Equitas 40th Annual International Human Rights Training Program

I got accepted to this amazing training program. I hope to deepen my understanding on human rights and be able to contribute to the development of more effective programs or activities in terms of human rights education for the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights and for my organization. This will be the first human rights education training I have the opportunity in participating in and I am hopeful that this will instill a human rights-based approach to everything that we do.

Equitas – International Centre for Human Rights Education is a non-profit organization founded in 1967 that advances equality, social justice and respect for human dignity through innovative education programs in Canada and around the world. Equitas equips frontline human rights defenders and educators, government institutions and children and youth with knowledge, skills and values to build a global culture of human rights.

The International Human Rights Training Program is at the heart of Equitas activities. Now in its 40th edition, the Program captures the power of human rights education to transform societies and communities: from conflict to peace; from human rights violations to redress; from abuse to dignity; and from discrimination to respect, equality and social justice. According to Equitas’ extensive experience, the Program’s participatory approach leads to successful results. It enables participants with different backgrounds, cultures, values and beliefs to exchange knowledge and experiences, and to learn together and from each other. The approach encourages critical analysis, enabling participants to develop concrete actions for the empowerment and participation of the most vulnerable, within local contexts, in accordance with human rights standards and values. In addition, the Program incites participants to collaborate with civil society, national human rights institutions, regional and international organisations, and governments to effect social change.

Equitas’ selection committee prioritizes individuals and organizations that best demonstrate sustained commitment and effectiveness in promoting human rights and conducting human rights education activities and programs. To this effect, the sharing and transmission of knowledge and follow-up activities are important aspects of the Program. During the Program, participants develop an Individual Plan to help them implement the knowledge and skills that they gained. Therefore, when submitting their application to the Program, organisations and their candidates should consider how they will transfer the knowledge and skills learned to the organization, and even beyond.

Examples of concrete results achieved by Program alumni include the following:

India
Joint action by indigenous peoples and human rights organisations leads to redress for violations resulting from dam construction, oil drilling and mining activities.

Middle East and North Africa
Women and youth empowered to claim their rights and freedoms through the implementation of citizenship projects

Tanzania
Women living in abject poverty increase their individual income tenfold, and improve their financial situation through revenue generating activities.

Program Objectives

By the end of the IHRTP, participants are able to:

- Use a framework based on internationally recognized human rights standards and principles to analyze issues and situations related to their work and the work of their organization;
- Identify ways in which human rights education can increase the effectiveness of their human rights work ;
Integrate a participatory approach into their human rights and human rights education work ;
- Indicate appropriate ways for putting their learning from the IHRTP into practice in the work of their organizations ;
Explore networking opportunities essential for furthering the cause of human rights ;
- Determine strategies for promoting gender equality in their human rights education work ;
Employ a basic evaluation process to assess the results of their human rights education activities.

The funds I will be able to raise would go to

Registration and tuition fees (including educational materials and emergency medical insurance) PHP 155,000
Living expenses (including meals and accommodation for the duration of the Program) PHP95,000
Estimated travel costs (including airfare and visa fees) PHP 200,000

The school gave me until 29 April 2019 or else I will lose the slot. So, hopefully, I could raise enough before that.

I would be truly grateful for the assistance and would be glad to update you on how the program will have helped me after attending the program and how the funds have been utilized.

Hopefully, I could contribute to making our world a little bit better for all of us.