child, United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 1577. [Online]:

Available at:: http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/3ae6b38f0.html [accessed 7 August 2012]

31. Canadian Coalition for the Rights of Children, 2011. “Children’s Right to Rest, Play, Culture, Recreation, and the Arts -Working

Document: Right to Play, Background Research”. [Online]: Available at:: http://rightsofchildren.ca/wp-content/uploads/working-

document-on-right-to-play-background-research.pdf [accessed 7 August 2012]

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Factoid: Games from Around the WorldDefinitions:

• Play: activities of children that are not controlled by adults and that do not necessarily conform to any rules. Self-motivation is a key factor.

• Rest: the basic necessities of physical and mental relaxation and sleep. • Leisure: having the time and freedom to do as one pleases. • Recreational activities: embraces a range of goal-directed activities.


Playing games from around the world is a great way to explore the differences and similarities between cultures and to discuss what unites children all over the world. The right to play (CRC Article 31) is an important right that is often overlooked as non-essential. However, free play helps to promote health, education, participation and development. For children, free play is not an indulgence, it is a necessity.

Did you Know?

• There are many types of play, both structured and unstructured. “Free play” or unstructured play refers to play that is not an organised recreational or learning activity. “Free play” contributes to brain development, creates flexibility, enhances creativity, and builds resilience to stress. 32

• Children from all over the world play games and many of them share similarities. For example, in Chile children play a game called Corre, Corre la Guaraca, which is similar to “Duck, Duck, Goose”.

• Sports are one type of play. In Canada, children’s sports participation is highest when the mother works part-time and the father works full-time (66%). It is slightly lower when both parents work full-time (58%). Also, children are more likely to participate in sports if they live in neighbourhoods that are considered safe for outside play.33

• In Canada, physical fitness has declined in recent years and a quarter of children and youth are overweight or obese.34

• Self-reported screen time (computer, video game or TV time) is approximately 6 hours a day on weekdays, and more than 7 hours a day on weekends on average in Canada.35

32. International Play Association, 2009. “Article 31 of the UN Convention”. [Online]: Available at:: http://article31.ipaworld.org

[accessed 8 August 2012].

33. Clark, Warren, 2009. “Kids’ Sports”. Statistics Canada [Online]: Available at: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/11-

008-x/2008001/article/10573-eng.htm#a6 [Accessed on 15 June 2012].

34. Tremblay MS, Shields M, Laviolette M, et al. Fitness of Canadian children and youth: Results from the 2007-2009 Canadian

Health Measures Survey. Health Reports (Statistics Canada, Catalogue 82-003) 2010; 21: 1-14.

35. Active Healthy Kids Canada. Healthy Habits Start Earlier Than You Think – The Active Healthy Kids Canada Report Card on

Physical Activity for Children and Youth. Toronto: Active Healthy Kids Canada, 2010.

181

Cover your Ears (Korea)(IO)

Ages: 9-12

Time: 15 minutes

Resources: World map (optional).

Purpose: This game allows participants to explore similarities amongst children in the world and to develop a sense of global understanding and trust. It can also be used to explore the right to play.

Procedure:

• This game is a favourite of both children and adults. Any number of players can join in the fun.

• The players sit in a circle. One player is chosen as the leader and places both hands over his ears.

• The player to the left of the leader places her right hand over her right ear. The player to the right of the leader does the same with her left hand. (In other words, the ears nearest to the leader are covered.)

• The leader removes both hands and points to another player in the circle. • The new leader puts both hands over his ears. Again, players immediately to

the left and right of the leader cover their “near-side” ears. The new leader then points to another player and the game continues as quickly as possible.

• Any player who is slow to cover an ear, or who makes a mistake, is out of the game. The winner is the last player left in the game.

Discussion:

• Ask the participants if they know children from other parts of the world. Find out if they have ever visited other countries and if so, did they meet any children there?

• Children all over the world play games. This is a similarity that connects them. What are some other similarities that might connect participants with children all over the world? Make a list of aspects of culture that are present everywhere.

• What is the same and what is different about the game(s) just played and games Canadian children play?

• All children have the right to play. This right is written down in the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Why do you think play is especially mentioned in this document? Why is play important for children?

• Would it be possible for you to teach children from another country your games, even if they didn’t speak your language? How?

Adapted from: UNICEF 2012. “Activity 5 – Games From Around the World”. [Online]: Available at: http://www.unicef.org.au/

downloads/dayforchange/iv-GAMES-FROM-AROUND-THE-WORLD.aspx [Accessed on 20 August 2012].

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My Little Bird (Tanzania)(IO)

Ages: 5-10

Time: 15 minutes


Purpose: This active game allows participants to explore similarities amongst children in the world and to develop a sense of global understanding and trust. This game can also be used as a warm-up activity.

Procedure:

• Introduce the game and the country it is from. Consider pointing out Tanzania on the map.

• The leader stands at the front and says: “My little bird is lively, is lively” then quickly calls out the name of a living thing and says “_____ fly” For example, “lizards ... fly”. If the thing named can fly, the players raise their arms in a flying motion. If the thing named cannot fly, the players remain still.

• Practice a few times and then explain that if any player’s arms move for something that doesn’t fly, they are out of the game.

• Play until most people are eliminated or until it’s time to move on.

Discussion:






Adapted from: University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, 2012. “Games Around the World”. [online]:

Available at: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/4h/4h05500.pdf [Accessed on 12 June 2012].

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The Big Lantern Game (Japan)(IO)

Ages: 8-12

Time: 15 minutes


Purpose: This game allows participants to explore similarities amongst children in the world and to develop a sense of global understanding and trust.

Procedure:

• Introduce the game and the country it is from. Consider pointing out Japan on the map.

• Have the players sit on the floor in a circle.• The game is started by having one player put their hands close together and

saying “Big Lantern.” The next player to the left says, “Little Lantern,” and puts their hands far apart. The game continues around the circle and gets more difficult if played quickly.

• You can introduce elimination by having players drop out of the game when they fail to follow the leader, the winner being the last player to move his or her hands incorrectly.

• The game is over when most people are eliminated.

Discussion:








184

The Mitten Game (Northern Canada)(IO)

Ages: 6-12

Time: 10 minutes

Resources: 1 mitten or moccasin, a map of Canada (optional).


Procedure:

• Introduce the game and the region it is from. The Dene people live in the northern boreal and arctic regions of Canada.

• Have the players sit on the floor in a tight circle with their legs in front of them and their knees bent. Each player’s legs should touch the legs of the players on both sides.

• One player is chosen to be ‘it’ and stands in the centre of the circle. • The players pass the mitten around the circle between their legs and the person

who is ‘it’ tries to guess who has it. The players in the circle can sway back and forth while they pass the mitten.

• Once the person who is ‘it’ guesses correctly, he/she trades with the player sitting down who was caught.

Optional: sing a song while the mitten is passed or have the players clap the ground or their legs with a rhythm.

Discussion:



• What is the same and what is different about the game(s) just played and games they usually play?



Adapted from: Heine, Michael, 1999. Dene Games a Culture and Resource Manual. Calgary: Sport North Federation & MACA

185

What Is My Bride Like?36 (Israel)

Ages: 9-12

Time: 20 minutes

Resources: Object in room, world map (optional).

Purpose: This game works on problem-solving skills. It allows participants to explore similarities amongst children in the world and to develop a sense of global understanding and trust. It can also be used to explore the right to play.

Procedure:

• Introduce the game and the country it is from. Consider pointing out Israel (or Lebanon if you choose that version – see footnote) on a map.

• One player, “the groom”, is asked to leave the room. The other players then choose an object in the room to describe.

• The groom returns and asks one player, “What is my bride like?” The player answers by giving one characteristic of the object chosen. (i.e. if the object is a vase, the answer may be, “Your bride is tall” or “Your bride sits on a table” and so on).

• The groom goes from one player to another repeating the question until he successfully guesses the object that was chosen.

Variation: try playing this game with human rights and ask the participants to choose a right as the “bride”. Ask the players to describe it without saying the word itself.

Discussion:






Adapted from: University of Florida, Institute of Food

and Agricultural Sciences, 2012. “Games Around the

World”. [online]: Available at: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/

pdffiles/4h/4h05500.pdf [Accessed on 12 June 2012].

36. This game is similar to a Lebanese game where the

question becomes “My bride is lost, what is she?”

186

Who is it? (Chile)(O)

Ages: 6-12

Time: 15 minutes

Resources: None.


Procedure:

This is a game for six to thirty players. Players must be very familiar with one another.

• One child is IT. The players stand in a line behind IT. IT should not see who is behind him/her.

• IT takes nine slow steps forward while the other players quickly change places. One of them takes the place directly behind IT.

• The other players ask IT: “Who is behind you”? • IT can ask three questions before guessing who it is. For example: “Is the player

a boy or a girl?”, “Is she/ he short or tall?”, “Is she/ he dark or fair?” • The other players give one-word answers to the questions. IT must then guess

who is standing immediately behind. • If IT guesses correctly, that person remains IT for another turn. If IT guesses

incorrectly, another player becomes IT.

Discussion:








SECTION 13

GENDER EQUALITY

188

Gender Equality

Biological and cultural factors affect boys and girls throughout their lives. All children share the same human rights. However, there is often a discrepancy between guaranteed rights and boys’ and girls’ ability to exercise them. The UDHR states that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights (Article 1). The games in this section aim to facilitate an exploration of traditional gender roles and the meaning of equality. These games complement those found in the “Stereotypes” section.

Gender-based violence and gender stereotyping, including bullying, harassment and unwanted sexual comments, occur in schools and in the broader community. Cat-calling and sexist jokes or comments like: “You throw like a girl” or “Act like a man” are examples. Such acts and remarks disrespect the rights of boys and may cause long-term consequences in individuals, including lack of concentration, lower grades, anxiety and depression. Many messages we receive as children stay with us as we become adults. When children are exposed to gender stereotypes, sexist attitudes, and gender-based violence, they learn to act in ways that support gender inequality.

In Canada, inequality between the sexes in terms of access to services, wages, and power in society has been reduced but remains present. In other places around the world, boys and girls do not enjoy the same rights and privileges and are subject to gender discrimination. Working within a rights perspective involves targeting the underlying causes of rights violations. In the case of respecting boys’ and girls’ rights, a dialogue on the topic must be started with boys and girls, men and women.

Games in this Section Include:

• A Fairytale• Advantages and Disadvantages• Definitions of Women and Men

189

Factoid: Gender EqualityDefinitions:

• Gender: Socially constructed roles, responsibilities and behaviors, expected from males and females by society. These roles are cultural, learned, change over time and vary within and between cultures.37

• Gender Equality: an equal level of empowerment, participation and visibility of both sexes in all spheres of public and private life.36

• Gender Stereotype: simplistic generalizations about gender attributes, differences, and the roles of men and women.

• Gender-based violence: any form of violence that is based on gender stereotypes, including bullying and harassment.

• Sex: Being male or female (biologically).• Sexism: Actions based on the idea that members of one sex are less skilled,

intelligent or able than the other sex.


Boys and girls have the same human rights. However, both are subject to discrimination and stereotyping based on gender. Boys are sometimes assumed to be stronger, tougher, and less emotional than girls. Girls are expected to be sweet, obedient, and kind. These labels are harmful as they teach inequality. This contradicts a human rights based approach in which equality in dignity and rights is guaranteed.

Did You Know?

• Voting became universal in Canada in 1930. That meant that both men and women could vote.

• In Canada, women earn on average 30 percent less than men (2008).39

• Women weren’t allowed to compete in the Olympic Games until 1928.• In 1967 the United Nations adopted the Convention on the Elimination of

Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). This is a human rights document that guarantees the rights of women.

37. United States Agency for International Development, 2009. “Doorways I: Student Training Manual On School-Related Gender-

Based Violence Prevention and Response”. USAID Office of Women in Development. p. 182.

38. Brander, Patricia et. al, 2002. Compass – A Manual on Human Rights Education With Young People. Council of Europe

[online]: Available at: http://eycb.coe.int/compass/en/contents.html. [Accessed on 9 August 2012].

39. Williams, Cara, 2012. “Economic Well-Being”. [online] Statistics Canada: Available at: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/89-

503-x/2010001/article/11388-eng.htm#a3. [Accessed 16 July 2012].

190

A Fairytale (I)

Ages: 7-13

Time: 30 minutes

Resources: Flip chart and pens.

Purpose: This activity aims to help children identify traditional gender stereotypes and explore their validity by reversing the gender of the main characters in the well-known fairytale Cinderella. The themes of discrimination and equality are also explored in this activity.

Procedure:

• Ask everyone to sit down. Explain that you are going to read aloud a fairytale to the group. Ask the children to listen carefully and be aware of any unusual aspects to the story as we will discuss them as a group afterwards.

• Begin reading the story found below and stop from time to time to ask “Do you notice anything unusual about the story”? Note: you may not need to read the whole story if the children catch on quickly and may want to jump to the discussion.

Discussion:

• How did you like the story?• When did you notice something unusual and what was unusual about the

story? List examples.• Point out that when something differs from our everyday experience, it may

seem unusual to us. In this story, the gender roles were switched which made the gender stereotypes different than usual.

• What is a “gender stereotype”? (simplistic generalizations about gender attributes, differences, and the roles of men and women).

• Draw a chart on the flip chart to help describe gender stereotypes. Ask the children for examples of usual activities and characteristics of men and women, boys and girls to help fill in the chart. A filled-in example is below.

191

MEN/BOYS WOMEN/GIRLS

USUAL CHARACTERISTICS

CuriousSmartBoldLoud

AdventuresomeAggressiveAmbitious

Have short hair

PoliteSensitive

QuietThoughtful of others

TimidNosey

ObedientWear dresses

Have long hair

USUAL ACTIVITIES

Like sportsGet in fightsGo to workTake actionDrive trucks

Stay at homeDo the housework

Cry easilyGossip

Like pretty clothesAfraid of bugs

• Ask the children if the usual version of Cinderella fits in with the gender stereotypes described in the chart.

• Are all the characteristics in the chart true of real men and women, boy and girls today? Why or why not?

• Do any other stories use traditional gender roles? List examples and explain how they fit in.

• Do any other stories not use the traditional gender roles? List examples and explain how they don’t fit into the traditional gender roles.

• How are stereotypes unfair to men and boys? To women and girls? Do they create inequality? (Emphasize that equality doesn’t mean “the same”).

• What can you do to act against gender stereotypes?• Can you think of a connection between gender stereotypes and human rights?

