​what we do

courageous | creative | change​

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Our work lays a crucial foundation for educators, change-makers, and community leaders, giving them key tools to succeed in affecting civic and social change. 

WHAT DO We 'UNSILENCE'?

Unsilence helps communities talk about difficult topics, including:

• mental health and suicide
• sexual and domestic violence
• political asylum and refugee rights
• mass incarceration and systemic racism
• ​transgender, lesbian, gay, and bisexual rights
• girls’ and women’s rights
• genocide, perpetratorship, and delayed justice
• ​and many other issues.

We address a broad range of issues, because specific human rights do not exist in isolation; they are interconnected. International treaties like the Universal Declaration of Human Rights provide a foundation for our work.  Through our on-the-ground programs, partnerships, and local groups, communities get to decide for themselves which issues are most relevant and urgent. 

HUMAN RIGHTS  >

WHO IS OUR AUDIENCE?

Young people are our primary audience
Unsilence delivers leadership training for young people. To do this, engaging educators is key. We train middle school teachers, high school teachers, and informal educators to support young people to learn about human rights, break taboos, and take informed action.

Real change only happens through cross-society dialogue
Every level of a community must be engaged and supportive of the young people and educators working to unsilence injustice. That's why we also train administrative staff, parents, and policymakers in the field of education and in social services, including social workers and health professionals. We also educate the public through community programs and events.

WHAT IS OUR REACH?

Unsilence programs have reached more than 10,000 individuals across 10 states in more than 100 communities people. We have trained over 2,500 educators. ​

95% of Unsilence workshop participants report that they are more comfortable engaging in difficult conversations about injustice.

We work with schools, museums, youth centers, communities of faith, institutions, and in public spaces. Based in Chicago, we have a local, national, and international reach, including: Arkansas, California, Colorado, Illinois, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Wyoming, and Washington D.C., as well as Poland, Israel, and Germany.

COMMUNITY PARTNERS & PAST PROGRAMS  >

WHAT MAKES OUR LEARNING EXPERIENCES UNIQUE?

Unsilence's leverages the power of storytelling, the arts, and game design to engage participants as “Unsilencers”—their mission: to identify root causes of silencing and engage in difficult conversations.  Our highly-interactive, research-based learning experiences, help Unsilencers learn to bridge perspectives, break down ingrained stigmas, and build collective empathy and understanding.

In-person learning experiences and leadership trainings follow our FRAMEWORK of UNSILENCING to explore how and why certain human rights become hidden. Online interactive features are FREE to use and include:

• WebQuests,
• choose-your-own-pathway stories, 
• human rights poetry and stories, 
• online exhibitions, and
• companion education resources.

FRAMEWORK  >

INTERACTIVE FEATURES  >

WHAT IS OUR VISION FOR THE FUTURE?

Unsilence is a movement, and we're growing in reach and scope. We are a community working together to shed light on hidden human rights. By giving voice to the marginalized and confronting stigmas, we help young people take action against injustice, build bridges with others, and create solutions to heal their communities.

HOW CAN I GET INVOLVED IN unsilence?

Unsilence offers customized programs for schools, communities, and organizations. We also have opportunities to volunteer. We would love to hear from you. You can also make a tax-deductible donation.

VOLUNTEER  >

PROGRAM INQUIRIES  >

DONATE  >

WHAT IS THE HISTORY OF UNSILENCE?

Unsilence grew out of the doctoral research of learning scientist and fiction writer Danny M. Cohen, under the supervision of Brian Reiser and Phyllis Lassner at Northwestern University. Danny's study of educators at the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center led to his creation of human rights content and educator training programs to help schools and communities "unsilence" marginalized historical and contemporary narratives. Advised by fellow learning scientists and human rights educators, including Stacey Mann, Kelley H. Szany, Alexis S. Morrisroe, and Julia Eksner, the creation of groundbreaking learning experiences and a Framework of Unsilencing led to the founding of Unsilence as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in 2014.