At the 24^th University on Youth and Development (UYD), the North-South Centre of the Council of Europe is hosting the second Human Rights Education for Youth Training of Tutors (ToT). This training equips former participants of the Human Rights Education for Youth (HEY) online course with the skills to adapt and deliver the programme within their own constituencies.

Rights are something people naturally have, not something one has to fight for. The eighteen young people in the workshop take a moment, then position themselves along three lines: one if they agree, one if they don’t, and one if their stance is in between. All but two move to the “in favor” side. Giulia Lo Presti, trainer from the NSC, approaches Khalifa, a participant from Liberia, and asks why he chose that option. She moves slowly around the room, giving each participant a chance to speak. Those who were unsure switch over to the “yes” side. “You are a very good mediator, Giulia,” someone says. She smiles. The session on human rights protection at the HEY Training of Tutors is flowing smoothly.

This group dynamic reflects the spirit of the tool they are being trained in. HEY was launched in 2024 during the UN Alliance of Civilizations Forum. Its mission is to strengthen the capacities of young people in the field of human rights, offering online tutored courses that reinforce the understanding of European and international legal standards.

“Our audience is young people who needs an engaging, interactive methodology and a different language, rather than legal professionals. And this influences not only the choice of topics but also the way they are presented,” explains Giulia. “It’s not only about legal aspects, although these are part of the framework, since they are directly related to human rights protection and education.”

The programme is directly aligned with SDG 4.7, which calls for education that promotes sustainable development, global citizenship, and human rights.

The Training of Tutors is designed to ensure that graduates of HEY online courses are equipped not only to deepen their own knowledge but also to multiply it — sharing it with peers, communities, and organisations through training and advocacy initiatives.

Its objectives are fourfold:

• strengthening tutoring skills,
• applying non-formal learning approaches,
• building intercultural networks,
• nurturing a community of young change-makers committed to advancing human rights across regions.

Sports as a door to Human Rights

Like Tinomuda Daphne Gora, a policy analyst, student at the Pan African University, and participant from Zimbabwe who aims to use sport as a tool for social change, a framework she knows well as the youngest contributor to the African Union’s continental strategy on sport for sustainable development.

“I want to use intercultural dialogue and human rights education in sports programmes, matches, and projects—especially to promote gender equality,” she said. “First I’ll share the knowledge with my classmates from across Africa, and then we can multiply it in our own countries. Sport can be a powerful channel to bring human rights to life.”

For her, the experience confirmed that training young leaders has a ripple effect: once a small group is empowered, each individual can adapt and pass on the knowledge in their own community.

Keep on playing: gaming for rights

For Ahmed Saad, an Egyptian entrepreneur and co-founder of the Non Governmental Organisation Educuality, the training resonated strongly with his work. His organisation already develops board games and gamified workshops for peace and environmental education across the Middle East and North Africa region.

“This programme gave me a holistic approach to human rights,” Ahmed explained. “We were already working on the right to quality education and youth participation in democratic processes, but HEY opened my eyes to the full spectrum of rights. Now we plan to design a new game focused specifically on human rights education. It will begin with countries in the Middle East and North Africa, with the ambition to expand to Africa and beyond.”

Ahmed has experience turning creative educational tools into policy recommendations. He believes that if the new game proves successful, it could shape future youth policy frameworks.

By the end of the week in Mollina, the participants of the training will be ready to adapt the HEY methodology to their own realities. From gamified workshops in Cairo to sports-based advocacy in Zimbabwe, their work will extend the impact of the programme far beyond the training room.

The training of tutors is more than a training course: it is a seedbed for innovative approaches to human rights education, ensuring that youth voices continue to shape more just and inclusive societies across Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.

This initiative is supported by iLEGEND III: a Joint Programme of the European Union and the Council of Europe, co-funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe and implemented by the North-South Centre of the Council of Europe, as well voluntary contributions by member States of the NSC as part of the "Human Rights education for Youth (HEY)" project.*