Synoptic table of activities
| Title | Themes | Overview | Related rights |
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• Migration |
This activity uses discussion and |
The right to seek asylum in other countries from persecution. Freedom of religion or belief. Freedom of opinion and information. |
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• Religion and Belief |
This activity explores a dispute over the building of a new mosque in a traditionally Christian area through the simulation of a town council meeting. |
Freedom from discrimination. Freedom of religion and belief. Freedom of opinion and information. |
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| Access to medicaments | • Health • Globalisation • Discrimination and Intolerance |
This activity is a simulation based on the 2001 "AIDS drug" trial in South Africa. It addresses issues of HIV/AIDS,access to medicines and conflicting claims to rights. | The rights to life and dignity. The right to the protection of the moral and material interests resulting from scientific production. The right to health. |
| Act it out | • General Human Rights • Children • Citizenship and Participation |
Through this drama activity participants present their perceptions of the concept of human rights. | All human rights. |
| All equal – all different | • Discrimination and Intolerance • Globalisation • Media |
This is a short quiz, provocative enough to be interesting in itself, but also the basis for an effective group discussion about perceptions and stereotypes. |
Equality in dignity. The right to rights and freedoms without distinction of any kind. The right to a nationality. |
| Ashique’s story | • Children • Work • Globalisation |
This is a discussion activity. The starting point is a case study of a child labourer. Participants go on to explore aspects of child labour, the causes and how to end it. | Protection from economic exploitation. The right to education. The right to rest and leisure. |
| Believers | • Religion and Belief • Culture and Sport • Discrimination and Intolerance |
Participants compare and contrast their different beliefs. | Freedom of belief and religion. Freedom of opinion and information. Freedom from discrimination. |
| Beware, we are watching | • Globalisation • Environment • Citizenship and Participation |
In this activity participants learn about the social, economic and environmental costs of a cotton T-shirt. They then go on to plan and implement action to address the entailed human rights violations. | The right to desirable work and to join trade unions. The right to an adequate living standard. The right to a safe and healthy environment. |
| Can I come in? | • Migration • Discrimination and Intolerance • Peace and Violence |
This is a role play activity about a group of refugees trying to escape to another country. It addresses the plight of refugees and the social and economic arguments for giving and denying asylum. | The right to seek asylum in other countries. The right of non-refoulement. Freedom from discrimination. |
| Chahal v. UK | • War and Terrorism • Peace and Violence • Democracy |
A simulation (a mini-trial) that looks at a real case that came before the European Court of Human Rights. | Freedom from torture. The right to seek asylum. The right to a fair public hearing. |
| Change your glasses | • Poverty • Disability and Disablism • Migration |
This is a very simple outdoor exercise that can be used as an informal educational activity. Participants go out and explore the locality through someone else’s eyes. | All. |
| Children’s rights | • Children • General Human Rights • Education |
This activity uses diamond ranking to promote awareness and discussion about the Convention on the Rights of the Child. | The rights of the child (all). The right to express freely views on all matters affecting him/her. The right to protection from economic exploitation. The right to rest and leisure and to enjoy one’s own culture. |
| Denial and distortion | • Democracy • Discrimination and Intolerance • Remembrance |
This activity engages participants in a reflection upon the way in which certain historical events are not fully recognised, are instrumentalised or their importance is minimised. | The right to freedom from discrimination The right to freedom of opinion and information The right to education |
| Different Wages | • Work • Gender • Discrimination and Intolerance |
This is a simulation that confronts people with the realities of the labour market. It addresses issues of different wages for the same job, discrimination in the workplace and policies of low pay for young workers. | The right to desirable work and to join trade unions. The right to fair wages and equal pay for equal work. The right not to be discriminated against on the grounds of age and sex. |
| Do we have alternatives? | • Peace and Violence • Children • Health |
This is a role play activity that addresses issues of interpersonal violence and bullying. | The right to dignity. The right to be protected from all forms of physical or mental violence. |
| Domestic affairs | • Gender • Peace and Violence • Health |
Participants discuss case studies to analyse the causes of, and ways to prevent different types of domestic violence. | The right to life, liberty and personal security. Freedom from torture and degrading treatment. The right to equality before the law. |
