Youth Center for Human Rights

12 Maly Karetny Pereulok, 103051 Moscow Russia
Mail address: 4-394, Molodjoznaya ul. 117296 Moscow Russia
Telephone: (7-095)108-1457
Phone/fax: (7-095)415-2543
E-mail: [email protected]
www.ycentre.org (in Russian)

The Youth Center is a public organization dedicated to teaching and promoting human rights. Our goal is to educate children and youth, teachers and the public at large in human rights theory, the real situation in the sphere of human rights, as well as in the methods and practice of their defense. 

The Moscow branch of Memorial established the Center in 1992. Among the Youth Center’s partners are human rights and non-governmental organizations, teachers, students, librarians, journalists, lawyers and all those interested in human rights and humanistic education. We operate independently of the official educational institutions (in particular, we are establishing an alternative system of teacher retraining). At the same time, we do not reject partnership with governmental institutions in the course of particular actions and projects.

Unique Character of Our Work

The Youth Center is an educational organization that came into being within the human rights community. Hence we share their understanding of human rights. In particular, we rely ourselves on the concept of natural rights and see human rights as a domain of relationships between an individual and the state, with major emphasis on the defense of an individual against governmental encroachment.

This is the major difference of our approach from that of Russian 'official' law and social science courses in which human rights are treated as bestowed upon the individual by the state in exchange for his/her performing the duties to the state. We can say that our Center operates within a certain “blind spot” between various professional and public groups:

§         Unlike human rights activists, we are basically involved in training and education. We are using the most advanced materials of our foreign colleagues and develop our own ones.

§         Unlike 'official' teachers, we concentrate on real human rights practices and share human rights approach. Our center was founded by Human Rights activists, including old members of Soviet “dissident movement”, and remains part of human rights movement.

§         Unlike standard 'civic education' curriculum with its various writings by different authors, we offer our own original course;

§         Unlike lawyers, we concentrate upon human rights and not the law as a whole;

§         Unlike educational projects of various NGOs, our work is not a one-time action but a continuous long-term program. Our projects are not limited to a particular region but are nation-wide and include partners in the whole territory of the former Soviet Union.

The Essence of our Approach

Both our own experience and that of our foreign colleagues indicate that human rights for children and youth is primarily moral and philosophical and not a legal course. It is necessary to start with education in the notions and principles of natural human rights and respect for human dignity relying on such interactive teaching methods as role playing, discussions and creative assignments with possible education in the basics of legal theory and legislation only at the advanced stages.

At the stage of Human Rights education per se, we consider it necessary to discuss real-life problems and specific human rights violations, as well as criticizing the shortcomings of current legislation and administrative practice. Otherwise the students will perceive human rights ideas as hypocrisy.

Some Programs and Projects

Development of Teaching Manuals and Course Syllabuses

The Ministry of Education has endorsed the syllabus of our 'Human Rights' course for the fifth to the ninth forms as an experimental course (e.g. not compulsory for all schools).

We prepare and publish books for teachers and students on an ongoing basis. They include:

·        Educational materials Role Games in Human Rights Teaching;

·        Teacher's manual Human Rights Teaching from the Fifth to Ninth Forms, in 2 volumes, two editions;

·        Human Rights Teacher's Dictionary;

·        Anthology in human rights courses syllabuses;

·        Three volumes of the Reader for the fifth to ninth form students (a six-volume revised and amended edition is underway);

·        An anthology From the Experience of Human Rights Teaching at Primary and Secondary School;

·        Teachers handbook series Intolerance and Hostility in Russian Society;

·        An Anthology Human Rights: Materials for educational programs;

·        Newsletter “Human Rights: Promotion, Education, Information”.

Teacher and Activist Training

·        A system of teacher training in the methods of human rights teaching and in cooperation of teachers and human rights activists from various cities in Russia and the CIS has been organized.

·        A system to deliver teaching materials to teacher- partners of the Center is in operation;

·        More than 100 workshops have been organized in various Russian and CIS cities;

·        There is a standing workshop for students and young activists in operation in Moscow.

Leadership Training for Regional Human Rights Educational Programs

We offer a yearlong training in organizing independent regional human rights education programs to representatives of human rights and other public associations, independent educational groups and clubs.

 Resource Center for Human Rights Education

The services of the specialized Resource Center are offered to any human rights teaching enthusiasts.

They include, among others:

·        A library containing materials on human rights, teaching methods, NGO operation methods, etc.;

·        Consulting and standing workshops system;

·        Newsletter for regional partners;

·        Teaching materials and literature delivery system;

·        Special studies program and the system of efficiency evaluation of various human rights educational projects, programs and teaching materials.

Intolerance and Hostility in Russian Society

A project to develop course syllabuses, teaching methods and materials specifically targeted at training high school students' capability to detect open and hidden xenophobia in mass media information and everyday life and to oppose intolerance, racism and hostility.

Web Project and Computer Technologies in Human Rights Teaching

The Center’s website is currently being developed. Methods for using telecommunication and other computer technologies in human rights teaching have been developed.

Our Civil Actions

One of the Center’s goals is to facilitate youth participation in human rights activity. In particular, we consider it necessary to counteract the danger of the militarization of Russian society. The Youth Center took part in the anti-war movement during the Chechen war of 1994-96 and is a co-founder and active participant of the Committee of Anti-War Actions. We take part in the organization of anti-war rallies and pickets, collecting signatures on anti-war petitions and in other actions. We also organize special classes for teachers and school students.

The List Of Funding Sources

• The National Endowment for Democracy (1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001)

• The Jewish Community Development Fund (1994, 1996)

• The European Human Rights Foundation.(1996)

• Know How Fund ( 1998)

• Henry M. Jackson Foundation (2000)

• Swiss Government  via Liberty Road  Association ( 2000)

Last updated:    March 2002