Novamerica: a Brazilian NGO

Novamerica is an NGO created in Rio de Janeiro in 1991. Historical and structural human rights violations, social injustice, a high level of inequality and violence are central characteristics of the Brazilian society.

In this context, Novamerica aims at promoting democracy as a lifestyle which requires an active participation in society. It stimulates awareness of Latin American reality and cultural diversity and the commitment to solidarity. It develops educational and cultural processes for different social groups, and focuses especially on the empowerment of those who are left out.

Education in Human Rights, Democracy and Citizenship: a Proposal

Nowadays, the universal awareness of the human rights is getting stronger. Although such rights have been proclaimed, they still remain under systematic violation in different parts of the world.

The struggle to make such rights real and to make individuala aware of them passes through the educational process. In this direction we may have the possibility to build citizenship and promote the awakening of a new democratic society.

The tension between the growing interest in human rights and their constant violations in Brazil today challenges education to promote comprehension and the practice of those rights. Aware of that urgency, Novamerica develops programs oriented in that perspective.

There are three programs in Novamerica, which are:

• Latin American Integration and Democratic Processes

• Education of Socially Disadvantaged Groups

• Human Rights, Education and Citizenship

We shall focus our attention on the third program called Human Rights, Education and Citizenship. This program assumes that social changes go through the discussion of the actual human rights situation in our society and the implementation of new social and cultural policies. It demands a Human Rights Culture in all dimensions of society, and in that perspective human rights education is a central concern. This program is complemented by two subprograms:

• School and Citizenship

• Social Community Leadership Education

School and Citizenship" aims at discussing Human Rights issues today, to promote an active citizenship and awareness of the practice of human rights in Brazilian society, as well as to educate the social actors committed to the building of democracy in different dimensions. The main topics of this subprogram are: Historical Development of Human Rights, Main International Documents, Main National Documents, Different Perspectives in Human Rights Education, Human Rights Education in Latin America; Brazilian Experiences in Human Rights Education, School Curriculum, Methods and Educational Materials and Pre-Service and In–Service Teacher Training in Human Rights. This project works together with public schools in different districts of Rio de Janeiro and in the city of Rio de Janeiro.

The subprogram "Social Community Leadership Education" works with non-formal education in developing social projects. Its main topics are Citizenship and politics, leadership styles, building democracy, social organisation and social and cultural identity. This subprogram has many partners such as different NGOs and Social Movements.

Workshops: a Central Educational Tool

The concept of a workshop, when applied to education, refers to an experience where all participants should generate ideas, feelings and practices oriented to changing society. The first step in the process of creating a workshop is to identify the basic issues which will be developed during its different moments. This methodology aims at promoting attitudes oriented towards reinforcing the personal and collective commitment in different fields: economical, political, cultural, at the community, regional, national and international. The workshop is a place of collective construction of knowledge, analysis of the reality, exchange of experiences and an active practice of human rights. The main goal is to reinforce the awareness and ethic dimension, as well to go further in the social-political commitment to the struggle for the effectiveness of human rights. Different cultural expressions of Brazilian reality are incorporated in the activities proposed during the workshops, such as music, poetry and movies, among others. Each workshop is developed in sequence, from the first moment when the enviornment is created, until the last moment, which is action-oriented. Some of the strategies used during the workshops are the exchange of personal experiences, the discussion of articles and different documents, simulations, case studies, a videoforum, and theatre. Generally, the workshops are developed in five to six hours.

The four dimensions of Education in Human Rights

• The Sight: Education in human rights seeks increasing sensitivity and awareness of reality. One of its main demands is to articulate the local, Latin American and world levels.
  
  

• The Knowledge: The socially acquired knowledge of Human Rights, as well as the knowledge which is earned from social practice, are in deep connection with the first dimension (sight). To create a reciprocal relation between those knowledges should be a central concern. The reflection on Human Rights at philosophical, social, political, historical and legal levels will go progressively further, deepening the knowledge over the subject.
  
  

• The Celebration: Education in Human Rights must be a practice that promotes pleasure, happiness and emotion. The celebration of life gains a much wider importance in contexts where people deal with an everyday situation of death and violence. To shelter life, protect it from the many possible threats, to disclose its violations and to assert and multiply the experiences which promote life and happiness becomes a passionate activity. Education in Human Rights demands an affectionate dimension which turns out to be absolutely necessary.
  
  

• The Commitment: Education in Human Rights becomes impossible without commitment. Such an education evolves from action and from taking part in different types of groups, campaigns and movements. Under this perspective, the construction of collective practices as well as participation in social organisations and movements are a major concern. It means to educate with the practice of collective construction, and taking an active roll in the struggle for the human rights.

Index: Podium

Human Rights and Human Rights Education
by K. Peter Fritzsche

The Difficult Question of Evaluation
by Thomas Lillig and Katrin Uhl

Portrait
Novamerica: a Brazilian NGO

Expert's Commentary
by Katrin Uhl