| Dosta! | • Remembrance • War and Terrorism • Discrimination and Intolerance |
In this activity participants plan and carry out an action project to raise awareness about Roma victims of the Holocaust. | The right to non-discrimination. The right to life. Cultural rights. |
| “Draw-the-word” game | • General Human Rights | This is a team game in which people have to draw creatively to depict a word relating to human rights. | Freedom of opinion and expression. Freedom of thought. Equality in dignity and rights. |
| Education for All? | • Education • Children • Citizenship and Participation |
In this activity participants have to locate and match pairs of cards as they think out about the inequalities of educational provision worldwide and how to achieve “Education for All”. | The right to education. The right to full physical, mental, spiritual, moral and social development. The right to equality. |
| Electioneering | • Democracy • Citizenship and Participation • General Human Rights |
This is a discussion-based activity that addresses rights and responsibilities connected with democracy and democratic discussion. | The right to participate in government and in free elections. Freedom of opinion and expression. Freedom of thought. |
| Fighters for rights | • General Human Rights • Media • Citizenship and Participation |
This activity uses information cards to stimulate interest in human rights heroes. | Freedom of opinion and expression. The right to equality before the law and the right to a fair trial. Freedom from torture and degrading treatment. |
| Fingers and thumbs | • Environment • Peace and Violence • Migration |
This is a simulation of a competition to find the greenest youth group. Will they be honest or will they cheat? | The right to equality before the law. The right to life and survival. The right to an international order in which rights and freedoms can be fully realised. |
| Flower power | • General Human Rights • Religion and Belief • Children |
This is a creative activity that leads into a discussion about human rights in general: what they are, why they exist and how we should protect them. | All. |
| Front page | • Media • Globalisation • Environment |
This is a simulation of a group of journalists working to prepare the front page of their paper ready to go to press. | The right to freedom of thought, opinion and expression. Freedom from interference with privacy, family, home and correspondence. The right to participate in the cultural life of the community. |
| Heroines and heroes | • Gender • Discrimination and Intolerance • Citizenship and Participation |
This activity involves individual, small and whole group work, brainstorming and discussion about heroines and heroes as symbols of socialisation and culture and how gender stereotypes take their roots in our history, culture and everyday life. | The right to equality. Freedom from discrimination. Freedom of opinion and expression. |
| How much do we need? | • War and Terrorism • Health • Education |
This activity involves discussion and decision making. Working in small groups, participants decide how they would reallocate the global military budget to fund the eight Millennium Development Goals. | The right to life, liberty and personal security. The right to development. The right to an adequate living standard. The rights to health and education. |
| I want to work! | • Disability and Disablism • Work • Discrimination and Intolerance |
This activity uses role play to explore issues about the right to employment for people with disabilities. | The right to work. The right not to be discriminated against. The right to an adequate living standard. |
| Just a minute | • Culture and Sport • Globalisation • General Human Rights |
In this activity, people have to be quick and inventive to talk for one minute on the relationship between sports and human rights. | All. |
| Language barrier | • Migration • War and Terrorism • Discrimination and Intolerance |
This is a simulation of the difficulties that refugees face when applying for asylum. Issues raised include the frustrations and emotional factors refugees have to face, overcoming the language barrier and discrimination during the application procedure. |
The right to seek and enjoy asylum. The right not to be discriminated against on the basis of ethnicity or country of origin. The right to be considered innocent until proven guilty. |
| Let every voice be heard | • Education • Citizenship and Participation • Children |
This is a discussion exercise in small groups and plenary, working on what education is and how it meets, or does not meet, people’s needs, and about participation in decision-making processes. | The right to education, including the right to human rights education. Freedom of opinion and expression. The right to take part in the government of one’s country. |
| Let’s talk about sex! | • Gender • Discrimination and Intolerance • Health |
This activity uses the “fish-bowl” technique to explore attitudes to sexuality, including homophobia. | The right to equality. Freedom from discrimination. Freedoms of expression and association. |
| Local heritage sites |
• General Human Rights |
In this activity participants explore their environment and link heritage sites with human rights |
The right to education The right to freedom of belief and religion The right to participate in the cultural life of Communities |
