what we do
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We SPARK TOUGH CONVERSATIONS
◆ Mental health & suicide ◆ Rape, sexual violence & torture ◆ Transgender, lesbian, gay & bisexual rights ◆ Political asylum & refugee rights ◆ Girls’ & women’s rights ◆ Medical care access ◆ Mass incarceration & the death penalty ◆ Genocide denial, perpetratorship & delayed justice ◆ Hidden histories …and more WE DESIGN HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION
◆ Project-based learning ◆ Human rights fiction ◆ WebQuests & serious games ◆ Choose-your-own-pathway stories ◆ Online exhibitions ◆ Creative writing, art, film & performance ◆ Traveling & pop-up learning environments WE TRAIN YOUTH TO FIND SOLUTIONS
Our school-based Unsilence Action Projects follow 8 PHASES through which we train young people to: 1. Identify taboos 2. Identify the personal, cultural, and institutional barriers that prevent conversations and solutions 3. Explore taboos as human rights 4. Research root causes of social problems 5. Design interventions 6. Implement solutions in their schools and communities 7. Evaluate programs and reflect 8. Share learning and plan future action An Example Unsilence facilitates a workshop with 9th grade students where they identify “transgender rights” as a taboo issue that is affecting members of their community (different communities identify different issues based on what is prevalent, marginalized, and taboo to them). That same group of students works with Unsilence and their classroom teacher to identify the barriers - personal (e.g., fear of exclusion), cultural (e.g., parents and teachers don’t know how to talk about trans experiences), and institutional (e.g., school doesn’t recognize gender identities of trans students) - that prevent them from talking about transgender rights. They begin to explore the issue through secondary research that includes interactive, digital Unsilence Learning Experiences and guided reviews of published literature, research, and NGO reports to learn about trans experiences and the root causes of its silencing. Next, students engage in primary research, which includes interviews, surveys, and concept mapping to better understand both the historical and present-day contexts of transgender rights, as well as connections to other human rights issues. Now, armed with information, agency, and growing skills in having difficult conversations, students design a community-based intervention that serves to unsilence the transgender rights and trans experiences within their community. The students are then ready to implement their solutions (e.g., hosting a weekly lunchtime discussion group with their peers and teachers around trans experiences). During this entire process, the students and their teachers receive Unsilence Leadership Training, document each phase, reflect on their learning and understanding, and evaluate their challenges and successes. As the students gain comfort with facilitating difficult conversations around taboo issues, Unsilence supports them to share their work with their community through various events and public speaking opportunities. Our work at Unsilence builds a foundation for young people, educators, and the public to engage and reflect deeply on how they see the world, to develop empathy for others, and to begin personal and collective healing. Above all else, we elevate young people to be informed and engaged citizens who know how to lead. WE SUPPORT EDUCATORS
◆ Facilitation skills ◆ Human rights education ◆ Classroom supports ◆ Resources & content ◆ Best practices in pedagogy ◆ Youth development WE WORK WITH MANY COMMUNITIES
◆ Middle schools & high schools ◆ Museums & cultural centers ◆ Communities of faith ◆ Universities & colleges ◆ Health care centers & hospitals ◆ Community & youth centers ◆ Online communities |
our reach
(so far)
over 2,250 educators trained
over 2,300 teens engaged through direct workshops
over 1,000 college students & over 2,500 adults reached
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