(Everyone has the right to be free from discrimination, including discrimination based on sex or gender stereotypes).

• What does equality mean to you?

192

Story: Cinderella

Once upon a time, there lived an unhappy young boy. His father had died, and his mother had brought home another man, a widower with two sons. His new stepfather didn’t like the boy one little bit. All the good things, kind words and special privileges were for his own sons. They got fashionable clothes, delicious food and special treats. But for the poor unhappy boy, there was nothing at all. No nice clothes but only his stepbrothers’ hand-me downs. No special dishes but only leftovers to eat. No privileges or even rest, for he had to work hard all day, go grocery shopping, cook, wash clothes, and keep the whole house clean. Only when evening came was he allowed to sit for a while alone by the cinders of the kitchen fire.

During these long evenings alone, he used to cry and talk to the cat. The cat said, “Meow”, which really meant, “Cheer up! You have something neither of your stepbrothers have, and that is beauty.” What the cat said was quite true. Even dressed in rags with his face grimy from the cinders, he was an attractive young man, while no matter how elegant their clothes, his stepbrothers were still clumsy and ugly, and always would be.

One day, beautiful new clothes, shoes and jewellery began to arrive at the house. The Queen was holding a ball and the stepbrothers were getting ready to attend. They were continually standing in front of the mirror. The boy had to help them to dress up in all their finery. He didn’t dare ask, “What about me?” for he knew very well what the answer to that would be: “You? My dear boy, you’re staying at home to wash the dishes, scrub the floors and turn down the beds for your stepbrothers. They will come home tired and very sleepy.”

After the brothers and their father had left for the ball, the poor boy brushed away his tears and sighed to the cat. “Oh dear, I’m so unhappy!” and the cat murmured, “Meow”.

Just then a flash of light flooded the kitchen and a fairy appeared. “Don’t be alarmed, young boy,” said the fairy. “The wind blew me your sighs. I know you are longing to go to the ball. And so you shall!”

“How can I, dressed in rags?” the poor boy replied. “The servants will turn me away!”

The fairy smiled. With a flick of his magic wand, the poor boy found himself wearing the most beautiful clothing, the loveliest ever seen in the realm.

“Now that we have settled the matter of what to wear,” said the fairy, “we’ll need to get you a coach. A real gentleman would never go to a ball on foot! Quick! Get me a pumpkin!” he ordered.

193

“Oh, of course,” said the poor boy, rushing away.

Then the fairy turned to the cat. “You, bring me seven mice!”

The poor boy soon returned with a fine pumpkin and the cat with seven mice she had caught in the cellar. “Good!” exclaimed the fairy. With a flick of his magic wand – wonder of wonders! – the pumpkin turned into a sparkling coach and the mice became six white horses, while the seventh mouse turned into a coachwoman, in a beautiful dress and carrying a whip. The poor boy could hardly believe his eyes.

“I shall present you at Court. You will soon see that the Princess, in whose honour the ball is being held, will be enchanted by your good looks. But remember! You must leave the ball at midnight and come home. For that is when the spell ends. You will turn back into a pumpkin, the horses will become mice again and the coachwoman will turn back into a mouse. And you will be dressed again in rags and wearing clogs instead of these splendid dancing shoes! Do you understand?”

The boy smiled and said, “Yes, I understand!”

When the boy entered the ballroom at the palace, a hush fell. Everyone stopped in mid-sentence to admire his elegance, his beauty and grace. “Who can that be?” people asked each other. The two stepbrothers also wondered who the newcomer was, for never in a month of Sundays would they ever have guessed that the beautiful boy was really their stepbrother who talked to the cat!

Then the Princess set eyes on his beauty. Walking over to him, she curtsied and asked him to dance. And to the great disappointment of all the young gentlemen, she danced with the boy all evening. “Who are you, beautiful young man?” the Princess kept asking him.

But the poor boy only replied: “What does it matter who I am! You will never see me again anyway.”

“Oh, but I shall, I’m quite certain!” she replied.

The poor boy had a wonderful time at the ball, but, all of a sudden, he heard the sound of a clock: the first stroke of midnight! He remembered what the fairy had said, and without a word of goodbye he slipped from the Princess’ arms and ran down the steps. As he ran he lost one of his dancing shoes, but not for a moment did he dream of stopping to pick it up! If the last stroke of midnight were to sound…oh, what a disaster that would be! Out he fled and vanished into the night.

194

The Princess, who was now madly in love with him, picked up his dancing shoe and proclaimed that she would marry the man whose foot the slipper would fit. She said to her ministers, “Go and search everywhere for the boy that fits this shoe. I will never be content until I find him!” So the ministers tried the shoe on the foot of all the boys.

When a minister came to the house where the boy lived with his stepfather and stepbrothers, the minister asked if he could try the shoe on the young men in the household. The two stepbrothers couldn’t even get a toe in the shoe. When the minister asked if there were any other young men in the household, the stepfather told her. “No”. However, just then the cat caught her attention, tugging at her trouser leg and leading her to the kitchen. There sat the poor boy by the cinders. The minister tried on the slipper and to her surprise, it fit him perfectly.

“That awful untidy boy simply cannot have been at the ball,” snapped the stepfather. “Tell the Princess she ought to marry one of my two sons! Can’t you see how ugly the boy is! Can’t you see?” Suddenly he broke off, for the fairy had appeared.

“That’s enough!” he exclaimed, raising his magic wand. In a flash, the boy appeared in a beautiful outfit, shining with youth and good looks. His stepfather and stepbrothers gaped at him in amazement, and the ministers said, “Come with us, handsome young man! The Princess awaits to present you with her engagement ring!” So the boy joyfully went with them. The Princess married him in a few days later, and they lived happily ever after. And as for the cat, she just said “Meow!”

Adapted From: Flowers, Nancy, 2007. Compasito – Manual on Human Rights Education for Children: Once Upon a Time Activity.

Council of Europe [online]: Available at: http://www.eycb.coe.int/compasito/contents.html. [Accessed on 9 August 2012].

195

Advantages and Disadvantages (I) Ages: 12+

Time: 30 minutes

Resources: Pens and paper.

Purpose: This activity helps students to examine their own attitudes and perceptions about the differences between the way men and women are treated in society. Procedure:

• Ask the participants to form small groups of all males and all females. Ideally, there will be an equal number of male and female groups. Explain that each group will be asked to make a list and that this will be used for a discussion.

• Ask each group of males to make a list of the advantages and disadvantages of being female. Females do the same for males. Allow ten minutes for this.

• Tell them that they should have an equal number of advantages and disadvantages on their lists.

• Next, pair each group of males with a group of females. Each female group reports its list to a male group.

• Now each male group reports its list to a female group. • If necessary, use the following questions to start a discussion.

Discussion:

• Was it easy to think of the advantages and disadvantages of being a male or female? Why? Why not?

• Do you think these sorts of generalizations about people are realistic? Do they apply to the people you know?

• Was it a useful activity? Why? Did you learn anything that you did not know before?

• This activity can also be used to examine other differences apart from gender, such as ethnicity, social class, religion, etc.

• Where do gender stereotypes and roles come from?• What situations prevent women and men from doing certain kinds of work?

Why? Can these circumstances be changed?• What can we learn from human rights about gender roles and stereotypes?

(i.e. all people are equal in rights and dignity).• What does equality mean to you?

196

“Definitions” of Women and Men (I)

Ages: 9-18

Time: 30 minutes Resources: Index cards or laminated occupation cards, white board or large pieces of paper and pens/markers.

Purpose: By participating in this game and by drawing their own conclusions based on their observations, youth may begin to realize and understand that there are gender biases and inequities in the community and understand the detrimental implications and consequences. With this realization, students can begin to make their own decision to act and gradually change the situations that are discriminative and harmful for women and girls.

Procedure:

• This game has two parts. To start, assign one side of the room/space as “agree” and one side as “disagree.”

• Explain that you will read some statements out loud. If students agree, they should go to the “agree” side of the room. If they disagree, they should go to the “disagree” side of the room.

• Read out the statements. Some examples are provided, but you may want to choose some of your own.• Boys are stronger than girls. • Girls should do what boys tell them to do. • Girls can’t do math. • Girls are more emotional than boys. • Caring for children is a girl’s job. • Girls want to get married more than boys. • A girl should always do what her boyfriend tells her.• Sports are more important for boys than girls. • Girls need to find a good husband; boys need to find a good job. • A boy who likes cooking and looking after children is not a real boy. • Females are better at sweeping and cleaning.

• After asking all the questions, ask for volunteers to give the reasons for their choices (If possible, call on people who have different answers).

• On pieces of paper, present different occupations on laminated cards or small index cards (see the example on the following page). The occupations should include jobs traditionally done by men as well as by women. Give each student a set of cards, and ask them to sort the cards into three columns: one for work that is for women, one for work that is for men, and one that can be for both men and women.

197

Discussion:

• Where do we get our ideas from? • What reasons did you give why certain jobs can be done by women? What

about men?• What reasons did you give why certain jobs cannot be done by women? What

about men?• Are these reasons valid? • Do you think these reasons are because of the person’s sex or because of

society? • What situations prevent women and men from doing certain kinds of work?

Why? Can these circumstances be changed?• What kinds of work have more “yes” responses? (Replies might include work in

the home, low pay and little education.) • What kinds of work do the “no” answers have in common? (Replies might

include uses technology, respected by the community.) • What are some examples of occupations women are doing today that they

did not do in the past? (Use this answer to demonstrate that gender roles can change over time.)

• What can we learn from human rights about gender roles and stereotypes? (i.e. all people are equal in rights and dignity)

Adapted from: United States Agency for International Development, 2009. “Doorways I: Student Training Manual On School-

Related Gender-Based Violence Prevention and Response”. USAID Office of Women in Development. pp. 44-45

198

Fireman Nurse Doctor

Sales Clerk Business Owner Teacher

Secretary Financial Advisor Mechanic

Lawyer Truck Driver Plumber

Psychiatrist Engineer Social Worker

SECTION 14

HUMAN RIGHTS AND THE ENVIRONMENT

200

Human Rights and the Environment

Several human rights require a healthy environment and ecosystem, such as the right to the highest attainable standard of health, as guaranteed by the CRC (Article 24) (for more information, visit www.unep.org, www.greenpeace.org, and/or www.sierraclub.org). Sustainable development and environmental protection are essential ingredients for meeting human rights goals. Challenges such as overpopulation and overuse of non-renewable resources strain the environment but also impact our ability to provide basic human rights for all. The activities in this section explore the connections between human rights and the environment.

Today, the world contains enough clean freshwater to meet basic personal and domestic needs, however freshwater is not equally distributed, leading to insufficient access for many people globally. In 2010, the United Nations General Assembly agreed to a resolution declaring the human right to “safe and clean drinking water and sanitation”. This resolution aligns with the human rights commitment to providing for the basic needs of all.

Another link between human rights and the environment exists with the rights to property, identity and culture found in the UDHR and CRC. In some regions of the world, global warming and other types of climate change are leading to rising sea levels. This means that people living in the coastal regions affected may be displaced and forced to abandon their property if their land disappears. If forced to relocate, it is often difficult to maintain identity and culture.

International awareness of the linkages between human rights and the environment has expanded significantly in recent years. The natural and man-made aspects of man’s environment are essential to the enjoyment of basic human rights. The environment provides mental, physical and spiritual sustenance, elements necessary for realizing human rights. Everything from the right to life to the right to culture and shelter can be linked to the environment.


• Journey of Bottled Water• Needs• Secure the Water• Systems are Dynamic

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Factoid: Human Rights & the EnvironmentDefinitions:

• Climate Change: when long-term weather patterns are altered (for example, through human activity).

• Global warming: a rise in the average global temperature. It is one measure of climate change.

• Overpopulation: when the Earth is unable to support a larger human population.

• Sustainable Development: development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.


Human rights and the environment are intricately related. The realisation of many human rights, especially those referring to basic needs, rely on a clean and healthy environment. Rights such as shelter, culture, food and water, sanitation, and health care may be negatively impacted when the environment is not healthy. Climate change, including global warming, overpopulation, and the overuse of the Earth’s non-renewable resources, make it difficult to meet the human rights needs of all.

Did You Know?

• In 2006, 1.1 billion people in developing countries lacked access to a basic supply of water from a safe and clean source.40

• In Canada, many communities, including some remote rural communities and First Nations communities, do not have access to safe and clean drinking water despite Canada having large freshwater resources.

• The idea of privatization of water resources is controversial. Some countries, such as Singapore, import water from neighbouring countries and have successfully increased their access to water.

• Rising sea levels threaten many island and coastal communities. The main islands of the Carteret group (Papua New Guinea), home to approx. 2500 people, are being evacuated to the coast, 8 hours by boat away. The island is expected to be submerged by 2015. This affects the islanders’ ability to achieve their rights (i.e. right to a nationality, culture, property, etc.)

• Canada agreed to recognize ‘The Right to Water’ in 2012.

40. UNDP, 2006. Human Development Report 2006: Beyond scarcity: Power, poverty and the global water crisis. [online] New

York: United Nations Development Programme: Available at: http://hdr.undp.org/en/media/HDR06-complete.pdf [Accessed 9 July

2012]. (p. 2)

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Journey of Bottled Water (IO)

Ages: 12+

Time: 25 minutes

Resources: Laminated water journey cards, one ball of yarn or string, copy of the script.

Purpose: This activity explores human rights and specifically the right to safe water to drink and a clean and safe environment (CRC Article 24, Article 27, CEDAW Article 14). It draws attention to the journey of bottled water from source to store and its contribution to the deterioration of water access. Participants discuss how active global citizenship can contribute to the access of clean safe drinking water for everyone.

Procedure:

• For this activity a group of 6 or 12 participants is ideal. If you have less, participants can take on more than one role. If more than 12, some participants can partner up.

• Randomly assign water journey cards to the participants. Each water journey card indicates a step in the journey of bottled water and therefore each person will represent one step.

• After the roles are picked, explain that we are about to explore the trip water takes from source to store in the story ‘Journey of Bottled Water’ that will be read aloud.

• As the story is told you will be passing the ball of yarn to the person representing the next step in the journey. Hold onto the yarn before you pass it along. This continues until the ball of yarn has been passed to all 12 people representing different parts of the journey.

• Read the following introduction and script. Variation: You can have the participants read their own segments of the journey to the group if you cut out the segments from the story and hand them out with the water journey cards.

