Human Rights Education

Advancing Human Rights For All Worldwide

Human Rights Education: How it Works

Hardwired is a non-profit educational organization that provides education and training programs to fulfill the dual objectives of human rights education to promote peace and pluralism for all. We seek to (a) increase awareness and understanding of international standards for human rights, and (b) increase respect for the enforcement of human rights through the law and in society.

Hardwired’s Legal and Educational Programs are grounded in human rights education and designed to equip those we train with the tools needed to bring the values of peace and pluralism to life for their communities. We accomplish this through a unique pedagogical approach and human rights-based curriculum that focuses on increasing understanding of and respect for the human rights necessary for pluralism - i.e. active engagement with people than them based on respect for their fundamental freedoms and dignity. Pluralism requires respect for the dignity of others, equality, non-discrimination, and the freedom of conscience, religion, belief, speech, expression, and other rights.

Hardwired has witnessed what is possible when people are trained to move beyond tolerance and external diversity and embody pluralism. Human rights education plays an important role in helping people value the dignity of others, understand the rights individuals have by nature of being human, and learn how to engage others without fear and based on respect for their rights. Human rights education is essential to promoting peace and pluralism because it equips people to engage with others across their deepest differences without fear.

Our Impact

Hardwired’s programs have made significant contributions to research on human rights education by providing evidence of how a rights-based approach to education and training can increase awareness of and respect for two specific areas of human rights – equality and the freedom of thought, conscience, and religion or belief. Our programs have shown that those who participate in them are more likely to reject violence, engage with people of different backgrounds and beliefs, express their beliefs in public, and defend the equal rights of minority groups and women or girls. Discover more ways we have made an impact on the field of human rights education by visiting our Research page.

What We Offer

Hardwired offers educational and legal training programs that (a) equip educators to model respect for the human rights necessary for peace and pluralism through lessons and activities in their classroom, and (b) equip legislators, advocates, minority groups and others to strengthen legal protections for the equal protection of people of different backgrounds and beliefs in society. Participants will develop a deeper understanding of universal human rights and be equipped to apply them within their specific fields. We work with people at all levels of society, from students in the classroom to government officials. To learn more about our programs and how we can support your needs, please contact us through the "Attend a Training" page.

Resources

Hardwired has published several articles on the impact of our pedagogy and approach to human rights education, which can be found on our Resources page. Hardwired’s founder and president, Tina Ramirez, contributed to the first research evaluating the impact of human rights education as a former teacher during the initial Decade for Human Rights Education at the United Nations (1995-2004). She is a contributing author, and editor of Human Rights in the United States: A Dictionary and Documents (2010 and 2017) alongside Hardwired Legal Consultant, H. Victor Conde who served as the editor. And Ramirez is also the author/editor of Human Rights: Great Events From History (2019). Our advisory board includes several notable leaders in the field of human rights education who have published extensively on this topic as well.

Testimonials

Hardwired Global’s mission is of greatest urgency in our contemporary world, particularly when it comes to training of leaders who are capable of giving voice and action to legal and social protections that can build vibrant, pluralist societies built on respect for freedom of conscience, belief, and religion.

Dr. Elizabeth Prodromou, Director of the Initiative on Religion, Law and Diplomacy, The Fletcher School at Tufts University

Projects like Hardwired are helping to break the cycle of hate. They work with children in Iraq to help them heal, to promote tolerance and to build a more peaceful future, which is why the U.K. Government supports them.

Diplomat, U.K. Foreign & Commonwealth Office

It is our great desire to protect the rights and freedoms of all people in the region. Hardwired’s education initiatives have promoted greater respect for religious and ethnic diversity among students, and their work with teachers has helped us more effectively promote peaceful coexistence among our youth.