| Makah whaling | • Culture and Sport • Environment • Globalisation |
This activity involves small group work, role play, discussion and consensus building about the issues of sustainable use of marine resources and the rights of indigenous peoples to freely determine their economic, social and cultural development. | The right to take part in the cultural life of the community. The right to food and access to natural resources. The right to life, liberty and personal security. |
| Making links | • Citizenship and Participation • Democracy • General Human Rights |
This activity involves negotiation about the rights and responsibilities of citizens, the government, NGOs and the media in a democracy | The right to participate in government and in free elections. Freedom of information and expression. Everyone has duties to the community |
| Memory tags | • Remembrance • War and Terrorism • Culture and Sport |
Participants collectively create a “tag cloud” to represent their thoughts and feelings evoked by public war memorials. | The right to life, liberty and security of person. The right to take part in cultural life. Freedom of thought and conscience. |
| My life is not a show! | • Media • Peace and Violence • Education |
This activity aims to develop people’s awareness about abuses of information communication technology (ICT) in general, and cyberbullying in particular. | The right to freedom of thought, opinion and expression. Freedom from interference with privacy, family, home and correspondence. Freedom from inhuman or degrading treatment. |
| On the ladder | • Citizenship and Participation • Democracy • Culture and Sport |
This activity involves role play and discussion. Participants reflect on the meaning of youth participation and discuss ways of increasing their own participation in the local community. | The right to participate in government and free elections. The right to participate in cultural life. Freedom of opinion and information. |
| Our futures | • Children • Environment • Health |
In this activity participants draw, contemplate and discuss their hopes and concerns for the future of their generation. Issues addressed include environmental matters affecting future generations, local development and people’s needs. |
The right to an opinion and access to information. The right to be heard on all matters concerning the best interests of the child. The right to a decent standard of living. |
| Path to Equality-land | • Gender • Discrimination and Intolerance • Education |
This activity involves small group work, imagination, and drawing to explore issues of gender equality and discrimination against women. | Freedom from discrimination on grounds of sex and gender. The right to marriage and family. The right to equality before the law. |
| Playing with pictures | • General Human Rights | In this activity people identify images that illustrate Articles in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. | All. |
| Power Station | • Peace and Violence • Citizenship and Participation • General Human Rights |
Participants brainstorm acts of violence that are common in their daily lives and then look for creative ways of dealing with them and finding solutions to the problems. | The right to life, liberty and personal security. Freedom from discrimination. Freedom from interference with privacy, family, home and correspondence. |
| Responding to racism | • Discrimination and Intolerance • Culture and Sport • Peace and Violence |
In this activity participants role play a critical incident to explore issues about racism and prejudice, notably against Roma, and how to deal with racism in a school or other educational organisation. |
Equality in dignity and rights. Freedom from discrimination. Freedom of thought, conscience and religion. |
| Rights Bingo! | • General Human Rights | This is a simple quiz and variation of the game “Bingo!” in which people share their knowledge and experiences of human rights. | Any human rights. |
| Scramble for Wealth and Power | • Poverty • Globalisation • Health |
This activity simulates the fight for wealth and power, inequality and the injustice of poverty. | Equality in dignity and rights. The right to an adequate standard of living. The right to health, food and shelter. |
| See the ability! | • Disability and Disablism • Discrimination and Intolerance • Children |
A practical activity to encourage empathy with people with disabilities. The issues addressed include the obstacles disabled people face in integrating into society, and perceptions of the rights of the disabled as basic human rights. | The right not to be discriminated against. Equality in dignity and rights. The right to social security. |
| Soon to be outdated | • Religion and Belief • Globalisation • Education |
In this activity people discuss how beliefs develop, how they are reinforced and how and why they change over time. | Freedom of thought, conscience and religion. Freedom of opinion and expression. The right to participate freely in the cultural life of the community. |
| Sports for all | • Disability and Disablism • Culture and Sport • Health |
This is a high-energy activity. Participants use their imagination and creativity to design new games. | The right to enjoyment of physical and mental health. Equality in dignity and rights. The right to rest and leisure. |
| Take a step forward | • Discrimination and Intolerance • Poverty • General Human Rights |
