School program: When Rights are Denied (Grades 9 to 12)

Program length: 120 minutes

A young person leaning on a digital table reading exhibit content. In the background a Museum staff person shows a group how to use the table. Partially obscured.

Photo: CMHR, Thomas Fricke

School program details

This program challenges students to witness a range of historical and contemporary world events as examples of what can happen when human rights are denied. Charters and declarations help to protect our human rights but require ongoing vigilance to prevent grave violations. Together, we will investigate primary and secondary sources of evidence and interact in dialogue to explore our own concepts of freedom and discrimination.

Students will:

Learn the central concept of inherent human dignity and how its denial has been used to justify serious human rights violations followed by mass atrocities.

Experience the use of a classroom‐size high‐tech digital interactive study table to explore the parallels between mass atrocities around the world.

Participate in a film activity on the little‐known story of anti‐Semitism in Canada from 1930 to 1945.

Discuss their thoughts and feelings about freedom and speaking out against discrimination.