Cultivating Change-Makers: Teaching Human Rights Advocacy Through Experiential Learning

Abstract There is a fundamental link between education about human rights and their realization; but mobilizing change-makers requires more than exposure to human rights standards and the institutions that support them. A human rights advocacy course has the potential to be a toolkit for advocates-in-the-making. It can challenge students to consider how human rights apply to their own lives, empower them to be changemakers in their own communities, and equips them with tools and tactics to promote them. When combined with experiential learning, a human rights advocacy course becomes a powerful vehicle for training future human rights scholars and practitioners. This article explores the merits of teaching human rights advocacy consistent with the core components of human rights education: education about human rights, education through human rights, and education for human rights.