Australian Centre for Human Rights Education
17 December 2007 at 2:03 pm
Key figures in the reconciliation movement took part in the recent formal launch of the Australian Centre for Human Rights Education at RMIT University.
Speakers included Don Watson, who wrote former Prime Minister Paul Keating’s 1992 Redfern Speech, Joy Murphy, Elder of the Wurundjeri people, Paul Briggs, chair of Rumbalara Football and Netball Club, Jirra Harvey, National Indigenous Youth Leadership Group and Bryan Dawe, satirist and reconciliation advocate.
ACHRE is an independent, Not for Profit organisation and the product of collaboration between the National Committee on Human Rights Education and
RMIT.
Centre Director, Dr Diane Sisely says ACHRE works to develop strategies and tools for the promotion, adoption and enactment of human rights.
She says their vision is a society where people flourish and fully participate with the emphasis on empowerment through learning.
The launch took place during Human Rights Week. It also falls just a few weeks before the Victorian Charter of Human Rights becomes operative on 1 January.
ACHRE will collaborate with people in tertiary institutions whose interests are closely aligned with its priorities to jointly develop courses, undertake action-focused research and teach.
Centre Director, Dr Diane Sisely says there are some immediate opportunities to collaboratively develop human rights courses and products at both the postgraduate and undergraduate levels and some of these may be available to students from the second semester 2008 onwards.
The possible areas for inclusion of human rights subjects include: education, youth studies, indigenous studies, legal and disputes studies, social work, applied communications, landscape architecture, nursing, architecture and urban design, and international studies.
ACHRE will also consider developing elective subjects at a postgraduate level in: Ethics, Human Rights and Sustainability, Applied Human Rights, and Human Rights and Curriculum Design.
Dr Sisley says ACHRE wants to develop strategies and initiatives to reinforce, promote and publicise human rights values and the fact that they are consistently supported by most people in this country.
She says the Centre needs to be able to effectively and authoritatively counter and be seen to counter those who would have it otherwise.
She says it is vital that the voices of those working for the promotion and protection of human rights are heard, heard clearly and that these voices are accurate, informed and convincing.
As well the Centre hopes to build understanding, capacity and advocacy skills to enable people and organisations to advocate for their rights and the rights of others.
For more information go to: www.humanrightsworkshop.org
