Learning With Like-Minded Organizations

CISV is so much more than just each of the incredible programmes we run and participate in. CISV is much more than what happens inside what many know as “the CISV bubble”, that magical camp or CISV experience which gets separated in our minds from ‘real life’.

In our August blog post, we showed you some ways you can look to like-minded organisations (LMOs) to APPLY your CISV learning. This post is about looking for opportunities to engage with LMOs in our local communities who work on human rights issues.

As we know, human rights apply to ALL people; no matter their race, religion, ethnicity, language, sex, or any other status. Sometimes human rights seem big, scary, and overwhelming. Human rights violations on a massive scale, such as war or ethnic cleansing (when people are killed because of their ethnicity), seem almost impossible to solve when we are bombarded with horrible images while sitting at home and in relative safety. However, as the International Committee Of The Red Cross reminds us “even wars have rules”.  Follow these links to read up on International Humanitarian Law, the Geneva Conventions, and the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights. They all exist to limit human suffering and to promote universal human rights. Can you think of ways to learn more about them in and through CISV? That would be a wonderful way to educate ourselves and our peers. In other words, to inspire action for a more just and peaceful world.

It’s true, we may still feel unable to do anything at times. But we can always educate ourselves, and we can take small steps. Remember: ”If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito” Dalai Lama XIV.

So let’s think about some small steps we can take to defend human rights together with LMOs.

• There might be discussion in your country about gender equality, and reducing the pay gap between men and women. Why not organize a JB event to learn more about this issue and about article 23 of the UN Declaration of Human Rights?
• Bullying of the LBGTQ (Lesbian, Bisexual, Gay, Transgender, Queer) community is a problem in many places. To learn about how human rights of LBGTQ people are violated and to see what can be done about it, why not find and engage with relevant groups at your school and in your community?
• Poverty and inequality are worldwide causes for why people cannot enjoy their human rights. Many organisations work to break the cycle of poverty in your community. Leisure activities like sport or creative activities or providing food are some of the many ways in which LMOs might be helping – can you get involved too?
• In many of our towns and cities refugees have been resettled and groups have formed to support them. Why not reach out and see what they are doing?

We hope that this post inspires you to get out and explore human rights together with all the inspirational LMOs that exist around you who can help. When working with LMOs remember it is a reciprocal relationship – they should ‘get’ something from working with us, and we should be able to learn something through them. After all that is a key part of our CISV programmes IPP and Mosaic!

Tracey Cumin, CISV New Zealand

On behalf of the Human Rights Campaign Team 2017