School Programs

Prepare your class to change the future.

Human rights education is a lifelong process. Through our variously themed programs, including workshops and tours, we strive to give students the tools to help them think critically and with empathy.

A group of students look at the top of an interactive table emitting white light. Partially obscured.

Photo: CMHR, Aaron Cohen

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Programs

We offer a variety of K to 12 school programs onsite at the Museum or virtually for your classroom.

Thanks to generous grants from the Asper Foundation and Larry & Judy Tanenbaum & Family, all our school programs are currently free for Canadian students.

They are designed to be inclusive and accessible for students of all needs and ages. Running between one and two hours, each of our curriculum‐based programs allows students to explore and discuss human rights issues through hands‐on learning and activities.

Our programs aim to empower students with the knowledge and skills to understand how human rights affect them and the world around them. They examine human rights themes and principles in an age‐appropriate way through stories, interactive activities and discussions. All our programs challenge students to consider how they will use their knowledge to make a positive difference for human rights.

Programs are offered daily (Tuesday to Friday) from October to June. To find a time for your class to participate, visit our Book Your School page.

Please note: We are expecting an increase in visitation to the new Beyond the Beat: Music of Resistance and Change exhibition, now open in the Level 1 Gallery. The best way to guarantee that your class will have a chance to see the exhibition is by booking the Beyond the Beat Self‐Guided Experience: the Be an Upstander Tour.

Three ways to visit

Virtual field trips

Let us bring the Museum to you, wherever your class may be! Our staff engage students in discussion and activities about human rights, while taking students on a journey through the building.

Self-guided visits

We offer engaging onsite self‐guided visits for students in grades 5 to 12. Self‐guided visits include an introduction by Museum staff, as well as age‐appropriate booklets to guide and enrich your students’ experience at the Museum.

Onsite programs

Onsite programs allow students to explore the Museum’s inspiring architecture and engage with the interactive exhibits while learning about human rights with our staff.

Virtual field trips

Can't get here in person? Take your class on a virtual field trip! Experience the Museum’s galleries and architecture, and explore human rights with one of our Museum guides. Each tour ends with a visit to the Israel Asper Tower of Hope to see a 360‐degree view of the city of Winnipeg.

Virtual Field Trip: Quick Start Guide (PDF download)

Grades K to 4: My Rights, Our Rights

Human rights promotion 
Program length: 45 minutes 

Learn about human rights and how these rights can keep everyone happy, healthy and safe.

Online learning

Grades 5 to 8: Be an Upstander

Human rights promotion 
Program length: 45 minutes 

Learn what it takes to become an upstander for human rights. Our guides will introduce students to the stories of human rights upstanders and explore the strengths they used to create change. We’ll help students discover their own strengths and capacity to become human rights upstanders in their communities.

Online learning

Grades 5 to 8: Expressing Rights Through Art

Human rights promotion 
Program length: 45 minutes 

Learn how we can use art to understand human rights. Students will participate in an art journaling activity to inspire them to express their rights and the rights of others through art.

Online learning

Grades 5 to 8: Museum Highlights Tour

Human rights promotion 
Program length: 45 minutes 

Learn about Canada’s human rights journey by discovering Viola Desmond’s story and exploring Indigenous perspectives on human rights.

Online learning

Grades 9 to 12: Deliberating Charter Rights

Civil and political rights 
Program length: 60 minutes 

Learn about the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the Supreme Court of Canada. Discuss questions about the limitations of rights and how rights are applied in Canada.

Online learning

Grades 9 to 12: Dignity and Rights

Human rights violations 
Program length: 60 minutes 

Learn about the role “othering” plays in the denial of dignity and rights. By examining three case studies, students will recognize the role of othering as a starting point for many human rights violations, including genocide.

Online learning

Grades 9 to 12: Museum Highlights Tour

Human rights promotion 
Program length: 45 minutes 

Visit multiple Museum galleries while digging deeper into the concept of human rights and its evolving impacts on people living in Canada.

Online learning

Onsite programs

Filters

The program types

  • Events
  • In-Museum programs
  • Online learning

School Programs and Tours listing

Grades K to 4: My Rights, Our Rights

Children‘s rights 
Program length: 75 minutes 

Learn about human rights and how these rights can keep everyone happy, healthy and safe.

In-Museum program

Grades 4 to 8: Telling Our Stories: Residential School Experiences

Collective rights 
Program length: 90 minutes 

Through storytelling, explore the truth and legacy of Canada’s Indian residential schools. Survivors share their first‐hand experiences and inspire students to act on reconciliation and make positive change.

In-Museum program

Grades 5 to 8: Be an Upstander

Human rights promotion 
Program length: 75 minutes 

Learn about the journeys of human rights defenders and explore what it means to become an upstander through interactive activities and exhibits.

In-Museum program

Grades 5 to 8: Museum Highlights Tour for Schools

Human rights promotion 
Program length: 75 minutes 

Visit multiple Museum galleries while building a strong understanding of human rights and the role people play in ensuring these rights are protected and respected.

In-Museum program

Grades 5 to 8: Pass the Mic: Let's Talk About Racism

Protection of human rights 
Program length: 75 minutes 

Learn about bias, microaggressions, intersectionality, identity and, allyship, and making all spaces safe for our marginalized peers.

In-Museum program

Grades 5 to 8: Perspectives on Human Rights in Canada

Human rights promotion 
Program length: 75 minutes 

Explore pivotal moments in Canadian history that have helped shape how human rights are understood in Canada.

In-Museum program

Grades 9 to 12: Museum Highlights Tour for Schools

Human rights promotion 
Program length: 75 minutes 

Visit multiple Museum galleries while digging deeper into the concept of human rights and its evolving impacts on people living in Canada.

In-Museum program

Grades 9 to 12: Pass the Mic: Let's Talk About Racism

Protection of human rights 
Program length: 75 minutes 

Learn about bias, microaggressions, intersectionality, identity and allyship, and making all spaces safe for our marginalized peers.

In-Museum program

Grades 9 to 12: Rights and Indigenous Peoples in Canada

Collective rights 
Program length: 120 minutes 

Experience stories, perspectives and a 360‐degree film that inspire students to take a positive role in reconciliation among Indigenous and non‐Indigenous peoples.

In-Museum program

Grades 9 to 12: When Rights are Denied

Human rights violations 
Program length: 120 minutes 

Witness a range of historical and contemporary world events and stories that explore what can happen when human rights are denied.

In-Museum program

Self-guided programs

The program types

  • Events
  • In-Museum programs
  • Online learning

School Programs and Tours listing

Grades 5 to 8: Self-guided Museum Tour for Schools

Human rights promotion 
Program length: 30 minutes 

Explore the Museum with your class using our age‐appropriate guide to provide your students with interesting and creative ways to engage with the exhibits, learn about human rights and be inspired to protect their rights and the rights of others.

In-Museum program

Grades 5 to 12: Beyond the Beat Self-Guided Experience: the Be an Upstander Tour

Human rights promotion 
Program length: 60 minutes 

Explore the temporary Beyond the Beat exhibit and uncover the role that music has played in various human rights movements.

In-Museum program

Grades 9 to 12: Self-guided Museum Tour for Schools

Human rights promotion 
Program length: 30 minutes 

Explore the Museum with your class using our age‐appropriate guide to provide your students with interesting and creative ways to engage with the exhibits, learn about human rights and be inspired to protect their rights and the rights of others.

In-Museum program

Book your school program

Book your school program today and give your students an unforgettable experience.

How to prepare for your class visit

Once you’ve confirmed your school visit, make sure to read about how you should prepare for your visit and maximize your experience at the Museum.