We are all equal, but some are more equal than others. Participants take on roles and move forward depending on their chances and opportunities in life. |
The right to equality in dignity and rights. The right to education. The right to a standard of living adequate for good health and well-being. |
| Tale of two cities | • Citizenship and Participation • Environment • Work |
This is a board game in which players vote for the kind of city they wish to live in and the amenities they wish to enjoy. The issues addressed include social solidarity, the implications of paying taxes and the value of local democracy. |
The right to social security. The right to own property. The right to an adequate standard of living. |
| Terrorism | • War and Terrorism • Peace and Violence • Globalisation |
Using case studies, participants discuss what makes something a terrorist act, and formulate a definition of terrorism. |
The right to life, liberty and security of person. Freedom from torture and degrading treatment. The right to peace. |
| Throwing Stones | • War and Terrorism • Peace and Violence • Children |
This activity uses role play to look at the reasons why people engage in violent acts. | The right to life, liberty and personal security. The right to recognition as a person before the law. The right to equal protection of the law. |
| Timelines | • General Human Rights • Remembrance • Religion and Belief |
Participants make a collective timeline of events that mark developments of the concept of rights from 2000 BC to the present, and speculate into the future. | The right to education, including human rights education. The right to life, liberty and personal security. Freedom of religion and belief. |
| To vote, or not to vote? | • Democracy • Citizenship and Participation • General Human Rights |
This activity involves a survey of people in the community to explore issues about voting in elections and civic participation. | The right to take part in the government and free elections. Freedom of opinion and expression. The right to peaceful assembly and association. |
| Trade Union meeting | • Work • Democracy • Citizenship and Participation |
This is a simulation of a meeting between an employer and employees together with their trade union representatives to negotiate wages and work conditions. | The right to work. The right to just conditions of work. The right to form and join trade unions. The right to strike. |
| Violence in my life | • Peace and Violence • War and Terrorism • Health |
This is an activity in which people explore their experiences of interpersonal violence. | The right to life, liberty and personal security. Freedom of thought, conscience and religion. Freedom from torture and degrading treatment. |
| Web of life | • Environment • Globalisation • Health |
In this activity, participants brainstorm links in a global food web. They explore the interdependency of living and non-living things and the impact of all human activity on the environment. | The right to life, liberty and personal security. The right to freely dispose of one’s natural wealth and resources. Freedom of belief and religion. |
| When tomorrow comes | • Peace and Violence • Globalisation • Media |
This activity uses information sheets and discussion to explore issues about the protection of society from criminals, the human rights of criminals and the death penalty. |
The right to life. Freedom from torture and degrading treatment. The right to equality in dignity. |
| Where do you stand? | • General Human Rights • Citizenship and Participation • Poverty |
In this discussion activity people literally stand up for their opinions about civil, political, social and economic rights. | All. |
| Who are I? | • Gender • Discrimination and Intolerance • Religion and Belief |
This activity involves buzz groups, brainstorming, drawing and group discussion to explore issues of identity. | Equality in dignity and rights. Freedom from discrimination. The right to life, liberty and personal security. |
| Work and babies | • Work • Gender • Discrimination and Intolerance |
This is a role play activity dealing with issues of reproductive rights and discrimination against women in the workplace. | The right to desirable work and to join trade unions. The right to marriage and family. Freedom from discrimination. |
| Human Rights Calendar | • All | A list of days on which people worldwide commemorate human rights; fighters for rights are honoured, abuses of human rights are remembered and hopes and joy are celebrated. The key dates have been gathered from official UN International Days, World Days recognised by NGOs and anniversaries of historical events. |
All. |
| Starters | • Support for any, with any other Compass activity. | The starters described here not only help create a positive group atmosphere but also function to introduce human rights ideas in a fun way. | All. |
| Activities for reviewing | • Support for any, with any other Compass activity. | Reviewing is an essential part of the experiential learning cycle, which is the basis of the approach used in this manual on human rights education. The following activities are easy and fun ways to help people learn from their experiences. They may be used after running a single Compass activity, but they should not replace a detailed debriefing and evaluation. |
The right to human rights education. The right to education. The right to participation. |