In the U.S. and Canada, for the most part, we have strong, safe public water systems. But in much of the world, this is not the case. It means we need ever-increasing efforts to understand the root causes of the world’s drinking water crisis, and efforts to beat the crisis that are based on human rights, care for the environment, and the common good.

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Story: The Journey of Bottled Water

1. Imagine a water source, in any part of the world, where you can see water flowing. It might be a stream or a river, a well or a tap. However you imagine it, this is where the journey begins - at the source.

The journey begins with the WATER SOURCE.

2. This water source has recently been bought up by a multi-national bottled water company, like Coca-cola or Pepsi. What that really means is the land has been bought where the lake or the spring exists. Now the water will start being removed, for this water will be used for the manufacturing and sale of bottled water. The bottled water company has proudly said they plan to make big profits off the sale of bottled water: “From now on, tap water should be used just for washing clothes and taking showers”. With the bottled water company purchasing the land, the local people have lost access to their water source.

The journey from the water source has made its way into the hands of the MULTINATIONAL COMPANY.

3. Once the multinational bottled water company has hauled the water out from the source, the water is funnelled into a large truck, powered by fuel to be shipped to its next destination, where it will undergo transferring and bottling. This part of the journey is long, as it means the truck now travels many miles across countries and in a lot of cases also by container shipping across oceans, by TRUCK and SHIP TRANSPORT.

The journey now goes to the TRUCK and SHIP TRANSPORT.

4. The truck travels to its next destination - the factory where they produce plastic bottles. Before arriving at the factory, preparations include the mining and refining of oil to make the plastic bottles. Each year, the amount of plastic water bottles used in the U.S. takes enough oil and energy to fuel 1 million cars. Along with many other chemicals used in manufacturing the bottles, making the polyethylene plastics releases toxins into the air. All this goes towards the production of plastic bottles used to contain the water extracted from the water source.

The journey moves on to MAKING THE PLASTIC BOTTLES.

5. Upon arrival to the bottled water factory, the water is channelled through a filtration process to be bottled. That means the factory requires an uninterrupted supply of electricity, something the local utility structure cannot always support. So the factory often supplies its own electricity, with three big generators running on diesel fuel. Now the prices are adding up. How much does it cost for the actual water? It costs $0.13 for 3,000,000 litres of water. Not so much, but let’s get back to the bottle process. This part of the journey all takes place onsite at the factory, where the water is hooked up to be poured into plastic bottles.

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The journey must now go into WATER IN PLASTIC BOTTLES.

6. After the plastic bottles are filled with water, they are loaded onto another truck and travel from the bottled water factory by sea or train and truck to be shipped to their next destination. Travelling from the bottled water factory, the outside temperatures en route range from hot to cold as the water arrives at its next destination. The water in a bottle is then unloaded onto wooden pallets and transported into a warehouse where they will sit until they are moved to their next destination. They may sit there for a while, years even.

The journey of water now moves on to the BOTTLED WATER WAREHOUSE.

7. An order has come through to the warehouse from a convenience store, so the water now goes back onto another diesel-fuelled truck travelling from the warehouse to be sold.

The journey now goes from WAREHOUSE TO STORE.

8. After travelling by truck, the water in a bottle arrives at its next destination where it gets moved onto the shelves for sale for about $1.50-$4.00. Oops, there is also marketing that takes place in the journey. $0.30 from the cost of bottled water is spent on marketing – magazines, billboards, and celebrity endorsements. At $1.50-$4.00 per bottle, that’s a huge increase from the original cost of water at $0.13 for 3,000,000 litres.

The journey passes on to the LOCAL STORE.

9. At the local store, the bottled water is waiting for customers. Someone enters the local store and pulls $2.50 from their pocket to give to the store owner. This part of the journey is probably the shortest of them all, where that water in the bottle has travelled such a great distance, but is now consumed within seconds, by the consumer.

The journey continues on to the CONSUMER.

10. After the consumer purchases and drinks the water in a bottle, they discard the plastic bottle. If this consumer threw the plastic bottle into the garbage can, it would end up like 80 percent of all the plastic bottles that end up in landfills, or in an incinerator where they are burned and release toxins into the air. Alternatively, if the consumer puts the plastic bottle into the recycling bin it may be down-cycled into something from the dollar store (turning it into lower quality products that would be chucked later on) or shipped to another country, like India, only to end up in a mountain of plastic bottles just outside Madras, India.

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The journey continues on to end up DOWN-CYCLED.

11. In either case, this part of the journey requires transportation, to ship the plastic bottle from where the consumer discarded it off to the next destination. Once the plastic bottle has travelled hundreds of miles, it arrives in this place and finds itself between a river and a landfill site where it could sit for 1,000 years. This part of the journey can be long or short; the final destination can take on many paths from here, but for now it sits, and it sits, and it sits.

The journey arrives in the LANDFILL.

12. As the bottle sits between the rivers, it is spotted by a child nearby, who is one of the 36% of city dwellers living on less than $1.25 a day. Having spent yesterday’s earnings on water for their family, that came from another water company, they contemplate picking up the empty plastic bottle and filling it with water from the river. At this final part of the journey, the plastic bottle is at a cross roads of its own cause and effect, leading the child to decide between purchasing bottled water using their whole day’s income, or drinking water from the river near the land fill, risking exposure to ‘water borne diseases’.

The journey follows on to WATER-BORNE DISEASES.

13. And as other plastic bottles remain in the landfill site, through time (A LONG TIME) the plastic toxins break down and pollute the earth and the surrounding ecosystems and water sources, like the one from where this journey began.

The journey finds its way back to the WATER SOURCE, where the beginning and the end of the journey of water meet.

• Ask participants to step back so the web is taut. • Ask:

• What happens if we do not want to support this system? Can we stop it? Can we change it?

• What if we remove the consumer from the web? CONSUMER, can you let go of the yarn?

• What if we protect the water source? WATER SOURCE, can you let go of the yarn? What happens?”

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Discussion:

• What water source did you imagine at the beginning of the story? Did this perception of the water source change by the end of the story? Why or why not?

• Where along the journey can the negative aspects be prevented and/or avoided?

• How can we personally make a difference in the journey of bottled water?• Ask participants if they know about the different water sources that bottled

water companies are using. Does bottled water all come from pristine glaciers? (A third of all bottled water in North America actually comes from the tap).

• Remind participants that when we understand the journey of water in a bottle and the bottled water industry, we can start to turn problems into solutions! Share success stories of how change is happening: the sales of bottled water are going down in North America, and people are saying no to the privatization of water, and creating bottled water free zones in their lives.

• Do you think that water should be a right?• How are water and human rights linked?• In Canada, does everyone have access to clean and safe water? Globally?• How does the privatization of water resources affect access to water? • What can we do? (examples: avoid bottled water, conserve water etc.).

Adapted from: The Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace’s Think Fast, 2011. “Water for All: Let Justice

Flow”. (p. 44-48)

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Water Journey Cards

Water SourceMulti-National

CompanyTruck and Ship

Transport

Making the Plastic Bottles

Water Into Plastic Bottles

Bottled Water Warehouse

Truck to Store Local Store Consumer

Down-CycledLandfill Site by the

RiverWater-Borne

Diseases

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Needs (O)

Age: 7-12 Time: 20-30 minutes Resources: Large space (field or gym), one sheet of paper, one pen.

Purpose: This game establishes a connection between people and their environment. It also highlights the importance of ensuring that resources are distributed efficiently amongst individuals. The game can be used to start a discussion about human needs (food, water, shelter, etc.) as human rights. Procedure: • This game requires at least 20 participants.• Divide the participants into two equal teams, and line them up in parallel lines

facing away from each other 25 feet apart (make sure that the two teams cannot see each other).

• Explain to the participants that one team is comprised of the members of a society called Splunkonia. The other team represents the resources available in Splunkonia.

• For each round, without seeing the Resources, every Splunkonian must decide whether he is hungry, thirsty or cold. If a Splunkonian is hungry he holds his stomach, if he is thirsty he cups his hands and if he needs shelter he hold his hands together over his head (tented).

• Without looking at the Splukonians, the Resources also decide whether they would like to be food, water or shelter and make the appropriate symbol.

• The Splunkonians turn back to face the Resources. On the count of three the Resources turn around revealing their symbol: food, water or shelter.

• The Splunkonians run across the space and catch the food, water or shelter that they need. Only one resource per Splunkonian. If there are more Splunkonians that need water than there is water, then the Splunkonians who do not find a matching resource stay on the side of the resources. The Splunkonians that get what they need reproduce and take their new “offspring” (the Resource they found) back to the Splunkonian team. After each round the number of Splunkonians is counted and recorded.

• Play the game about 10 times, so that the participants can see how the subsequent generations of Splunkonians are dependent on the numbers of the previous generation.

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Discussion:

• Draw the participants’ attention to the ways in which the life of the Splunkonians was linked with their environment. Have the participants name other resources to which life on earth is linked.

• What human needs do these resources fulfill?• In what way are most of these needs universal?• What kinds of human activities might threaten the fulfillment of human needs?

How would the game have been different if the Splunkonians had been able to control their resources?

• Discuss what else might happen to Splunkonians/humans if they do not get enough resources to meet their needs (e.g., poor health, can’t do well at school, poverty).

• If you have already discussed human rights, link human rights with human needs. Discuss which human rights are being violated when people do not have access to the resources they need.

• How are human rights dependent on a healthy environment?• What can we do?

Adapted from: Maddin, Jennifer Jane. “Needs.” 30th Guide Company, Calgary. [Online]: Available at:

http://www.geocities.com/heartland/plains/3209/Values.html. [Accessed May 2005].

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Secure the Water (O)

Ages: 12-18

Time: 10 minutes

Resources: water balloons, filled ¼ - ½ full (enough for 75 percent of participants).

Purpose: This energetic activity explores human rights and the right to safe water to drink and a clean and safe environment (CRC Article 24, Article 27, CEDAW Article 14).

Procedure:

• Divide participants into groups of four.• In each group, three people will be “water carriers” (who represent people

whose water resources are in demand) and one person will be a “water chaser” (who represents transnational water companies seeking to privatize water). For smaller groups, have two “water carriers” to one “water chaser”.

• Each “water carrier” receives one water balloon.• The “water carriers” must keep passing/throwing their water balloon back and

forth within their group. • The goal is to keep the water from the “chaser” for five minutes or longer.• The “water chasers” have the task of interrupting the “carriers” by catching or

grabbing the balloon without touching the “carriers”. Once they have caught a balloon they keep it (they can put it on the ground or in a bag so they have their hands free to catch another).

• The game ends when all the balloons have been caught by the “chasers” or when five minutes is up.

Discussion:

• Who had the harder task – the “water chasers” or the “water carriers”?• Who do you think is a “water carrier” in real life? List examples. • Is this situation realistic? Why or why not?• Do you think that water should be a right?• How are water and human rights linked?• In Canada, does everyone have access to clean and safe water? Globally?• How does the privatization of water resources affect access to water? • What can we do? (examples: avoid bottled water, conserve water etc.).

Adapted from: The Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace’s Think Fast, 2011. “Water for All: Let Justice

Flow”. p. 12

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Systems are Dynamic (O)

Ages: 10-17

Time: 15 minutes

Resources: A large open space.

Purpose: This game demonstrates how humans are connected to their environment and how small changes that one person makes can affect everyone else.

Procedure:

• This game is more effective with many participants.• Ask the participants to stand randomly in an open space.• Instruct the participants to select two other people in the group without

indicating whom they have chosen.• Tell the participants to begin moving so as to keep an equal distance at all

times between them and each of the two people that they had chosen.• Allow the group to continue to shift for 3-4 minutes, observing the movement,

and then stop the action.

Discussion:

• Ask the participants to explain what they experienced. During this activity were you focused only on the people who directly affected you or the whole group?

• Draw the participants’ attention towards how one change in position affected the position of the whole group. Can you think of examples of systems that are interconnected like the group was during this activity (e.g., human body, automobile, natural habitat, society)?

• How do you think your actions in the real world affect the situations of others?• How are human rights related to systems?• How are human rights related to the environment? • What did we learn?

Variation: Have two participants wait in another area while you explain and begin the activity. Bring the two participants out and have them try to guess what is happening.

Adapted from: Facing the Future, 2006. “Engaging Students Through Global Issues: Lesson 7 - Systems are Dynamic.” [Online]:

Available at. http://eo.ucar.edu/workshops/csc2010/images/systems_game.pdf [Accessed on 20 August 2012].

SECTION 15

LGBTQ RIGHTS

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LGBTQ Human Rights

This section of the curriculum focuses on LGBTQ rights within the broader human rights discourse (for more information, visit www.egale.ca and/or http://www.iglhrc.org). The activities explore many topics including discrimination, safety, tolerance and acceptance. Most games in this section are best suited for older youth.

Every human is united in that they share the same basic human rights, however for certain groups, extra measures have been taken to ensure that their human rights are respected. LGBTQ rights are often defended by legislation dealing with equality, such as Article 1 of the UDHR and Section 15 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. While Section 15 of The Charter protects LGBT Canadians from many types of discrimination such as those based on race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age or mental or physical disability, it does not explicitly protect them from discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender.

Today, LGBT Canadians have achieved most of the same legal rights as every other Canadian. Since 1985, when Section 15 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms became entrenched, gays and lesbians have gained many rights in areas such as employment, housing, immigration, adoption and pensions. The Canadian Human Rights Act was amended in 1996 to bar discrimination based on sexual orientation, though no mention was made of gender identity. The passing of the “Civil Marriage Act” in 2005 defined marriage in gender-neutral terms and was a large step towards equal rights for all Canadians. Today, many cities in Canada celebrate Pride week each year and actively combat intolerance. Gay Straight Alliances (GSA’s) are increasingly common in schools throughout the country.

Globally, many people identifying as LGBTQ are denied their rights and are faced with recurrent discrimination. They may have difficulties finding employment, not feel safe in educational institutions, or be denied the right to practice their own religion. In some places, being openly gay or bisexual is illegal and can incur fines, imprisonment, or death. In other countries, widespread acceptance is the norm. Internationally, the Scandinavian countries and Canada have made the most progress in ensuring that the rights of LGBT citizens are respected.


• Count Your Losses• Language Lesson• LGBT Trivia• Safe Space• A Dating Dilemma• Standing on the Other

Side of the Fence

For more information visit:www.egale.cawww.iglhrc.org

“15. (1) Every individual is equal before and under the law and has the right to the equal protection and equal benefit of the law without discrimination and, in particular, without discrimination based on race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age or mental or physical disability.”

