Arts for Human Rights is a Europe-wide, three-year, transnational partnership project using creative processes of theatre, film and new digital technologies to promote learning and raise awareness in relation to human rights and gender equality across Europe.

The project, which is funded by the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union, results in the creation of a collaboratively designed Arts for Human Rights module made up of five face-to-face lessons that an adult educator, teacher or artist conducts with adult learners to promote learning in relation to human rights and gender equality. The educational information to accompany the five lessons consists of five hand-outs and an Arts for Human Rights book with national and international research.

In addition, the five partner organisations collaboratively design a new blended learning ‘Train the Trainers’ training curriculum to train adult educators, teachers and artists in how to implement the Arts for Human Rights module with adult learners. The ‘train the trainers’ curriculum is made up of a five day face-to-face ‘train the trainers’ training session and one ‘train the trainers’ e-learning lesson. Communications and Dissemination activities are conducted reaching 300,000 directly and a Final Report and Evaluation and an Arts for Human Rights book are distributed widely.

Arts for Human Rights provides adult educators, teachers and artists with the skills necessary to work with adult learners through a creative medium in order to promote human rights and gender equality. Target Groups include artists, adult educators, teachers, adult learners, community development workers, drama facilitators and organisations working in the field of equality, inclusion and Human Rights.

As part of the project we have created a book Arts for Human Rights – Stories of Artists and Arts Organisations using the arts for Human Rights. The book features stories of human rights defenders, cultural activists, artists and arts organisations who are engaged in artistic practice to promote human rights, gender equality and diversity across Europe and globally. The book begins with a foreword by Mary Lawlor who is a Human Rights Activist from Ireland.  Mary is a UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders and Adjunct Professor of Business and Human Rights in the School of Business of Trinity College Dublin. Mary is a former Director and Chair of Amnesty International Ireland, a founder, former director and board member of Front Line Defenders and was a board member of Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality. The foreword is followed by A Reflection on the Arts for Human Rights exploring what are arts and human rights and what can the arts do to promote human rights.

Arts for Human Rights runs from 2019 to 2022 with five European partners from Ireland, Serbia, Croatia, Bulgaria and Spain and brings together a cross sector of organisations that work with marginalised groups in adult education.

Lead Partner: Smashing Times, Dublin, Ireland.

Partners: IFESCOOP, Valencia, Spain; DAH Theatre Research Centre, Belgrade, Serbia; Youth Peace Group, Danube, Vukovar, Croatia; KU TU, Sofia, Bulgaria.