In the Field

USIP's Maria Jessop-Mandel writes about the Institute's recent human rights workshop, "Putting Human Rights Values into Action," for Iraqi professors held in Beirut, Lebanon. The program explored three human rights-related themes specific to the Iraqi context -- children’s rights, women's equality and academic freedom -- and ways these professors could more effectively teach human rights in their classrooms, and ultimately learn from each other's experiences.

The Education and Training Center/International was involved in two programs in Sudan in January 2009.

Education and Training Center International (ETC/I) Program Officer Mary Hope Schwoebel taught the course “Practical Approaches to Peacebuilding and Development” at American University’s Summer Institute for Peacebuilding and Development (PDI) June 9-13, 2008.

In December, the Education and Training Center International Division sponsored four programs in Sudan, in Khartoum, the Nuba Mountains and Darfur. The first of these was a seminar on Civic Education held on December 2-3 at the College of Sharq el Neil, Khartoum. Senior Program Officer, Linda Bishai, worked with Sudanese local partner, The Institute for the Development of Civil Society, to plan and implement this seminar which brought together teachers, education administrators, civil society activists and media experts to discuss the current status of civic education in Sudan.

Training Program Officer Ted Feifer and Education Program Officer Alison Milofsky facilitated a 3-day workshop for 30 Israeli and Palestinian educators in Limassol, Cyprus on teaching conflict resolution through the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classroom.