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Factoid: LGBTQ Human Rights

LGBTQ Definitions: • LGBTQ: lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer.• Lesbian: a girl or woman who feels attracted mainly to other girls or women. • Gay: a boy or man who feels attracted mainly to other boys or men. Can apply

to both men and women.• Bisexual: someone who may feel attracted to people of the same sex and of

the other sex.• Transgender: somebody who feels that his/her body is not of the right sex or

whose gender expressions don’t fit into the conventional expectations of male/female.

• Queer: Historically, a negative word for homosexuality. Recently it has been reclaimed and used in positive ways.


People who identify as LGBT share the same rights as every other human being. However, their specific rights are not explicitly mentioned in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and they often are the victims of discrimination. In many countries today, LGBT individuals are not safe and face maltreatment.

Did you know?

• Approximately 1 person in 10 is lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, two-spirited, or queer.41

• One study suggests that three-quarters of LGBT students and 95% of transgender students feel unsafe at school, compared to one-fifth of straight students.42

• Until 1992, gays, lesbians, and bisexuals were barred from serving in the Canadian military.

• The planet Mercury is a symbol used by the transgendered community. The sign for Mercury is a crescent shape and a cross, which represents the male and female principles in harmony in an individual.43

• Gay people tend to be left-handed much more often than heterosexuals.• Canada and the Scandinavian countries are world leaders in recognizing LGBT

rights.

41. Challenging Homophobia and Heterosexism. Toronto: Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario, 2003

42. Taylor, C., Peter, T., Schachter, K., Paquin, S., Beldom, S., Gross, Z., & McMinn, TL., 2008. Youth Speak Up about Homophobia

and Transphobia: The First National Climate Survey on Homophobia in Canadian Schools. Phase One Report. Toronto ON: Egale

Canada Human Rights Trust.

43. The National Museum & Archive of Lesbian and Gay History, 1996. The Gay Almanac. New York, NY: Berkeley Books.

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A Dating Dilemma (I)

Ages: 15+

Time: 15 minutes

Resources: None.

Purpose: This game is a simple way of introducing the everyday challenges faced by gay, lesbian and bisexual people when discussing dating, partners, or significant others amongst peers.

Procedure:

• Divide the group into partners (an even number is needed for this activity or the leader can join in).

• Each pair will discuss a fictitious last date they went on using non-gender specific language. The following words are not allowed to be used:• He/She• His/Her• Boy/Girl• Guy/Gal• Man/Woman• Male/Female

• Each participant will have about three minutes to describe their date to their partner.

• Switch so the other person has a turn.

Discussion:

• How did it feel to complete this activity?• Was it difficult to describe a date with gender-neutral vocabulary?• What was realistic about this activity?• How are freedom of expression and freedom of speech limited in situations like

this?• Which human rights protect people from discrimination?

Adapted from: The University of Southern California’s LGBT Resource Center, 2005. “Non-Gender Specific Dating Conversation”.

[online]: Available at:. http://sait.usc.edu/lgbt/ [Accessed on 27 June 2012].

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Count Your Losses (I)

Ages: 14 + Time: 30 minutes Resources: Pencils and a piece of paper for every participant. Purpose: Although gay, lesbian and bisexual young people have different coming-out experiences, many go through the losses described in this exercise. This exercise will help heterosexual people empathize with their experience. Procedure: • Explain that this activity aims to have the group think about what it would be

like to come-out and how it might affect their lives. This activity is an extreme example and many people have very different coming-out experiences; however, there are some people who experience great loss when they come-out.

• Give participants a piece of paper and a pen or pencil.• Have the participants write the numbers from 1 to 5 down the left margin of

their paper. • Have them write down the name of their best friend beside number 1. • Have them write down where they like to hang out beside number 2. • Have them write down the name of their closest family member beside

number 3. • Have them write down their favourite possession beside number 4. • Finally, have the participants write down their dream for the future beside

number 5.• In order to illustrate the point of this exercise, read to the participants the

following storyline:• You are at your locker and your best friend comes up to you and confronts

you with the rumors that you are gay. You feel uncomfortable, but you don’t want to lie so you tell your best friend that the rumors are true. Your best friend tells you that he or she doesn’t want to hang out with you anymore. He or she tells everybody at school that you are gay. Nobody at school wants anything to do with you.

• At this point you have just lost your best friend. Please rip your best friend off of the list and crumple up this piece of paper.

• You decide to go to your favorite hangout spot to find all of your friends. They tell you that you are no longer welcome to hang out there and you need to leave.

• At this point you have just lost your favorite hangout spot. Please rip it off of the list and crumple up this piece of paper.

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• You go home very upset and your closest family member is there. You tell the family member why you are upset, and tell him or her that you are gay. When your closest family member has heard you, he /she tells you that he/she wants nothing to do with you and that you are crazy. He/she then tells your entire family about you being gay. Your parents tell you that you must move out.

• At this point you have lost your closest family member, and you’ve lost a place to live. Please rip the family member off of your list and crumple up this piece of paper.

• As you are moving out of the house, you realize that you can’t take your favorite possession with you as you don’t even know where you are going.

• At this point you have just lost your favorite possession. Please rip it off of the list and crumple up this piece of paper.

• You are now realizing that your dreams are being destroyed. Since you have no money or financial support, you now know that you won’t be able to attend the school that you’ve always dreamed of attending.

• You have just lost all of your hopes and your dream for the future. Please rip it off of the list and crumple up the last piece of paper.

Discussion: • How did it feel to do this exercise? How did it feel to lose so many important

things? Were some things more difficult to lose than others?• Did you gain a different perspective about what some LGBTQ individuals may

face? Why or why not? • What kinds of discrimination do LGBTQ people experience? What other kinds

of things might they lose when they tell others about their sexual orientation?• Which types of human rights violations do LGBTQ people experience?• How can we use the information we gained in this activity?

Adapted from: Youth Pride Inc., 1997. “What You Can Do Creating Safe Schools for Lesbian and Gay Participants: A Resource

Guide for School Staff”. [Online]: Available at: http://members.tripod.com/twood/guide.html. [Accessed on 20 August 2012].

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Language Lesson (IO)

Ages: 12+

Time: 20-25 minutes

Resources: “agreement” statements printed out and taped to wall (x4).

Purpose: This two-part activity aims to raise awareness about the nature and extent of anti-LGBT slurs and to increase understanding about the impact of slurs on others. Participants also explore the relationship between human rights and language.

Part 1 - Procedure:

• Print out four sheets of paper with the words “strongly agree”, “agree”, “disagree”, and “strongly disagree” in large letters. Clear the room/activity area and tape these to the walls on four sides of the room if inside, or place them on the ground if outside.

• Explain that in this activity, you will read aloud a series of statements that the participants have to respond to by moving to the corresponding area of the activity space.

• Participants should imagine that the area is a large opinion scale with the middle being “uncertain” and the four sides representing that they “strongly agree”, “agree”, “disagree”, or “strongly disagree”.

• Choose some statements from the list below or add your own.

• I often hear the phrase “that’s so gay,” “you’re so gay,” “no homo” or the word “gay” in general used in a negative way among my peers.

• I often hear terms like “faggot” and “dyke” used among my peers. • When I hear “that’s so gay,” it is usually aimed at an object rather than a

person. • When people say “that’s so gay” or “no homo,” they do not mean it as an

insult against actual LGBT people.• Regardless of how it is meant, expressions like “that’s so gay” and “no

homo” are probably insulting or upsetting to LGBT people and those who care about them.

• I have never thought about how expressions like “that’s so gay” or “no homo” might make others feel.

• I have personally used expressions like “that’s so gay,” “you’re so gay” or “no homo” with my peers.

• I have personally used terms like “faggot” and “dyke” with my peers.• When expressions like “that’s so gay” or “no homo” are aimed directly at

me, it bothers me.• Expressions like “that’s so gay” and “no homo” are okay as long as they

are not used to directly attack an LGBT person.

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• Expressions like “that’s so gay” and “no homo” are never okay to use.• It would be impossible to get kids at my school to reduce or stop using

terms like “that’s so gay” and “no homo.”• I would personally be willing to limit or curb my use of expressions like

“that’s so gay” and “no homo.”

Part 1 - Discussion:

• Which statements were the easiest/most difficult to respond to? Why?• Did the group’s overall response to any of the statements surprise you? Why?• Did you change your mind about any of the issues raised in this exercise as a

result of your peers’ responses? If so, how did your opinion change?• After participating in this activity, what impact do you think expressions like

“that’s so gay” and “no homo,” and terms like “faggot” and “dyke” have on others?

• How is this activity related to human rights? Is hurtful language a violation of human rights?• Note: Everyone has the right to life and to live in freedom and safety

(UDHR Art. 3) – is safety violated when slurs are used?• Everyone is born free and equal in dignity and rights (UDHR Art. 1) – is

dignity and equality affected by slurs?• Everyone has a responsibility to ensure that the rights of others are respected

(UDHR Art. 29) – what does this mean in the context of slurs?• Do you think that what you have learned today will change your attitude or

behaviour in any way? Why or why not?

Adapted from: Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, 2008. “Think B4 You Speak Educators Guide – Activity 1: Where

Do I Stand? ”. [online]: Available at: http://www.thinkb4youspeak.com/ForEducators/GLSEN-EducatorsGuide.pdf [Accessed on 8

August 2012].

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Part 2 - Procedure:

• Explain that in the second part of this activity, the group will get a chance to explore alternatives to the word “gay” when used in well-intentioned but inappropriate ways. The scenarios described depict good-natured playfulness among friends; however, the inappropriate use of the word “gay” is still not acceptable and may be hurtful to others.

• Either read aloud or have participants read aloud the series of statements and then have the group offer suggestions to complete them.

• Example statements:• Sarah and Christine are at the mall shopping. They see a neon-coloured

light-up scarf in the window. Later, Christine describes it to another friend by saying: “The scarf was so... [INSERT SOMETHING ORIGINAL HERE]”.

• Mark and Nick have tickets to go to a concert and decide to take the bus there. They wait for 30 minutes and the bus doesn’t show up, which means they will be late. Mark says: “This is so... [INSERT SOMETHING ORIGINAL HERE]”.

• Curtis decides to help out with the community Christmas party. He is assigned the role of a reindeer and has to dress up in a poufy reindeer costume with sparkly antlers. He looks at himself and says: “I look so... [INSERT SOMETHING ORIGINAL HERE]”.

• In class, the teacher assigns a project where everyone has to share their favourite memory. Emma sighs and says: “This project is so... [INSERT SOMETHING ORIGINAL HERE]”.

Part 2 - Discussion:

• Was it difficult to come up with an alternative word to complete the statement? Why or why not?

• Why is it important to be aware of our language even when our friends know that we have good intentions?

• What did you learn from this activity?

Adapted from: Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, 2008. “Think B4 You Speak Educators Guide – Activity 4: Let’s

Rephrase That ”. [online]: Available at: http://www.thinkb4youspeak.com/ForEducators/GLSEN-EducatorsGuide.pdf [Accessed on

8 August 2012].

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LGBTQ Trivia (I)

Ages: 16+

Time: 15 minutes

Resources: Copies of this questionnaire.

Purpose: This game helps participants to identify their knowledge of LGBT questions. It can also be used to introduce how human rights address LGBT questions. Procedure:

• Explain that this game aims to introduce human rights and LGBT questions. This is a safe space and participants are to feel comfortable.

• Hand out the questionnaire to all participants and give them five minutes to fill it in.

Variation: Try doing this activity in teams.

Discussion:

• Ask how many participants felt they knew the answers for the questions. • What makes it difficult to learn the trivia asked for in this exercise?• Discuss the answers to the first four questions.• Go through questions 5 to 7 separately. Do LGBT Canadians face similar types

of discrimination to minorities or to the population as a whole? How can we combat discrimination?

• How do human rights protect the rights of LGBT individuals? • Are there any places in the world where LGBT individuals face persecution or

are unsafe?• What more needs to happen to ensure LGBT rights?• What was the most frustrating aspect of this activity? • What was the most rewarding aspect of this activity?

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Questionnaire Answers:

1) c - Lambda (λ). Lambda can signify several things, including liberation, unity, synergy, or the iconic scales of justice.

2) c - Queer: Note that this term is sometimes used with a negative connotation. Discuss why.

3) b - A pink triangle attached to their clothing.

4) d - Transgender.

5) Answers may vary. Examples: homophobia, bullying, employment equality, outing.

6) Answers may vary. Example: In Canada, the right to marry was gained in 2005 with the passing of the “Civil Marriage Act” with gender neutral terminology (Compare Article 16 of the UDHR).

7) Answers may vary. Examples: The Right to Equality (Article 1 - UDHR: Section 15 - Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms), Freedom of Expression (Article 19 – UDHR; Section 2 – Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms).

8) Answers may vary. Examples: Start at Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) at your school, hand out information, etc.

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Questionnaire:

1.) Which Greek letter symbolizes gay and lesbian activism:

a Alpha (α)b) Theta (θ)c) Lambda (λ)d) Delta (δ)

2) What is a genderless term that can be used to refer to LGBT people?

a) Asexual b) Gay c) Queerd) Intersex

3) In the Nazi concentration camps of WWII, homosexuals wore which symbol to identify them?

a) An “H” on a headband b) A pink triangle attached to their clothing c) An H attached to their clothing d) A pink circle tattooed on their arm

4) Which term is sometimes used to include transsexuals, transvestites and cross-dressers?

a) Drag Kings/Queens b) Asexual c) Gender Neutral d) Transgender

5) List a form of discrimination faced by LGBT individuals:____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

6) List a right that Canadian LGBT individuals gained after other citizens in Canada:____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

7) List a human right that LGBT Canadians have yet to fully achieve. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

8) What can we do to promote the rights of ALL Canadians? List examples.______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Adapted from: The University of Southern California’s LGBT Resource Center, 2005. “Gay and Lesbian Trivia”. [online]: Available at:. http://sait.usc.edu/lgbt/ [Accessed on 27 June

2012].

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Safe Space (IO)

Ages: 16+

Time: 20 minutes

Resources: None.

Purpose: This activity helps participants to develop an understanding of how human rights and safety are interconnected.

Procedure:

• Clear the room or play outside and put posters on the wall stating “safe”, “unsure”, and “unsafe.”

• Explain to participants that they will have to imagine that the room is a large opinion scale with one end labelled safe, the middle unsure, and the other end unsafe.

• Each participant will imagine how safe they would feel/do feel as an LGBTQ youth in a variety of settings.

• Choose some settings from the list below or add your own. For example, ask “How safe would you/do you feel as an LGBTQ youth if you were/are … at the mall”?

