HRW Defenders Join International EMUS Campaign

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November 12, 2013: In an evening of empowerment, the Student Task Force joined Human Rights Watch to honor Natalia Taubina (Russia) and Alina Diaz (U.S.) with the 2013 Alison Des Forges Award for Extraordinary Activism. Prior to the annual dinner and award ceremony, STF hosted a reception for students and teachers to meet the honorees and HRW researchers. Students were inspired by Ms. Diaz, who works to protect immigrant farmworkers from sexual assault, and Ms. Taubina, who exposes police abuse in Russia.

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Bede Sheppard Visits Carson, Pali, SAMO, New Roads and STF leaders

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October 9, 2013: Bede Sheppard, Deputy Director of HRW’s Children’s Rights Division, met with students at Carson HS, Palisades Charter HS, Santa Monica HS and New Roads School to discuss the consequences of armies and rebel groups taking over schools in 24 countries around the world. Late in the day, in a special session at HRW offices, Bede worked with STF leaders from 11 high schools…

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SCV STF to Host “Girl Rising” Events

When: Friday, October 11
Time: 4:30pm matinee and 7:30pm encore
Where: Hart High School Auditorium
Address: 24825 North Newhall Avenue, Santa Clarita
About the film: “Girl Rising is a groundbreaking film, directed by Academy Award nominee Richard Robbins, which tells the stories of nine extraordinary girls from nine countries, written by nine celebrated writers and narrated by nine renowned actresses. Girl Rising showcases the strength of the human spirit and the power of education to change the world.”

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STF Launches the EMUS Campaign!

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On Saturday, September 21, 2013, more than 70 participants representing 14 high schools and many STF supporters gathered for the annual STF Fall Leadership Workshop at UCLA. Bede Sheppard, Deputy Director of the HRW Children’s Rights Division, introduced STFers to the End Military Use of Schools (EMUS) Campaign via video from Europe.

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2013 Fall Leadership Workshop Save the Date

Important information:
Who: You, your fellow STF leaders, teachers, advisors, and speakers
Where: UCLA, Kerckhoff Hall
When: Saturday, September 21
Time: 12:30-4:30pm*
Campaign: End Military Use of Schools
RSVP today!

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SCV STF Meets with Assemblyman Wilk On SB260

August 16, 2013: STF members representing the Santa Clarita Valley STF Chapters met with Assemblyman Scott Wilk to seek his support for SB 260. Marie-Claire Erdynast (Co-President, Hart STF) opened the meeting with an introduction about STF and the work the students have done to support children’s rights.

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Second Human Rights Educators Gathering

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12, 2013: Professionals, educators and students focused on Human Rights Education (HRE) gathered at the Los Angeles offices of Human Rights Watch to get to know the HRE USA network and regional members, encourage partnership and resource-sharing of ideas and materials for implementing HRE.

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“The Invisible War” Screening A Success!

June 23, 2013: Focusing on the powerfully emotional stories of rape victims, The Invisible War is a moving indictment of the systemic cover-up of military sex crimes, chronicling the victims’ struggles to rebuild their lives and fight for justice. Hard-hitting interviews with high-ranking military officials and members of Congress reveal the perfect storm of conditions that exist for rape in the military, its long-hidden history, and what can be done to bring about much-needed change.

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STF Alumni Reunion Recap

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June 2, 2013: STF Alumni, representing 14 years of student activism, attended the first-ever Alumni Reunion Party held at Pam Bruns’ home.

“It was a wonderful event and it was great to connect with other current and former STF interns and students,” said recent Tufts graduate Amy Calfas, STF Alumna 2008-2009…

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Human Rights Educators Gather

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May 11, 2013: Human rights educators and students gathered at the Los Angeles offices of Human Rights Watch to learn more about the HRE USA National Network, get to know fellow educators, and determine the priorities for human rights education in the Southern California Region…

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“The Invisible War” Film Screening

Sunday, June 23, 2013: Human Rights Watch is hosting a screening and discussion of the Academy Award nominated documentary, The Invisible War. This passionate and important film has drawn attention to the shameful and under-reported epidemic of rape within the US military.
Student Tickets – $15
General Tickets – $25

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STF Finishes Strong

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April 30, 2013: “From the STF Fall Leadership Workshop at UCLA to the ‘Walk for Your Right to Education’ event at Carson High School, we have made unyielding efforts to improve our schools across the L.A. County, and with much success, we have achieved more than what we foresaw… We must continue to collaborate with one another to gain momentum each year and to learn from our past experiences to make each year more successful than the past,” said Abdiel Lopez…

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Santa Monica HS Works with Teachers to Include HRE

April 24, 2013: In an effort to increase human rights education (HRE) on their campus, Santa Monica HS’s (SAMO) STF chapter developed a student-led HRE workshop for instructors on their campus.

