Every year on 10 December, we celebrate the International Human Rights Day. This date marks the anniversary of when the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights back in 1948, a groundbreaking document that outlined the fundamental rights and freedoms belonging to every person on Earth, that they have by the mere fact of being human.

Many young people and youth organisations are active in protecting and promoting human rights, through movements, projects, activism on topics ranging from climate change, equality to the right to education. Youth organisations are for many young people the place where they learn about their rights and learn for taking action on their rights, and just as importantly learn how to live the human rights values in the way they behave with others, in a spirit respect of human dignity.

Through the European Youth Foundation, the Council of Europe supports youth-led projects that advance human rights education and empower young people to become effective advocates for justice and equality in their communities.

Take a look at some of the recently EYF-funded projects promoting human rights:

International project “The Power of HRE!” by the World Organisation of the Scout Movement

The project addressed democracy and access to human rights online and offline, through a training course for 30 youth workers/leaders from 10 countries from the scouts’ movement. The training featured tools and methods for democratic participation, as well as peer-to-peer learning from experienced youth activists.

A sneak peak into the activity can be found in the videos of this link.

Local project “Youth Rights: Educating for Change” by the Association of Young Persons with Disabilities from the South of Serbia

Participants engaged in training sessions across five schools, covering human rights fundamentals, Council of Europe mechanisms, and protection challenges, followed by open discussions and direct participation in local campaigns that included panel discussions and library initiatives in partnership with local governments and youth offices. The project proceeded in presentations with three municipal mayors to spread the message that co-existence is not optional but essential, reaching wider populations and demonstrating young people's commitment to building inclusive communities.

In this link you can find the dedicated blog.

Local project “Know Your Rights! @ the intersection of migration and queerness” by the DROA Community

This project addressed the reception of young asylum seekers in Belgium by creating a co-designed digital platform that uses an intersectional approach to address the specific needs of LGBTQI+ youth, girls, and gender non-conforming young people through FAQs, animated human rights training, quizzes, and resources on safer spaces including queer-sensitive lawyers and trauma-informed therapists. Developed by young refugees in Brussels using learning-by-doing methodology, the platform challenges the homogenous treatment of migrants by making queer migration visible and addressing critical questions often ignored by existing resources, such as coming out in reception centres and identifying gender-based discrimination.

International project “Green Horizons: Creating Pathways between Climate Justice, Human Rights and Intersectionality” by the International Falcon Movement Socialist Education International

This project was a capacity-building workshop where young trainers develop educational curricula on climate emergency and social inequalities, followed by a training in Italy where youth workers create interactive educational games to implement in their communities and identify key local issues, ending in an environmental advocacy academy in Brussels where participants develop action plans and compile a comprehensive resource pack. Throughout all activities, the program integrates a gender perspective by exploring how climate change disproportionately affects women and non-binary individuals, establishing safe spaces, and ensuring inclusive methodologies that address the unique challenges faced by all genders in the climate crisis.

Local project “Human Rights Go Local - Strengthening Capacities of Youth Councils at Local Level” by the Human Rights Association 

19 young leaders from 13 youth councils across Georgia, including rural and mountainous areas went through a six-day non-formal education training course using Council of Europe materials like Compass and Have Your Say, which helped participants understand that meaningful youth participation requires young people at the centre of decision-making rather than simply following tasks assigned by local mayors. Through Human Rights Action Week in December 2022, these young representatives advocated for human rights-based approaches in their communities.

International project “Log in HRE“ by the Human Rights Education Youth Network

This activity brought together youth workers and educators from 7 countries for a training course in Georgia, to strengthen digital youth work and HRE capacities, with particular focus on supporting Ukrainian youth affected by war and young people facing social obstacles through improved digital safety, innovation in non-formal education, and tools to combat misinformation and cyberbullying.

The project outputs INCLUDE A Toolkit on Digital Human Rights Education Activities and a Digital Youth Work Playlist which you can check out in HREYN’S publications page.