• Settings may include:

• At the mall• At the gym • At a movie theater with their partner • Walking holding hands with their partner between classes • At a Pride parade • In a classroom • At a football game • At a restaurant • At a family event • Living in a cabin at summer camp• Hanging out with friends • At work • Visiting their physician

Variation: Try using this game to explore other areas such as homelessness or poverty.

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Discussion:

• Ask participants to discuss how they felt moving their locations for each setting.• Which settings felt the most/least safe and why? Try to get participants to share

from various points on the continuum -- even the neutral participants. • Were you surprised by any answers? Why or why not?• How might reactions differ for other types of groups (different minority groups

etc.), in other countries, in rural versus urban settings? • Do you think Canada is a safe place for LGBTQ Canadians? Why or why not? • How is safety related to human rights?

• Note: Everyone has the right to life and to live in freedom and safety (UDHR Art. 3).

• Everyone has a responsibility to ensure that the rights of others are respected (UDHR Art. 29).

Adapted from: The University of Southern California’s LGBT Resource Center, 2005. “Situation Exercise”. [online]: Available at:

http://sait.usc.edu/lgbt/ [Accessed on 27 June 2012].

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Standing on the Other Side of the Fence (I)

Ages: 18+

Time: 25 minutes

Resources: Flipchart or whiteboard.

Purpose: This game is an intense exploration of discrimination and comfort-zones.

Note: it may be too sensitive a subject for some groups.

Procedure:

• Have participants sit in a circle, preferably with no more than 15 in a group.• Have people introduce themselves around the circle.• Explain that for the purpose of the exercise, each person will reintroduce

themselves saying “Hi, my name is________, and I am a lesbian or I am gay”, regardless of how they self-identify.

• Remind them that nothing said in the room leaves the room, and that confidentiality is to be respected.

• Begin by asking questions which the participants are to respond to as if they self-identified as either a lesbian or a gay man. Some participants may not want to participate out loud but rather think about the questions. Depending on the group you may want to assign roles rather than have participants answer from their own experience. The leader may also want to answer to help participants feel comfortable.• Are you comfortable showing affection to your partner in public?• Are you ‘out’ to your family? • Your friends? • Your roommates/floor mates? • Why or why not?• What is most difficult for you about being out/ not out?• What do you wish could be different?

• Other questions may arise during the discussion.• Reserve time at the end for processing, invite people to step out of their roles

and take a few moments in silence to collect themselves.

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Discussion:

• Ask the group how the experience has affected them. • What, if anything, do they have a better appreciation for? • What behaviors of their own do they take for granted, if any? • What are they most committed to changing?• How is this activity related to human rights?• Do human rights sufficiently protect LGBTQ people in Canada? Around the

world?

Note: It is helpful to have a second facilitator to take notes on a flip chart or white board, so that the processing has a visual component as well.

Adapted from: The University of Southern California’s LGBT Resource Center, 2005. “Standing on the Other Side of the Fence”.

[Online]: Available at:: http://sait.usc.edu/lgbt/ [Accessed on 27 June 2012].

SECTION 16STATUS

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Status

Status – social, professional or other standing – affects us directly and indirectly throughout our lives in both positive and negative ways. The games in this section explore how power and status are divided in society and how the concepts are related to human rights. They ask participants to examine how they may or may not be discriminated against and how they might be discriminators themselves. The ideas of dominant groups and privilege are also scrutinized.

Articles 1 and 2 of the UDHR are especially relevant in connection to status. Article 1 states: All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood. Article 2 states: Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.

Equality in dignity and rights can be a difficult goal to meet in a society where status plays a large role in determining power and success. Moreover, although everyone is entitled to the rights and freedoms listed in the UDHR, people of “lesser statuses” or lesser means may have a difficult time realizing their rights. Many groups that are protected by human rights legislation are also the groups more likely to experience low economic and social status. These people may be treated differently than others for arbitrary reasons. They may find it difficult to access basic needs (food, water, clothing, etc.) or they may face discrimination when applying for employment.

Status can also have positive outcomes and can promote healthy competition and work incentives, things that are beneficial to have in a society. Status is one form of difference in society. Human rights protect the rights of people of different “statuses” and promote respect for such diversity.


• Pick Your Card• Power and Privilege• Status Olympics• The Scramble for Wealth and Power

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Factoid: StatusDefinitions:

• Status: a position or rank in relation to others.44 Status may be assigned to individuals at birth without reference to any innate abilities or achieved, requiring special qualities and gained through competition and individual effort. Assigned status is typically based on sex, age, race, family relationships, or birth, while achieved status may be based on education, occupation, marital status, accomplishments, or other factors.45

• Social Status: the relative rank that an individual holds in a social hierarchy based upon honour or prestige.46

• Socioeconomic Status: the relationship between economic standing and social status. Those who have a lower level of education and subsequently a low-paying job, tend to have a lower socioeconomic status.


Status – social, professional or other standing – affects us directly and indirectly throughout our lives in both positive and negative ways and is a concept related to human rights. Article 1 of the UDHR states: Everyone is born free and equal in dignity and rights. Article 2 states: Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. The UDHR tells us that we cannot discriminate based on status.

Did you Know?

• There are and have been many cases of discrimination based on status. These include: • Apartheid in South Africa – this was discrimination based on race.• In Saudi Arabia, women aren’t allowed to drive – this is discrimination

based on sex. • Denmark, Japan and Sweden have some of the lowest levels of income

inequality in the world.47 This indicates that they have more equal levels of socioeconomic status than many other countries.

44. Merriam-Webster Dictionary, 2012. “Status”. [online]. Available at: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/status.

[Accessed 8 August 2012].

45. Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2012. “Social Status”. [online]. Available at: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/551450/

social-status. [Accessed 8 August 2012].

46. Ibid.

47. The World Bank, 2012. “Gini Index” [online]. Available at: http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SI.POV.GINI?. [Accessed 8

August 2012].

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Pick Your Card (IO)

Ages: 12-25

Time: 20 minutes

Resources: A deck of cards.

Purpose: This activity aims to demonstrate how gender, status and peer pressure influence youths’ actions, beliefs and perceptions. The results of this activity may be unexpected and may lead the youth into a discussion that is un-anticipated.

Procedure:

• Tape a card from a deck of cards on each participant’s back without them seeing which card they have received. Use a variety of high and low cards. Girls get red cards and boys get black cards. Face cards are high and aces are low.

• Instruct youth to walk around as if they are at a party or event, greeting people and carrying on light conversation. They are, however, supposed to treat people according to the value of the card they have on their backs. • “Low” cards are not cool and

the people wearing them get ignored or snubbed.

• People wearing “high” cards are important and are treated nicely.

• Variation: You may want to hand out fewer “high” cards to girls to reflect the composition of power in society.

• End the activity when the youth have been able to guess where they “stand.” Have the youth check the cards on their back to confirm their suspicion.

Discussion:

• Did you figure out your status before checking your card? How did you figure out which status you were?

• How did it feel to be low/high status?

• What are the characteristics of a high-card male? (treated with respect, listened to)

• What are the characteristics of a high-card female? (treated with respect, listened to)

• How does our “status” affect us in life?

• Do you think gender affects our status? If yes, how?

• Why is it sometimes hard to know a person’s status?

• Do you agree or disagree with how status is assigned in society? Who does it benefit and who is disadvantaged?

• Is everyone’s voice heard under this kind of system of preference?

• What examples can you think of that do not use a status system?

• What choices can you make that will help those who are treated poorly?

• How are status and human rights related?

Adapted from: White Ribbon Campaign, 2007. “Campaign

in a Box resource Kit – Activity 1: Exploring Power Differences

and Individual Responsibility ”. p. 30-32

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Power and Privilege– Participant Race (O)

Ages: 14+ Time: 30 minutes Resources: Laminated role cards (optional). Purpose: This game asks participants to examine how we may or may not be discriminated against and how we might be discriminators ourselves. It also allows participants to discover how and when they are part of dominant groups and what privileges this might give them. Procedure: • Have everyone stand side-by-side in a straight line in the middle of the room

facing one wall. • Explain that this is the starting line for a race to get some well-paying jobs

(located at the wall or finish line), which they need to get in order to take care of their families. Before the race starts, however, some adjustments are going to be made to everyone’s starting positions.

• You may choose to hand out role cards to each participant to make the activity more meaningful and comfortable. Examples are found after the activity.

• Ask the participants to take a step forward or backward depending upon the instructions. If a statement doesn’t apply to them, they don’t move. Participants decide for themselves whether or not the statement applies to them. They must keep their steps the same size throughout the exercise.

• Explain that the exercise will be done in silence, and with closed eyes, to allow participants to focus on the feelings that come up during the exercise and to make it safer for all participants.

• Choose a set of statements suitable for your group. Ensure you have a mix of forward and backward steps.

• Read out each statement one at a time, allowing a few seconds each time for participants to adjust their positions if the statement applies to them:

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Statements

• If you feel that your primary ethnic identity is “Canadian” take one step forward.

• If you have ever been called names or ridiculed because of your race, eth-nicity or class background, take one step backward.

• If you have immediate family members who are doctors, lawyers, or other professionals, take one step forward.

• If you have ever tried to change your physical appearance, mannerisms, language or behavior to avoid being judged or ridiculed, take one step backward.

• If you studied the history and culture of your ethnic ancestors in elementary and secondary school, take one step forward.

• If, when you started school, you were speaking a language other than Eng-lish, take one step backward.

• If you were taken to art galleries, museums or plays by your parents, take one step forward.

• If you have ever attended a private school or summer camp, take one step forward.

• If your parent(s) encouraged you to go to college/university, take one step forward.

• If you grew up in a single parent household, take one step backward.• If you have ever been taken on a vacation outside of your home province,

take one step forward.• If you have a parent who did not complete high school, take one step back-

ward.• If your parent(s) own their own house, take one step forward.• If you were ever mistrusted or accused of stealing, cheating or lying because

of your ethnicity, age or class, take one step backward.• If you primarily use public transportation to get where you need to go, take

one step backward.• If you have ever felt afraid of violence directed toward you because of your

ethnicity, take one step backward.• If you have ever felt uncomfortable or angry about a remark or joke made

about your ethnicity but it was not safe to confront it, take one step back-ward.

• If you or your close friends or family were ever victims of violence because of your ethnicity. take one step backward.

• If your parent(s) did not grow up in Canada or the United States. take one step backward.

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• After you read out the last statement, ask everyone to freeze in place and to briefly notice where they are in relation to everyone else. Ask participants to think for a few minutes about what feelings they have and what patterns they notice.

• Then explain that they are in a race to the front wall/finish line for well paying and rewarding jobs. The participants should imagine that they need one of those jobs to support themselves and their family. When told to, the participants are to run towards the finish line as fast as they can. The first few to the front wall will get those jobs. Quickly say, “Ready, set, go,” to start the race (and get out of the way!)

Discussion: • Suggest to the participants that the winners of the race were declared before

the race even started.• How did you feel when you were answering these questions? How did it feel

when you were standing closer to or further away from the wall? • Given where everyone ended up in the room, how did that affect how hard you

ran towards the finish line? Did some people not run at all?• Point out that this exercise works well to demonstrate the power differences

between dominant and non-dominant groups in society.• The activity also serves well to illustrate the concepts of accessibility (some

people do not have the same access to jobs, etc., in our society because they are in non-dominant groups and/or are not as privileged as others); our society’s lack of a ‘level-playing field’; the reasons for affirmative action; and the different reactions people have to an unequal system.

Adapted from: MacNeil, D., et. al., 1998. People Power: A Youth Diversity Training Manual. North Vancouver: North Shore

Multicultural Society p.207.

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2nd YEAR UNIVERSITY STUDENT WHOSE PARENTS ARE

DOCTORS

REFUGEE WHO HAS JUST ARRIVED AND DOES NOT

SPEAK THE NATIONAL LANGUAGE

YOUTH LIVING IN A YOUTH HOME

EMPLOYED SINGLE MOTHER

25 YEAR-OLD MALE GUN OWNER

20 YEAR-OLD, IN A WHEELCHAIR

17 YEAR-OLD STUDENT WHOSE MOTHER IS A PARTNER IN A

SUCCESSFUL LAW FIRM

ABORIGINAL MALE LIVING ON A RESERVE

15 YEAR-OLD LESBIAN GIRLNEW IMMIGRANT WHO DOES NOT SPEAK THE NATIONAL

LANGUAGE

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TEMPORARY FOREIGN WORKER3RD YEAR UNIVERSITY ARTS

STUDENT WITH A WELL-PAYING PART-TIME JOB.

BLIND FEMALE IN HER THIRTIES

18 YEAR-OLD HOMELESS YOUTH

YOUNG MUSICIAN WHO PLAYS GIGS A FEW TIMES A MONTH

18 YEAR-OLD GIRL WITH STRICT PARENTS WHO WERE

BORN IN ANOTHER COUNTRY

SPONSORED PROFESSIONAL ATHLETE IN HIS/HER

TWENTIES.

GAY MALE IN HIS THIRTIES WITH A GOOD JOB.

ELDERLY WOMAN WITH A WALKER

10 YEAR-OLD SON OF A SUCESSFUL BUSINESS OWNER

237

Status Olympics (O)

Ages: 12-18 Time: 30-40 minutes Resources: Six sets of coloured cards (each set should be a different colour and there should be approximately the same number of each colour), safety pins so that the cards can be worn on the sleeve (optional), a chart indicating the status of each of the six colours (e.g., gold=top status, green = second status, etc.). Purpose: In this game, children question the way in which power and status are divided amongst human beings. Procedure: • Participants choose an armband or card and are asked to pin it to their shirts

so it can be seen clearly. The status chart is then revealed. • The participants are told that the object of the exercise is to improve or protect

one’s status by challenging someone of a higher status to a short game of their choice (e.g. arm wrestling, whistling a toon, staring contest, etc.). You may only challenge a person who has the status directly above your own.

• The rules of the competition must be clearly defined and understood by both parties. Should there be any doubt before or after the competition, an agreed mediator can be called in. No one can refuse to be a mediator unless involved in competition. The mediator must attempt to be impartial.

• If the person of lower status wins the competition, armbands/cards are exchanged. If the person loses, he cannot challenge the same person again. Likewise, a participant who just had to relinquish his armband/card cannot immediately challenge the person whom he traded armbands with.

Discussion:

• What happened? How did it feel to be of high or low status? How did it feel to win or lose a challenge, to rise or fall in status? How did those of constantly low status feel?