Students provided teachers and administrators with techniques, lesson plans and materials for integrating HRE into English, history, psychology, and language classes.

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Carson Walked for Their Right to Education

April 6, 2013: Students and community members gathered at Carson High School to participate in the chapter’s “Walk for Your Right to Education” event. Over 50 walkers learned about juvenile justice and the new legislation SB260, the local right to education and the Williams Complaint Process, and the Human Rights Mobile Library. Participants wrote letters to Rahma in Camp Djabal in Chad and raised support to help rebuild the recently destroyed Human Rights Mobile Library in the camp.

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New Roads Mock Violation Stirs Student Awareness

March 13, 2013: The New Roads Student Task Force Workshop held a mock human rights violation event on their campus, inspired from an idea discussed at the STF Winter Leader’s Meeting. In an effort to educate their campus about human rights, STF members selected students from various groups on campus to be a part of their activity.

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Gabriel Stauring Motivates Pali

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March 5, 2013: Gabriel Stauring met with 130 students at Palisades High School and reported on the success of the human rights mobile libraries STF created and launched in Darfuri refugee camps last year. He also showed video reports from the camp, including Rahma, the inspiring teenage librarian.

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Sierra Canyon Hosts Right to Education Panel Discussion

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Feb. 27, 2013: The Sierra Canyon STF Chapter, the FREE Club, hosted “Bridging the Gap: Right to Education,” a panel discussion focused on the systemic issues plaguing the education system in California, as well as potential solutions to the problems.

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SCV STF Demonstrates Power of Student Advocacy

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Inspired by the STF 2012 Fall Workshop, Santa Clarita Valley students set out to ensure that schools in the Williams S. Hart Union High School District are providing the basic educational necessities required under the landmark 2004 Williams v. California settlement.

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HRW’s Zama Coursen-Neff Inspires New Roads Students

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Feb. 11, 2013: “People often say that human rights violations are like mushrooms, they grow best in the dark… One of the most important things that students can do to promote human rights is to stay informed about the issues,” Zama Coursen-Neff, HRW’s Children’s Rights Division Director, told 150 captivated New Roads 9-12th grade students.

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Wildwood Leads in Restoring Human Rights Mobile Library

Jan 29, 2013: Wildwood STF leaders welcomed Gabriel Stauring to an all-school presentation to discuss resupplying the recently destroyed Human Rights Mobile Library in Camp Djabal in Chad. After watching videos of the camp’s librarian Rahma, 7-12th graders asked questions about the Mobile Library, Rahma’s future and how they can help bring human rights education to Camp Djabal.

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New Assemblyman Bloom Confers with Student Activists

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Jan. 25, 2013: Freshman Assemblymember Richard Bloom conferred with STFers representing Santa Monica HS, Palisades Charter HS and New Roads School about subjects ranging from gun violence and school security to the Local Control Funding Formula, and from teacher evaluation to interjecting human rights education…

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STF Winter Leaders’ Meeting Jump Starts Semester

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January 10, 2013: Student leaders and teachers representing each STF chapter attended the Winter Leaders’ Planning Meeting to recap the fall activities and focus on the upcoming semester.

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Malala: An Unflinching Voice for Education

After writing an anonymous blog about education in Pakistan from age 11, Malala Yousafazi made headlines in October 2012 when she was shot in the head for standing up for her right to education. Malala is from the SWAT District of Pakistan, where the Taliban has banned all girls from attending school. She quickly became an inspiration to all STF as we have followed her story.

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STF Supports Launch of HRE USA Network

Human Rights Educators USA (HRE USA) is a new network dedicated to promoting human rights education in the United States. Over the last year, the Human Rights Watch Student Task Force has been supporting the development of HRE USA, which is now open for general membership. The brochure will give you information about the mission and work of …

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STF Attends ACLU Dinner

December 3, 2012: Members of the Santa Clarita Valley STF chapters were invited to attend the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Annual Bill of Rights dinner to represent youth activism. The ACLU offered the invitation to the STF members because of their work in the Williams Compliance Research Project. The STF project seeks to examine …

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