Play for Human Rights - how to raise youth awareness? A Toolkit promoting civic education, from simulation to active participation

Background We applied for this project because we wanted to raise awareness on human rights issues and to advocate for improving non-formal youth education in this field. The project addressed the needs coming forward from different editions of Moot Court Europe, where young people simulate trials and defend human rights in front of real Judges. By playing active roles, they are encouraged to address their situations, taking action based on laws and values. They train skills on active citizenship and engagement in democratic life, in a non-formal educational setting. Each Moot Court project brought forward the positive impact a game can have on those participating - by this underlining the need of offering youngsters diverse learning methods to help them learn about human rights, rule of law, democracy and justice. Which leads to the need of developing youth workers' skills to approach human rights education in diverse and creative ways. One way to support them was creating of a learning platform: "Play for Human Rights - a Toolkit promoting Civic Education and Active Participation" as the main objective of the project. The Toolkit includes simulation trial games and other methods supporting diversity learning in non-formal youth education. Objectives By implementing the project, we wanted to support youth workers and others involved in youth work to develop knowledge, civic skills and values to conduct human rights education. We did that by creating didactic materials with elements of game simulation designed during various project activities. All the materials developed were gathered in an interactive Toolkit. The Toolkit will allow youth workers a more structural approach of human-rights education by applying Moot Court-inspired methods in raising youth awareness on human rights and international justice issues. It will add value by turning previous results into new tools (as a response to the lessons learnt from participation of all partners in previous Moot Courts). Thus, the project is complementary to Moot Court editions. We aimed at enabling youth workers to better understand values such as human rights or functioning of a democracy, in order to help youngsters develop a heightened respect for law, to work on differences in opinions, to challenge the decision-making process or to become more aware of their rights and duties. Another objective was promoting human rights, social justice, equality and civic education in the field of youth work, in a non-formal context. Implementation The main activity of the project was a Blended Mobility, "Play for Human Rights - Don't raise your voice, improve your arguments!", which took place in The Hague between 15 and 21 April 2022. The mobility brought together youngsters and youth workers, combining a meeting in The Hague and the virtual mobility of the participants throughout the whole project. Its aim was to support the development of new approaches in civic and human rights education and to create new tools and methodologies for conducting non-formal learning activities on human rights. The activity brought a fresh look at human rights, providing valuable input from a civically-involved young generation. It achieved a direct impact and awareness on human rights education, by using learning by doing methods to produce creative materials for the Toolkit, transforming learning about human rights into playing. To allow youth workers to improve the educational system in accordance with their needs, young people should be actively involved in the process. The activity gave youth workers and youngsters the opportunity to work together, to get guidance on their suggestions from experts and Judges, and to improve their legal arguments instead of raising their voice. Achievements The final goal of the project was to produce a Toolkit, as Intellectual Output, which collected methodological-didactical materials for human rights education and other outcome created during the project. The Toolkit is interactive and organised on modules (simulation and role-play games, quiz tests, Power-Points, videos, timelines). It can be implemented in the non-formal and informal education of youth and it can be used in schools, youth centres, courts and any other organisations dealing with the non-formal education of young people. It can be accessed at the address: https://www.netherlandsromania.eu/play-for-human-rights-2/ The project created a positive and long-lasting effect on the participating organisations. Their cooperation resulted in creating innovative practices for teaching human rights, through simulation trial games and other tools. All youngsters involved in the local coordination teams became active youth leaders, further conducting youth activities (such as Moot Court projects). The Toolkit allows training human rights competencies in different contexts: playing while developing arguments, logical and critical thinking, intercultural communication, self-awareness, active engagement or problem-solving.