• Did your attitude towards the contest change? If so, how and why?• How involved did you become in the game? Why? What devices/strategies did

you employ to promote or defend your status? • In what ways did this activity mirror the real world? Does competitive status-

seeking make for a ‘healthy’ society? In what ways does such a society promote people’s rights? In what ways can it harm them?

• Were some participants more involved than others? Why? In what ways did the challenges issued reflect the personality of the challengers?

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Variations:

1. Halfway through the activity, replace the status chart with a second chart that reverses the status of the six colours.

2. Employ a group of clearly identified participant mediators who

play no part in the activity. 3. Some facilitators feel that the activity mirrors the power

structures of society more accurately if those of higher status, when challenged by someone of lower status, determine the nature of the challenge themselves. This variation can raise questions about the relative mobility or immobility of elites in different societies and the ease or difficulty with which the status quo can be challenged.



239

The Scramble for Wealth and Power (O)

Ages: 9-15 Time: 45 minutes Resources: 100 pennies (or candies for younger children), mittens, shovels. Purpose: The distribution of wealth and power within society usually affects a person’s opportunity to achieve full human rights and live his/her life with dignity. This activity involves the distribution of wealth. It challenges participants to examine the concepts of fairness and responsibility. Procedure: • Explain to participants that in this activity they will distribute the wealth and

power of the world amongst themselves. This wealth is represented by the 100 pennies.

• Arrange the room so that participants have a fairly large area to play the game. Have participants stand or sit in a circle and scatter the pennies evenly in the middle of the circle.

• Distribute mittens for most participants to wear but postpone discussion of reasons for this until debriefing.

Note: To emphasize that some start off with more than others, consider giving three or four participants five extra pennies to begin with as well as providing them with special scooping shovels.

• There is only one rule: no participant may touch another member of the group at any time while they gather pennies.

• When you say “Go”, have participants gather as many pennies as possible without touching one another.

Note: Penalties for violations of this rule may be needed such as removal from the game or payment to the person touched.

• After all the pennies have been collected, have participants report their wealth. Divide participants into three categories based on the number of pennies they have collected.

1) GREAT WEALTH AND POWER

(those with six or more pennies—the smallest group). 2) SOME WEALTH AND POWER

(those with three to five pennies—the middle group). 3) LITTLE WEALTH AND POWER

(those with two or fewer pennies—the largest group).

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• Remind the group that these pennies represent their wealth and power in the world. The amount they possess will affect their capacity to satisfy their needs (e.g., basic education, adequate food and nutrition, good health care, adequate housing) and wants (e.g., higher education, cars, computers, toys, television and other luxury items).

• Those participants with six or more pennies will have their basic needs and most of their wants met; those with three to five pennies will have their basic needs met, and those with two or fewer pennies will have difficulty surviving due to disease, malnutrition, lack of education, and inadequate shelter.

• Tell participants that they may, if they wish, give pennies to others however, they are not required to do so. Tell them that those who do share will be honored as Donors.

• Allow a few minutes for participants to redistribute the pennies if they wish. Then ask for the names of those who gave away pennies and the amount each gave. List them on a chart entitled DONORS.

• Ask if anyone changed categories as a result of giving or receiving pennies and record these shifts.

Creating Economic “Fairness” (a possible follow-up activity if time permits) • Divide participants into groups according to the number of pennies they have.• Give each group the task of creating a plan for the fair distribution of the

pennies (the world’s wealth). Each group should prepare to: 1. show why their plan is fair; 2. explain what needs to be done (if anything); and, 3. describe what the group plans to do and why.

• Give the groups ten minutes to devise their plans. • Ask each group to appoint a spokesperson to explain their plan to the others

and answer questions. After the plans have been presented and discussed, announce that a vote will now be held to decide which plan to adopt.

• When participants are ready to vote, announce the following: “Participants with six or more pennies have five votes, those with three to five pennies have two votes, and those with two or fewer pennies have one-half vote”. This strategy reinforces the fact that the distribution of wealth often reflects that of power.

• Have participants vote and tabulate the results. Announce which plan is to be implemented. Carry out this plan, redistributing the wealth if necessary.

Note: Keep in mind the socioeconomic composition of your participants. Be aware that there is a danger that this game can make some participants feel very uncomfortable or it can confirm the existing inequalities in wealth and power amongst participants. There are some groups for whom this activity is not appropriate.

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Discussion: • How did you feel about the way in which the pennies were acquired and

distributed? • Were participants treated fairly? What were some of the advantages/

disadvantages that people faced when collecting pennies? • What about the participants with mittens (and scooping shovels)? What kinds of

people do the mittens (and scooping shovels) represent? What group did they end up in?

• Did some people give pennies away? Why or why not? How did this feel? • What determined whether or not people gave away pennies?• What aspects of this game represented how the world’s wealth and power are

distributed? • How did the members of the different groups feel about their situation? (If you

facilitated the second part of the activity: Did the recommended plan for fair distribution reflect whether the group had more or fewer pennies?)

• After playing this game do you have a better understanding of the situation or attitude of poor people/nations?

• Why were some people given more votes than others? Was this an accurate representation of those with more or less power in the world?

• Are human rights being violated if some people have much more wealth than others?

Adapted from: S. Lamy, et al., 1994. “Teaching Global Awareness with Simulations and Games”. Denver: Centre for Teaching

International Relations, Universitof Denver.

SECTION 17

STEREOTYPES

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Stereotypes

A stereotype is an exaggerated or oversimplified belief of what is typical to a certain group of people and is often based on images built up over time. Stereotypes may impede human rights goals such as equality and non-discrimination. Stereotypes may be based on age, gender, nationality, ethnicity, physical appearance or other characteristics. For example, various nationalities are stereotyped as being overly friendly, whereas others are stereotyped as being conservative and others as nature-lovers. Stereotypes are often learned through socialisation. The games in this section explore how stereotypes affect human rights goals and equality. People use stereotypes in several ways. They can be used as “sense-making tools”; they help people to identify, simplify, understand and react to different encounters. They can also be used to save time and energy. Expanding on those ideas, stereotypes are often used to justify or explain actions or behaviours or to categorize people or events. They allow for people to make quick judgments and analyses of the situation or encounter.

Though stereotypes do help people to “make sense” of situations and save time and energy, they are not always true. They are rarely able to account for unexpected differences or new information about groups or individuals. Sometimes, stereotypes lead to scapegoating, intensify ignorance, and cause impaired performance. Some people are negatively affected by stereotypes, especially if they are inaccurately or hurtfully categorized. They may have difficulty entering or succeeding in certain activities, groups or fields.

In Canada, gender stereotypes are reflected in occupation patterns. The majority of employed women in Canada work in traditional “women’s” occupations such as teaching, nursing, administrative positions or sales and service occupations. When men enter “women’s” occupations, they are often teased as it doesn’t fit in with the traditional stereotype of “men”. These stereotypes limit the choices we make in our daily lives.


• Cultures Game• Cultural Perceptions• Lollipop Wrapper Game• The Masking Tape Activity• They’re All Alike

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Factoid: Stereotypes

Definitions:

• Stereotype: an oversimplified or generalised view of characteristics typical of a person or group of people. Stereotypes can be based on age, gender, ethnicity, nationality, physical traits or other characteristics.


Stereotypes can be either positive or negative. They can help a person make a quick judgement or decision about a situation without a lot of background information. The weaknesses of stereotypes are often understood by the phrase “don’t judge a book by its cover”. Essentially, the phrase refers to the inability of stereotypes to accurately account for the diversity present between people and within groups. When stereotypes lead to discrimination and inequality, they go against human rights goals.

Did you Know?

• The term “stereotype” comes from the greek word στερεός, which means “solid” and τύπος, which means “type”, or “form”. The word “stereotype” was not used in its modern context until 1922 when American journalist Walter Lippmann used it in Public Opinion.49

• Stereotypes that lead to age discrimination are common in the workplace, with very young and very old people often suffering. Making generalized assumptions about people’s capabilities because of their age doesn’t align with human rights principles.

• A common stereotype or misperception about Canadians is that we all live in igloos and ride polar bears. Sometimes stereotypes aren`t closely based on facts and observations.

49. Kleg, Milton, 1993. Hate Prejudice and Racism. State University of New York Press, Albany. p. 135.

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Cultures Game (O)

Ages: 9 -18

Time: 20 minutes

Resources: Laminated cultures cards (found on the following pages), coloured tags or stickers for each member of the group—these stickers or tags must be colour-coordinated with each of the six culture cards.

Purpose: Through this activity, participants explore their reactions when faced with behaviours and characteristics different from their own. The game can be used as a tool to begin a discussion about the way in which stereotypes and discrimination develop.

Procedure: • Divide the participants into 6

groups. Hand out the coloured tags or stickers and the instruction cards to each “culture group.” Participants should be instructed to wear their coloured tag or sticker.

• Give each group time to go over its cultural instructions. Warn participants that the groups are not allowed to tell others about their cultural characteristics.

• Once everyone is ready, ask all participants to walk around the room and communicate with the members of the other cultures according to the instructions they have been given.

• With larger groups, a structured “meet and greet” activity may be necessary to ensure that people are interacting.

• After ten minutes, or whatever time feels appropriate, ask everyone to stop.

Discussion:

• What did your group think of the game? How did you feel towards members of the other cultures?

• Were you frustrated at any time? Was there one culture in particular with whom it was easy to communicate? Was there one with whom it was difficult to communicate?

• What methods could you have used to allow you to better understand better the members of the other cultures? Participants will often name characteristics of groups which are NOT on the cards (e.g., the red team is unfriendly). This can be a good way to lead into a discussion of how stereotypes develop.

• Discuss cultural differences that exist in the “real world”. What are some common reactions to cultural differences (uncomfortable feelings, fear, stereotypes, discrimination, celebration)? How can we address these reactions?

• What are some advantages to a world with different cultures? What would be lost if we did not have differences?

• Which human rights protect difference and diversity? Why is it important to protect difference and diversity?

• What does this game teach us about acceptance?

Adapted from: Abboud, R., et. al., 2002. “The Kit: A Manual

by Youth to Combat Racism Through Education”. Ottawa:

UNA-Canada, 2002.

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Red Culture This card tells you which culture you belong to. During the game, you must act according to the values of your culture. Trait: You are very self-conscious. You always assume that people don’t like you and are talking about you behind your back. Salutation (Greeting): Double wink. Attitude towards members of the Orange Culture: You think they are funny and strange.

Orange Culture This card tells you which culture you belong to. During the game, you must act according to the values of your culture. Trait: You are very shy. You never make eye contact and your personal space is very important to you. Salutation (Greeting): Shake hands with the right hand only. Attitude towards the members of the Pink Culture: You subtly try to avoid them.

Pink Culture This card tells you which culture you belong to. During the game, you must act according to the values of your culture. Trait: You are very friendly and like to be extremely close when speaking to others (often your face is just 6 inches away from another person’s face during a discussion). Salutation (Greeting): Shake hands with your left hand only. Attitude towards members of the Blue Culture: You think they are interesting and idolize them – almost like a superstar.

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Blue Culture

This card tells you which culture you belong to. During the game, you must act according to the values of your culture. Trait: You are a true optimist. Everything is just so exciting to you that you can’t stand still – you’re always moving around while interacting with others.

Salutation (Greeting): Gently touch the other person on the shoulder. Attitude towards members of the Green Culture: You feel sorry for them and try to defend them.

Green Culture This card tells you which culture you belong to. During the game, you must act according to the values of your culture. Trait: You are a pessimist – you usually see the world as an unhappy and difficult place to exist. Salutation (Greeting): Cross your arms. Attitude towards members of the Red Culture: You feel superior to them.

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Cultural Perceptions (I)

Ages: 12+

Time: 20 minutes

Resources: Cut-out copies of the Cultural Perceptions questions for each set of partners, pens.

Purpose: This activity can be used as an opening activity, a way to test assumptions, and to introduce the concept of stereotyping.

Procedure:

• Have participants choose someone they don’t know well or they would like to know better as a partner.

• Hand out the Cultural Perceptions sheet to each pair.• Have the first partner share his or her perceptions of how the second partner

would respond to each of the questions. • After the first partner has given his or her perceptions, the second partner gives

his or her responses.• Switch roles and repeat the process.

Discussion:

• Reassemble the group and ask for volunteers to share their experiences in learning about another person.

• Which assumptions were accurate? Which were not accurate?• Ask how it felt to have the responsibility for making the perceptions; how it felt

being on the receiving end of the perceptions; and what insight this gives us to the process of stereotyping.

• How does this inform us of the stereotyping that may occur when we face new teachers, peers, students, and parents?

• How are stereotypes helpful? How are they harmful?• How are stereotypes related to human rights? (non-discrimination, equality)• What was the most important thing you learned from this experience?• How will you use this information?

Adapted from: Lindsay, Randall B., Robins, Kikanza Nuri, and Terrell, Raymond D., 2003. “Cultural Perceptions” in Cultural

Proficiency – A Manual for School Leaders. Thousand Oaks: Corwin Press Inc. pp. 67-69

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Cultural Perceptions

Use the list below to share your perceptions with your partner then ask your partner to give you his/her responses. Switch roles and have your partner share his/her perceptions with you.

• Country or area of family origin and heritage• Languages spoken• Interests or hobbies• Favourite food• Types of movies, TV programs preferred, if any• Type of music preferred• Pets, if any, or favorite animals

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Lollipop Wrapper Game (IO)

Ages: 6-10

Time: 15 minutes

Resources: A lollipop or wrapped candy for each participant (the wrappers should be various colors).

Purpose: This is a great stereotype game to introduce participants to the idea of appearance versus reality.

Procedure:

• Before the game begins, switch the wrappers of the lollipops so that the colour of the wrappers and the lollipops do not match.

• Have the participants sit in a circle and pass out the lollipops. Instruct the participants NOT to open the wrappers just yet.

• Tell the children they have a chance to trade their lollipops with the others. • Tell the participants to get into groups according to the colour of their lollipop

wrapper.• Open the wrappers.

Discussion:

• What colour did you want? • What were your expectations? • How does this game relate to individuals?• How does this game relate to groups of people? • What is a stereotype?• What does the common saying “Don’t judge a book by its cover” mean?

