Cross-Border Human Rights Education Conference

2006

Wellington Park Hotel, Belfast, 20th October 2006

Inspiring Practice:

Human Rights Education in Primary Schools

Hosts: Amnesty International, Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission, Irish Human Rights Commission, Irish National Teachers’ Organisation, Ulster Teachers’ Union

Agenda

9.30 Coffee and Registration

10.00 Welcome: Kate Allen, Director, Amnesty International UK

Introduction: Prof. Monica McWilliams, Chief Commissioner, Northern

Ireland Human Rights Commission

Dr Maurice Manning, President, Irish Human Rights

Commission

10.20 Keynote Speaker: Professor Audrey Osler, Director of the Centre for

Citizenship and Human Rights Education, University of Leeds

10.40 Inspiring Practice Exemplar 1:

Speaker:

John Clarke: Deputy Head of Children’s Services, Hampshire County Council

Theme: Human Rights Education as an integral part of school life.

10.55 Inspiring Practice Exemplar 2

Speaker:

Mary McCarthy, District Director of Community Relations and Character Education, Hudson Public School District, Massachusetts

Theme: How our school environment promotes the intellectual, ethical, civic, and social development of students

11.10 Questions and Answers to panel of first three speakers

Panel Chair: Jacquie Reid, President, Ulster Teachers’ Union

11.25 Coffee

11.45 Workshops : 1st Session

These workshops will be held simultaneously before lunch at 11.45 and after lunch at 2pm. Please choose one workshop to sign up to per session.

Workshop 1

Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Primary School
Facilitators:
Ian Massey, Head of Children’s Services, Hampshire County Council
Gaynor Davies, Children’s Services, Hampshire County Council /

Workshop 2

Connecting Schools and the Wider Community
Facilitators:
Linda Corbin, Principal of Hubert Kindergarten Center, Hudson Public School District
Mary McCarthy, District Director of Community Relations and Character Education, Hudson Public School District

Workshop 3

Changing Teachers : Changing Schools Facilitators:
Lesley McEvoy, Lecturer, Queen’s University, Belfast
Alison Gilliland, INTO Senior Official / Workshop 4
Children with a Say in their Schools
Facilitators:
Liz Morris, teacher and pupils, Griffeen Valley Educate Together Primary School, Dublin
John McGrady, teacher and pupils,
St. Mark’s PS, Twinbrook, Belfast

1.00 Lunch

2.00 Workshops : 2nd Session

3.15 Feedback on key issues raised during the workshops

3.30 Where do we go from here?: Comments from Robin Richardson, Director, Insted Consultancy

3.45 Where do we go from here? : Questions to panel of DENI/DES representatives, CCEA/NCCA representatives and Robin Richardson

Panel Chair: Denis Bohane, President, INTO

4.15  The Way Forward: Dr Colm O’Cuanacháin, Secretary General,

Amnesty International Irish Section

4.30 Close