Displaying items by tag: Human Rights

Every five seconds during the school day, an African American public school student is suspended. In Cuba, 5,000 citizens were sentenced to prison for nothing more than the concept of "dangerousness," without being charged with any specific crime. More than 5.7 million students have been involved in bullying in American schools, with the bullies being four times more likely to be convicted of a crime by age 24. Regardless of the statistic, the violation of human rights is the message from Dustin McGahee of Youth for Human Rights Florida, Femi Kennedy of Abel’s Community Services, and Lianet Vazquez of the USF Cuban American Student Association.

ST. PETERSBURG - Supporters of Human Rights convened in North Straub Park on March 6th for the 4th Annual Human Rights Walkathon. They were there to celebrate the thirty human rights delineated in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The 4th annual Human Rights Walkathon will take place in North Straub Park, Downtown St. Petersburg on Saturday, March 6th.

The United Nations is dedicating a year to young people by proclaiming 2010 the “International Year of Youth”. But Youth for Human Rights Florida and several local schools are a step ahead of the game in youth-driven human rights advocacy. Washburn Academy, Delphi Academy Florida and Clearwater Academy International were all awarded “YOUTH FOR HUMAN RIGHTS AWARDS” for not only teaching human rights, but also involving their students in activities to help them understand how human rights are a part of our world.    

The Clearwater Human Rights Experience is a multi-faceted event that transcends the normal boundaries of our society. The program, put on by Poets for Human Rights, has grown much broader than the reading of human rights-related poetry. The annual event includes a special group reading of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, showing of the Story of Human Rights (an entertaining yet informative look at the history of human rights), and the presentation of the Clearwater Humanitarian Awards. 

In honor of the United Nations Human Rights Day, on December 10th, hundreds of youths walked across Clearwater’s Memorial Causeway carrying signs and singing songs to forward the message, “Embrace Diversity – End Discrimination” in the first ever International Walk for Human Rights, organized by Youth for Human Rights Florida. This diverse group of youths, from a wide range of cultures, religions, races, and educational levels, crossed the bridge carrying signs representing the 30 articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Youth from every corner of the globe will walk in our first ever “International Walk for Human Rights,” on United Nations Human Rights Day, December 10, 2009. Covering 6 continents and 24 countries, the walk, sponsored by Youth for Human Rights International, will raise awareness and education about the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

A High Tea fundraiser was held on September 13th, at a Clearwater Beach residence, to raise money for the Human Rights Walkathon, which takes place annually in March.

The issue of Human Rights has grown since the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights was written by Eleanor Roosevelt on December 10, 1948.

To highlight the importance of the significance of this issue, Poets for Human Rights is issuing a call for entries for their two contests.

Entertaining, spectacular and remarkable are just a few of the words to describe the stage filled with youth from ages 2 to 17, in the Broadway production of “Annie Jr.” presented by International Youth Theater at the Francis Wilson Playhouse Theater, on August 8, with proceeds to benefit Youth for Human Rights Florida.

The production was entertainingly unique, as the young performers love both the art of theater and the education of human rights; and the evening intertwined them both. A play written for children, filled with funny lines singing and dancing, it still carried a message of how children’s human rights can be so easily violated.