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The Masking Tape Activity (I)

Ages: 13-25 Time: 30 minutes Resources: Seven pieces of masking tape, each approximately 3” to 4” long. Each piece has a different one of the following phrases written on it: Tell me I’m rightTell me I’m wrongPraise meRidicule meIgnore meListen to meRespect me Purpose: This game provides participants with the opportunity to study their individual behaviours in a situation where the group members respond to one another in an unusual fashion. It demonstrates the ways in which the participants’ interaction with others influences their self-concept. The game also allows for a discussion of how stereotyping can affect the way in which people see the world and themselves. Procedure: • There are 7 possible roles in this game. If you have less than seven people,

choose a mix of roles from the list.• If you are doing this activity with a larger group, divide them into several small

groups with 7 or less in each group. • Have the groups of seven sit together in a circle. Apply a masking-tape label

to the forehead of each participant, concealing the label from the person on whose forehead it is being placed.

• For best results, each participant should be assigned a label that is contradictory to his or her general nature, for example the label that reads ‘Ignore me’ should be assigned to a participant who is usually accorded the attention of peers.

Note: It is crucial that each participant can read the other six labels without knowing what is written on his or her own label.

• The facilitator provides a topic for discussion or a team activity and instructs each member to interact with the others in a way that is natural for him. Each is cautioned not to role play, but to be himself. Instruct the group to react to each member by following the instructions on the speaker’s headband. The participants are not to tell each other what their labels say, but simply to react to them.

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• All debaters are further instructed to pay attention only to the masking-tape labels rather than to the individuals who are wearing the labels. Every comment, reply, rebuttal, or agreement should be phrased in accordance with the label on his or her forehead. You will probably have to remind the group a few times about this.

• In addition, encourage the participants to use subtlety in their responses. For example, a participant responding to the individual wearing the label that reads ‘Respect me’ should not initiate his or her comment with the phrase ‘Because I respect you…’

• The activity is allowed to continue either until the issue is resolved or until the participants become aware of the ways in which their responses to the masking-tape labels influence their interactions.

Discussion:

• Can you guess what your label said? What clues made you realize what was on your label?

• Did you like playing your role? Why or why not? How did it feel to be responded to on the basis of your label rather than on the basis of your comments and behaviour?

• Did this activity have anything in common with stereotyping? • How does stereotyping affect how people see the world and themselves? • Do you agree or disagree with how status and stereotypes are assigned in

society? Who does it benefit and who is disadvantaged?• Did anyone feel discriminated against, that they were treated unfairly? How?• Did your interaction with others influence your self-concept?• How are human rights and stereotypes related?• Do any human rights protect us from negative stereotypes?

Adapted from: Kasschau, Richard A. (1981). “A Handbook of Structured Experiences for Human Relations Training, Vol. VIII”.

University Associates. Used with permission from the Katimavik Bank of Activities.

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They’re All Alike (IO)

Ages: 6-12 Time: 30 minutes Resources: An apple or a rock for each group member. Purpose: This game teaches participants that our perceptions of similarities and differences are very subjective. The activity asks participants to confront stereotypes: all apples may look alike on first inspection, but a closer look reveals differences. Procedure: • Ask the participants to sit in pairs in a circle. Ask the group to name some

characteristics of apples/rocks. Are most similar?• Give each participant an item. Allow the participants a few minutes to examine

their items. Tell the children that at the end of 2-3 minutes they will be asked to introduce their apples to their partner. If I were introducing my apple to you, I would say: “Meet Apply, he’s tall with a shiny spot on his left side.”

• Have the pairs of participants introduce their items to each other.• Take back all the items and put them in a large bag.• Mix them up a little, and then put the items out on the floor/table again.• Have the participants take turns picking out their own items from the pile again.

Discussion: • Were you worried that someone else got your item? How would you have felt if

your item had not appeared?• Did you feel that the apples/rocks looked more different from one another the

longer you studied them? Was it easy to tell them apart? • Sometimes, we think that all people from a group are all the same (look alike,

act alike). What is this called?• Stereotypes can be harmful to people. How do you think stereotypes might

harm people? If you thought all people with brown hair were not smart and avoided them all without getting to know them, how might this hurt them? How might this hurt you?

Variation: If you have used rocks, end the activity by allowing the children to decorate their rocks with markers and take them home as a reminder of what they learned today.

Adapted from: Amnesty International, 1997: “First Steps - A Manual for Human Rights Education – Know Your Apple Activity”.

London: Electronic Resource for Human Rights Education. [Online]: Available at: http://www.hrea.org/erc/Library/First_Steps/

part3_eng.html. [Accessed on 20 August 2012]

SECTION 18

(UN)FAIRNESS

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(Un)Fairness

Human rights ensure that everyone can live with dignity and grow to their full potential. The concept of fairness is an integral theme in human rights. Fairness is sometimes expressed in human rights literature as justice or equality and is based on respect for humanity and the acceptance of social responsibility. The activities in this section explore the topic of fairness between individuals and groups as well as the fairness of policies and laws. The connections between fairness and human rights are discussed and evaluated.

In order for human dignity to be honoured, the fair treatment of people by institutions and by each other is necessary. Personal and social circumstances such as socio-economic status, gender, or nationality should not interfere with meeting potential.

The UDHR does not explicitly refer to ‘fairness’; however, the wording of several individual articles promotes and necessitates fairness. For example, Article 7 of the UDHR states: All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law. This article forwards the notion of fair treatment.


• Camouflage• Play a Relay• The Pen Game• Word Game

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Factoid: (Un)fairnessDefinitions:

• Equal: The same in importance and deserving the same treatment.50

• Equitable: fair and reasonable; treating everyone in the same way.51

• Fairness: when actions or decisions are marked by impartiality and honesty, and are free from self-interest, prejudice or favouritism 52: when people are treated equally or in a way that is right and/or reasonable.53

• Justice: fairness in the way people are treated.


‘Fairness’ is a broad term that encompasses many ideas such as justice, equality, equity, dignity, and non-discrimination. Fairness is closely related to human rights and helps people to live lives of dignity and respect each other. The UDHR states that everyone is born free and equal in dignity and rights. Human rights promote fairness and equality.

Did you Know?

• In Canada, we have public servants, called ombudsmen, who champion fairness and administrative justice. They act as a liaison between the people and the government. The term “ombudsman” comes from Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish and originally meant “representative”.

• One study suggests that the human brain treats fairness in the same way as it treats money and chocolate – as a reward.54

50. Cambridge Dictionaries Online, 2011. “Equal”. [Online]. Available at: http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/

equal_1?q=equal. [Accessed 10 August 2012].

51. Cambridge Dictionaries Online, 2011. “Equitable”. [Online]. Available at: http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/

equitable_1?q=equitable. [Accessed 10 August 2012].

52. Merriam-Webster Dictionary, 2012. “Fair”. [Online]. Available at: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fair. [Accessed

10 August 2012].

53. Cambridge Dictionaries Online, 2011. “Fairness”. [Online]. Available at: http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/

fairness_1?q=fairness. [Accessed 10 August 2012].

54. Wolpert, Sturat, 2008. “Brain reacts to fairness as does to money and chocolate, study shows”. UCLA Newsroom. [Online].

Available at: http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/brain-reacts-to-fairness-as-it-49042.aspx?link_page_rss=49042. [Accessed 24

August 2012].

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Camouflage (IO)

Ages: 5-8 Time: 15-20 minutes Resources: Two or three balls of wool of different colours (one ball should be a distinctive colour such as red or yellow, and the others should be neutral colours which blend with the indoor or outdoor surroundings)

Purpose: Participants learn to identify and question unfairness. They are encouraged to consider what kinds of differences can lead to unfairness in the world. Procedure: • Cut out 20 or 30 pieces of wool of each colour. • Hide them around the facility you are using for the presentation. • Divide the participants into two or three teams. Each team should look for wool

of one colour only. • Give them a time limit. • After the search is over, count how many pieces of wool each team was able to

find. The team with the most pieces of wool wins the game. • The team that is looking for the brightly coloured wool will most likely win

because it is easiest to find.

Discussion:

• What did it feel like to be on the winning team? What did it feel like to be on the other team? Which team found most pieces? Why?

• If we played again, which team would you like to be on? Why? • Is the game fair? Can it be made fair? Think of all the games you know:

what makes them fair? (e.g., in football both teams have the same number of players.)

• For older children, use this as a starting point for thinking about global unfairness. (e.g., the distribution of wealth, water, food, land, etc.)

• For many children in the world, their rights are not realized. How would your life be different if you were one of these children? What can be done about unfairness?



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Play a Relay (O)

Ages: 7+ Time: 15 minutes Resources: Something to mark the finish-line of the relay race. Purpose: This game will help the participants understand how it feels to be treated unequally for arbitrary reasons. Procedure: • Divide the group into two equal teams. You can use sex, hair colour, eye colour

or any other criterion.• Have the teams stand in two lines behind a starting point. Mark off the finish-

line several metres away. To play, team members take off their shoes, run to the finish line, and return. Before the next person on the team can start running, the first person must put his or her shoes back on – laces, buckles and all. Once a person has put his shoes back on, he goes to the back of the line and the relay continues.

• After 2 or 3 people from each team have finished their runs, stop the game and announce a change in the rules. Example: Team One is allowed to run to the line and back, but Team Two has to hop. Or you might shorten the relay distance for one team, make it okay for one team to start running before their team member has finished putting on his shoes. The objective is to deliberately create an unfair situation. If some people start complaining, ignore them or tell them to stop complaining.

• Continue the relay, changing the rules once or twice more. Stop when almost everyone is complaining that the rules “aren’t fair” (or after every person has run once).

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Discussion: • How did it feel to play this game? What was it like to be on the team that

received special privileges? What was it like to be on the other team?• Does it make a difference if the rules aren’t fair for some people? Why or why

not?• Can you think of some examples from real life where things are unfair for

certain groups of people?• For older children, use this as a starting point for thinking about global

unfairness. (e.g., the distribution of wealth, water, food, land, etc.)• How do human rights promote fairness?

Variation:

• Use two buckets as the markers for the end of the relay race. In the buckets, place cards with certain human needs on them (clean air, food, water): enough so that several participants on each team would have to have to run twice to empty the bucket.

• Tell the participants that each team is a community. To ensure everyone in the community is healthy, they need to collect all of the items out of the bucket.

• Proceed with the race, changing the rules to the disadvantage of one team.

• When you see that most of the “losing” team members have run once, take several of the additional rights cards out of the “losing” team’s bucket and hand them out to the “winning” team members. This will elicit a lot of complaints from the “losing” team. It will also ensure that the race runs smoothly.



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The Pen Game (I)

Ages: 11+ Time: 15 minutes Resources: A pen. Purpose: Participants learn that laws issued without taking people into account can lead to arbitrary and unfair decisions. Moreover, rules that are applied arbitrarily breed cynical attitudes toward rules in general. Procedure: • Get participants to sit in a circle. Tell them only that they are going to play The

Pen Game. Do not explain the rules of the game. • Randomly select someone (the Initiator) and ask her to begin the game by

passing a pen to the person seated next to him/her. You must watch closely how, to whom, and in which direction the Initiator passes the pen.

• Suddenly, announce that the Initiator has made a mistake. The mistake could be that the Initiator used his/her left hand instead of his/her right, or that s/he passed the pen to the person on the Initiator’s right instead of his/her left, or whatever oddities you have observed. This rule continues for the rest of the game. If the group is large, you can ask people who break rules to leave the circle. If it is small, it is best to allow them to continue to play the game.

• After the second or third pass, announce another mistake. Perhaps passing the pen to a person of the opposite sex, or to a person wearing a ring, and so on.

• The game continues at least until the pen has been passed back to the Initiator. In the process, many people have been found at fault.

Discussion: • Can you identify mistakes that were committed by people around the circle? Do

those who made mistakes accept their faults and why?• Ask the group what feels unusual. Why is it wrong, strange or unfair? Who is

to blame for the faults - the facilitator or the eliminated players? Why?• What would need to happen to make the game fair? What are the similarities

between fair games and fair laws?• Can you name some of the characteristics of “good” laws? Make the

connection between arbitrary laws and human rights violations. For example, if laws are arbitrary, people may be punished for doing something they did not know was wrong. Arbitrary laws and bad laws often require harsher punishments to be enforced.

• How is fairness related to human rights?

Adapted from: Action Professionals Association for the People, 1996. “Bells of Freedom – The Pen Game”. [Online]: Available at:

http://www.hrea.org/erc/Library/Bells_of_Freedom/index_eng.html. [Accessed on 20 August 2012].

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Word Game (I)

Ages: 7+

Time: 15 minutes

Resources: Pens and papers—each paper with a letter on it (some very common letters, some uncommon).

Purpose: This game demonstrates the discrimination and unequal treatment towards some people who have unseen disadvantages.

Procedure:

• Divide the participants into small groups of equal numbers - about 5 people in each group.

• Tell the participants that they will be playing a word game in which each group will be given a different letter and will have 3 minutes to come up with as many words that begin with that letter as they can think of.

• Pass out the sheets (each with different letters on them—some of the letters must be difficult to find words for) and pens.

• Tell the group to begin finding as many words as possible. After 3 minutes ask them to stop and have each group count up their words.

• Once all of the groups have read out the number of words they have, pick a number (an approximate average of number of words that the groups found, e.g., 25 words). Declare that all the groups over that number get candy or stickers.

• As you pass out the prizes, ask them to read out their words. Some participants may start to complain, which will lead into the discussion. After the discussion, give the other groups prizes as they read their words.

Discussion:

• What did you think of this game? Did you ever feel as if the game was unfair? The same rules applied to all of the groups, so how was it unfair?

• Do you think there are real life situations where the rules seem fair but in reality some groups are discriminated against because of their resources or other factors? Will this experience today help you better relate to people in that situation? Do you think these people are facing discrimination?

• What can you do to prevent discrimination?• How do human rights protect people from discrimination?

Developed by: Caitlin MacLachlan for the John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights, 2006.

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APPENDIXA

HUMAN RIGHTS DOCUMENTS

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The Universal Declaration of Human Rights A Simplified Version

Article 1: Everyone is free and we should all be treated in the same way.

Article 2: Everyone is equal despite differences in skin color, sex, religion or language, for example.

Article 3: Everyone has the right to life and to live in freedom and safety.

Article 4: No one shall be held in slavery and slavery is prohibited.

Article 5: No one has the right to hurt you or to torture you.

Article 6: Everyone has the right to be treated equally by the law.

Article 7: The law is the same for everyone; it should be applied in the same way to all.

Article 8: Everyone has the right to ask for legal help when his or her rights are not respected.

Article 9: No one has the right to imprison you unjustly or expel you from your own country.

Article 10: Everyone has the right to a fair and public trial.

