Trainings
Report on the 2010 Human Rights Summer Institute
August 2010
The Summer Institute was held at Rutgers University in New Jersey and hosted by the Center for Women’s Global Leadership (CWGL). The subject of the Institute was “Realizing Economic, Social, and CulturalRights in the United States: Addressing the impact of the Financial andEconomic Crisis and the structural ravages of neo-liberal globalization onoppressed, working class, and working poor communities”. The primary focuses of the Institute were:
- Analyzing macro-economic policy within ESCR obligations
- Examining the historic and current impact of “biased” polices and neo-liberal globalization on oppressed communities
- The realization of ESC rights via participatory practices, such as participatory and gender equity budgeting
- Monitoring ESCR violations with HR evaluative methods and tools
The primary objectives of the Institute were:
- Developing popular training materials on macro-economics and ESCR
- Introduce new social justice organizations to the ESCR framework
Participants included:
- Atlanta Public Sector Alliance
- Black Mesa Water Coalition
- Black Workers for Justice
- Brazilian Women’s Group/Domestic Workers United
- Cidado Global
- International Indian Treaty Council
- Jackson, Mississippi People’s Assembly
- Lifetime
- PERI Umass
- Southern Rural Black Women’s Initiative
- Urban Justice Institute
- Women’s HIV Collaborative
The Institute produced some noted advances in all ofaforementioned areas. A few of the critical outcomes of the Institute include:
- The formation of a collaborative team to produce a manual on “organizing for human rights”, that focuses on realizing ESC rights, tentatively set for production in Winter 2011, by members of the Training Committee, CERD Task Force, CWGL, and PERI
- In-depth follow up trainings for the full memberships of the Atlanta Public Sector Alliance and the Jackson People’s Assembly fall 2010, to be conducted by members of the Training Committee and CERD Task Force
- The facilitation of new relationships with Black Mesa Water Coalition, Brazilian Women’s Group, Jackson People’s Assembly, Lifetime, and the Southern Rural Black Women’s Initiative
- The hosting of a human rights Organizers Institute in the spring of 2011 and a Summer Institute for advanced practitioners in July 2011
What follows are some critical comments by several of the Institutes participants.
The use of international mechanisms was useful in that it made it easier to prove the theories being presented because they pertain to people all over the world and not just those restricted to a certain geographic region or those subjected to a certain group’s principles of leadership.
- Alicia Sidney and Elijah Vick, Black Workers for Justice
The information was priceless; need more ways to help us learn how to replicate this at the local level.
- Shafeah M’Balia, Black Workers for Justice
The experience and knowledge of the presenters was impressive.The history and use of the United Nations in advancing a human rights agenda within the states was discussed in a way that helped me put into perspective options for addressing human rights violations we see in the rural south, especially the use of Special Procedures. - Oleta Garrett Fitzgerald, Southern Rural Black Women’s Collective
Overall, training was eye opening. I took an Economics class before and it wasn’t presented with a Human Rights twist like this training did. The first day helped me to connect dots between local struggles and the economy. During the training, questions arose about the economy within my tribe. - Chelsea Chee, Black Mesa Water Coalition
Thank you for organizing the training and for giving me the chance to be in it. My suggestion is not to let this momentum goes away. Meeting all those people and learning about their programs and ideas and experiences was moving, empowering and challenging. I would love to have the chance to attend a Part 2 Training with more in depth information on finances, community economic affairs and how to link all of this to the international arena. - Heloisa Maria Galvao, Brazilian Women’s Group
To see photo’s of the Institute, please see the followinglink provided by CWGL
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cwgl/sets/72157624524365154/
For video of the session view the following links:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFEET_oHOTY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uW5VRiFOm7c
For more video documentation of the Institute visit our Youtube page.
To receive digital versions of the materials referenced andemployed in the Institute, please email Kali Akuno at kakuno@ushrnetwork.org.
USHRN Skill Building and Training Call on Program Evaluation for Human Rights Advocates
Thursday, July 30, 2:00 pm EST
Evaluation of advocacy work can be very valuable to advocates, especially in communicating achievements to funders. While evaluating this type of work can be challenging, there are strategies that begin to address the unique and flexible nature of advocacy campaigns. Join Innovation Network for a presentation that will introduce Advocacy Evaluation concepts and data collection methods and then point listeners to further resources. This presentation is a condensed version of the 2007 US Human Rights Network conference session on Advocacy Evaluation.
Presenter:
Myia Welsh
Myia is a member of Innovation Network's consulting and training team. As an Associate, she serves as a team member on several Innovation Network projects, including work with Capital One, the U.S. Human Rights Fund, the Washington Area Women's Foundation, and the Center for Lobbying in the Public Interest (CLPI).
Before coming to Innovation Network, Myia worked for Women Work!, where she managed the overall development and advocacy efforts of 20 state coalitions. Additionally, Myia has worked with the Michigan Domestic Violence Prevention & Treatment Board's Quality Assurance department in monitoring the services
of domestic violence programs across Michigan; and with the University of Michigan's Michigan Family Study as a Data Manager.
Myia holds an MSW in Program Evaluation and Social Policy from the University of Michigan and a BA in Social Work from the University of Toledo.
Please register for this training online here.
US Human Rights Network Membership Skill Building and Training Conference Call
Thursday, April 16, 2009
2 pm EST
Macro-Economics and Human Rights: Providing analytical tools to confront structural economic inequities and the current economic crisis
Among the risks posed by the current global economic crisis, the potential for human rights violations against the world’s most vulnerable populations is especially acute. This training call will provide a basic introduction to the human rights framework and macro-economic theory. The training is based on a new report released in February, “Rethinking Macro Economics from a Human Rights Perspective” written by Radhika Balakrishnan, Diane Elson and Raj Patel, that argues that protecting and promoting universal human rights even in the most difficult times is not only compatible with sound economic policy, but necessary to ensure a just society.
Using case studies from the U.S. and Mexico over the past several decades, the report demonstrates how macro-economic policy and human rights intersect in the areas of government spending, taxation, monetary and trade policies, and regulation of the private sector.
Presenters:
Radhika Balakrishnan
US Human Rights Network Board Chair, newly appointed Executive Director of the Center for Women’s Global Leadership (CWGL), and Professor of Economics and International Studies, Marymount Manhattan College.
James Heintz
Political Economy Research Institute, University of Massachusetts – Amherst, Associate Director and Associate Research Professor