Article 11: Everyone is considered innocent until proven guilty.

Article 12: Everyone has the right to ask for help if someone tries to harm you, but no one can enter your home, open your letters or bother you or your family without a good reason.

Article 13: Everyone has the right to travel as desired.

Article 14: Everyone has the right to go to another country and ask for protection if being persecuted or in danger of being persecuted.

Article 15: Everyone has the right to belong to a country. No one has the right to prevent you from belonging to another country if you wish to.

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Article 16: Everyone has the right to marry and have a family.

Article 17: Everyone has the right to own property and possessions.

Article 18: Everyone has the right to practice and observe all aspects of his or her own religion and change his or her religion if he or she wants to.

Article 19: Everyone has the right to say what he or she thinks and to give and receive information.

Article 20: Everyone has the right to take part in meetings and to join associations in a peaceful way.

Article 21: Everyone has the right to help choose and take part in the government of his or her country.

Article 22: Everyone has the right to social security and to opportunities to develop skills.

Article 23: Everyone has the right to work for a fair wage in a safe environment and to join a trade union.

Article 24: Everyone has the right to rest and leisure.

Article 25: Everyone has the right to an adequate standard of living and medical help when ill.

Article 26: Everyone has the right to go to school.

Article 27: Everyone has the right to share in his or her community’s cultural life.

Article 28: Everyone must respect the ‘social order’ that is necessary for all these rights to be available.

Article 29: Everyone must respect the rights of others, the community and public property.

Article 30: No one has the right to take away any of the rights in this declaration.

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The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child A Simplified Version

Article 1: Everyone under 18 has these rights.

Article 2: All children have these rights, no matter who they are, where they live, what their parents do, what language they speak, what their religion is, whether they are a boy or girl, what their culture is, whether they have a disability or whether they are rich or poor. No child should be treated unfairly on any basis.

Article 3: All adults should do what is best for children. When adults make decisions, they should think about how their decisions will affect children.

Article 4: The government has a responsibility to make sure children’s rights are protected. They must help families protect children’s rights and create an environment where they can grow and reach their potential.

Article 5: Children’s families have the responsibility to help them learn to exercise their rights and to ensure that their rights are protected.

Article 6: Children have the right to be alive.

Article 7: Children have the right to a name, and this should be officially recognized by the government. Children have the right to a nationality (to belong to a country).

Article 8: Children have the right to an identity—an official record of who they are. No one should take this away from them.

Article 9: Children have the right to live with their parent(s), unless it is bad for them. They have the right to live with a family who cares for them.

Article 10: If children live in a different country than their parents do, they have the right to be together in the same place.

Article 11: Children have the right to be protected from being taken out of their country illegally.

Article 12: Children have the right to give their opinions and for adults to listen and take them seriously.

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Article 13: Children have the right to share what they think with others by talking, drawing, writing or in any other way unless it harms other people.

Article 14: Children have the right to choose their own religion and beliefs. Parents should guide their children in the development of their beliefs.

Article 15: Children have the right to choose their own friends and join or set up groups, as long as it isn’t harmful to others.

Article 16: Children have the right to privacy.

Article 17: Children have the right to get information from radio, newspaper, books, computers and other sources that is important to their well-being. Adults should make sure that the information they are getting is not harmful and help them find and understand the information they need.

Article 18: Children have the right to be raised by their parent(s) if possible. Article 19: Children have the right to be protected from being hurt and mistreated, in body or mind.

Article 20: Children have the right to special care and help if they cannot live with their parents.

Article 21: Children have the right to care and protection if they are adopted or in foster care.

Article 22: Children have the right to special protection and help if they are refugees (if they have been forced to leave their home and live in another country), as well as all the rights in this Convention.

Article 23: Children have the right to special education and care if they have a disability, as well as all the rights in this Convention, so that they can live a full life.

Article 24: Children have the right to the best health care possible, safe water to drink, nutritious food, a clean and safe environment and information to help them stay well.

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Article 25: If children live in foster care or in other situations away from home, they have the right to have these living arrangements looked at regularly to see if they are the most appropriate.

Article 26: Children have the right to help from the government if they are poor or in need.

Article 27: Children have the right to food, clothing, a safe place to live, and to have their basic needs met.

Article 28: Children have the right to a good quality education. Children should be encouraged to go to school to the highest level they can.

Article 29: Children’s education should help them use and develop their talents and abilities. It should also help them learn to live peacefully, protect the environment and respect other people.

Article 30: Children have the right to practice their own culture, language and religion. Minority and indigenous groups need special protection of this right.

Article 31: Children have the right to play and rest.

Article 32: Children have the right to protection from work that harms them and is bad for their health and education. If they work, they have the right to be safe and paid fairly.

Article 33: Children have the right to protection from harmful drugs and from the drug trade.

Article 34: Children have the right to be free from sexual abuse and exploitation.

Article 35: No one is allowed to kidnap or sell children.

Article 36: Children have the right to protection from any kind of exploitation (being taken advantage of).

Article 37: No one is allowed to punish children in a cruel or harmful way.

Article 38: Children who are affected by armed conflict must be protected and cared for. Children under 15 cannot be forced to go into the army or take part in war.

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Article 39: Children have the right to special help to recover if they have been exploited, neglected or abused.

Article 40: Children have the right to legal help and fair treatment in a justice system that respects their rights.

Article 41: If the laws of their country provide better protection of their rights than the articles in this Convention, those laws should apply.

Article 42: Children have the right to know their rights. Adults should know about these rights and help them learn about them, too.

Articles 43 to 54: These articles explain how governments and international organizations will work to ensure that children’s rights are protected.

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The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms

Guarantee of Rights and Freedoms

Section 1: In Canada, we have laws that give rights and freedoms that we feel all Canadians are entitled to possess. Being a multicultural country, our laws preserve the diversity of our races, faiths, and nationalities.

Fundamental Freedoms

Section 2: Canadians have the freedom to believe what they choose, to express their values, and to form associations.

Democratic Rights

Section 3: Every citizen has the right to vote in public elections.

Section 4:

1) No parliament or legislative assembly can continue to stay in office for longer than five years.

2) Only under extraordinary circumstances, such as war or a national emergency, may a government stay in office for longer than five years.

Section 5: There will be a meeting of Parliament and of each legislature at least once every year.

Mobility Rights

Section 6:

1) Every citizen can enter, stay in, and leave Canada as they wish. 2) Every person who is considered a permanent resident of Canada can:

a) Move to and live in any province.b) Find a job in any province.

3) Provinces can decide who they give social benefits to.4) If its employment rate is below the national average, a province can create pro-

grams that favour its own residents.

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Legal Rights

Section 7: Every Canadian has the right to life, freedom and personal security.

Section 8: Every Canadian has the right to a reasonable expectation of privacy (i.e. anyone acting on behalf of the government must have a warrant before entering someone’s home).

Section 9: Everyone has the right not to be arrested and held in custody without good reason.

Section 10: If arrested, everyone has the right to:

a) Know why they have been arrested.b) Seek legal advice from a lawyer.c) Challenge the fairness of the arrest.

Section 11: Any person who is charged with an offense has the right to:

a) Be told right away exactly what they are being charged with.b) Have his/her trial take place in a reasonable amount of time.c) Not testify in his/her own trial (they cannot be called as a witness).d) Be considered innocent unless proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt.e) Not be denied bail without a good reason.f) Trial by jury if the charges are serious.g) Not be charged with a crime unless what they did was against the law at the time

they did it. h) Only be charged with a crime once, whether they are found innocent or guilty.i) Be sentenced under the more lenient of two laws, if a change of law occurs before

they have been sentenced.

Section 12: No one should be subjected to cruel or unusual punishment (the punishment must not be too harsh for the crime).

Section 13: Witnesses are protected from having information given in their testimony used against them.

Section 14: Anyone involved in trial has the right to an interpreter if they do not understand the language, or they are deaf.

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Equality Rights

Section 15: Every person in Canada (regardless of race, religion, national or ethnic origin, colour, sex, age, or physical or mental disability) is to be considered equal, and is not to be discriminated against.

Official Languages of Canada

Section 16: Both French and English are official languages, and given equal status.

Section 16.1: The English and French speaking communities of New Brunswick have equal rights, and the government must protect those rights.

Section 17: Everyone has the right to use English or French in any debate or proceeding of parliament.

Section 18: All federal laws and those of New Brunswick must be published in both English and French.

Section 19: Either English or French may be used in pleadings of federal courts (including the Supreme Court) and the courts of New Brunswick.

Section 20: Everyone has the right to communicate with the federal government in either French or English.

Section 21: All language rights in other parts of the constitution must be protected.

Section 22: The government is allowed to offer services in languages other than French or English.

Section 23: Canadian citizens have the right to have his/her children educated in either French or English.

Enforcement

Section 24: Any person who feels that his/her rights or freedoms have been violated by the government can go to court and ask for a remedy.

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General

Section 25: The Charter recognizes the rights of Aboriginal people of Canada in order to protect the culture, traditions, and languages of Aboriginal people.

Section 26: The Charter is not the only source for protection of individual rights. Parliament and the legislatures can create laws that protect rights beyond the ones listed in the Charter.

Section 27: The courts and governments must interpret the Charter in a way that recognizes Canada`s multicultural diversity.

Section 28: The rights and freedoms in the Charter are guaranteed to males and females equally.

Section 29: Religious and separate schools have the right to choose their teachers and students based on their religion.

Section 30: The Charter applies equally to all provinces and territories within Canada.

Section 31: Nothing in the Charter changes the sharing of responsibilities or the distribution of powers between the provincial and federal governments.

Application of the Charter

Section 32:1) This charter must be applied by both federal and provincial governments.2) Governments were allowed three years to bring their laws into line with Section 15

of the Charter. This meant that this section came into effect on April 17, 1985.

Section 33: The Federal Government and any provincial or territorial government is able to pass laws that take away some rights in the Charter (with clear reasons and acceptance of full responsibility for the consequence of its actions).

Citation

Section 34: The official name of this part of the Constitution is called the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Section 35: The Charter is the supreme law of Canada, and all laws in Canada must follow the terms of the Charter to be valid.

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APPENDIXB

SESSION PLANNING RESOURCES

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SESSION PLAN TEMPLATEDate: Time:

Ages: Number of youth:

Location:

Lesson Design

Session Themes• • • •

Activity #1:

Activity #2 :

Activity #3:

Activity # 4:

Resources• • • •

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SAMPLE SESSIONS These sessions demonstrate how games from different sections

of the curriculum can be put together to create a theme.

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1. TOPIC: RACISM AND DISCRIMINATION (AGES 9-12)

This session explores how rights are respected in a multicultural society.

Page Tug of Rights • This game explores the importance and interconnectedness of rights in The Convention on the Rights of the Child.

• Participants are divided into two teams and must match pictures with their corresponding rights, ordering them from most to least important. Children then play a “tug of rights” to try to protect their rights.

• A final discussion how and when rights are lost and what the world would be like without rights occurs after the game.

Page Going Dotty • This game promotes cooperation, non-verbal communication, and divides participants into groups

• Each participant closes his/her eyes and has a dot placed on his/her forehead. The participants must then find a way to organize themselves into teams of the same dot colour…without talking!

Page Cultures Game • This game explores stereotypes, cultural difference and discrimination.

• Each team is given a “culture” complete with its own unique form of communication that they must adopt. The “cultures” then interact.

• During the debriefing, discussion focuses on multiculturalism, stereotypes and the challenges faced when communicating with people from different cultures.

Page Unpacking the Privileges Knapsack • This game explores the small disadvantages minorities face daily in Canadian society.

• The participants are asked a series of questions (e.g. “Can you find bandages/cover-up that match your skin colour in the local grocery store?”).

Page 5 Pictures • This game allows for participants to creatively solve a problem.• Participants perform and narrate five tableaus in which they

identify and solve a situation of discrimination.

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2. TOPIC: DISABILITIES AND STEREOTYPES (AGES 6-10)

This active session explores how it would be like to live with a disability and how to respect the rights of others. Children are given the skills needed to

overcome stereotypes.

Page Suitcase of Rights • This game explores the importance of rights and needs and introduces the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

• Participants imagine that a human rights crisis has occurred in their community and they must decide which rights to bring with them as they flee.

Page Barnyard • This game explores discrimination and minority dynamics.• Participants are assigned an animal sound and have to find their

groups of animals using only their ears to hear the sounds of the participants. The majority is cows and only a few of the other animals are assigned.

Page Lollipop Wrapper Game • The ideas of stereotypes and appearance versus reality are introduced.

• Participants choose a lollipop of their liking and then pull off the wrapper. Little do they know that the wrappers have been switched and the lollipops inside are a different colour.

Page Sandpaper Letters • Participants experience one of the challenges of living with a disability.

• The children are blindfolded and each gets a cut-out sandpaper letter. They must determine which letter it is.

Page Signals • Participants think about the challenges faced by people living with disabilities and the importance of different means of communication.

• Divide the group into pairs and have one wear a blindfold. The blindfolded partner is led through an obstacle course by the other teammate without using words to communicate or holding hands.

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3. TOPIC: LGBT RIGHTS, DISCRIMINATION AND FAIRNESS

(AGES 14-25)This session aims to prepare youth to address discrimination and injustice in

society.

Page Suitcase of Rights (Adapted) • The youth explore the value of their rights and needs through imagining life without certain rights.

• Participants are divided into groups and given a copy of the UDHR. They must pack a suitcase with their 10 most important rights and slowly eliminate them until they only have a few left.

Page The Masking Tape Activity • Participants discuss stereotypes and labels in society and how they affect the world.

• Each person receives a label to put on their forehead that they cannot see (i.e. ignore me, praise me, etc.). The group is given a topic to discuss and must interact with each other according to the labels.

Page Safe Space • Participants connect safety and human rights in the context of LGBT rights.

• The room is divided as a large opinion scale with one side being “safe”, the middle “neutral”, and the other side “unsafe”. Participants are asked a series of questions about how safe they would feel as an LGBT Canadian in different places/scenarios.

Page The Word Game • This game presents an unfair situation that participants must work through.

• Groups are assigned a letter and given three minutes to write down as many words as possible that begin with the letter. Some groups will have many words and others only a couple of words.

Page Bears in the Air • Cooperation and problem-solving are emphasized in this game.• Participants are timed and must toss a stuffed bear around a

circle in the same order. They are told to go faster and faster. Once they can’t go any faster, they must come up with a new strategy (i.e. stand in a line, etc).

rights in play: a practical guide for human rights education

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