Jhr High School Chapter Handbook

chapter handbook

2009/2010

jhr HIGH SCHOOL

www.jhr.ca/hs

[1]

welcome to the team! jhr offers High School Students the opportunity to: • Produce media to be featured on Press For Change, the world’s first hub for youth rights media • Fundraise to support jhr’s global efforts in increasing human rights awareness • Become a Certified jhr Youth Ambassador through our regional workshops • Get published through our annual human rights essay competition, Write the Wrong • Organize awesome events and other cool initiatives to raise awareness for human rights in your community

Welcome to the jhr community! jhr’s goal is to make everyone around the world fully aware of their rights. Human rights are the basic rights and freedoms entitled to all humans around the world; unfortunately, there are often cases where people do not receive these rights. jhr uses the media to spread awareness of human rights. This process is the first and most necessary step to ending human rights abuses. By spreading human rights awareness, jhr informs people about their rights, empowering marginalized people to stand up, speak out and protect themselves. Since being founded in 2002, jhr has trained over 2000 journalists, produced over 3000 stores, and regularly reaches over 20 million people a week with human rights stories. jhr believes in the power of youth to promote social change. By starting a jhr High School Chapter, you and your school will help build human rights awareness in your community while also supporting jhr’s global efforts to spread human rights awareness through the media. Thank you for getting involved in the High School Chapter Program. We look forward to helping you develop a successful chapter that joins the movement of youth supporting jhr in making everyone around the world fully aware of their rights. Sincerely, The Student Engagement Team

[2]

program structure high school chapter program

media production page 7

fundraising page 9

Press For Change site

speak silence

write the wrong

rights media newspaper competition

stop the noise!

other fundraising activities

[3]

community awareness page 10

epic party

speaker series

film screenings

rights media. jhr’s main goal is

to make everyone in the world fully aware of his/her rights

rights media:

Rights media is the process of writing, collecting, editing and publishing news stories that create societal dialogue on the issues at hand. Under the right circumstances, this, in turn, can galvanize people, governments, and civil society to change their behaviour or policies.

Rights media is the most powerful form of journalism - it can change the world. Rights media must be both ethical and objective to be effective: the credibility of the journalists, news outlets, and sources involved is crucial.

“We are in the middle of a global communications age. The power of journalism to create change is growing daily. Now is the time to act.”

It sheds new light on old issues, or brings light to new issues.

It can be positive, but it can be critical as well.

Ben Peterson Executive Director, jhr

[4]

It can be focused on human rights, social justice, or environmental issues. But it can also be related to sports, business, or any other journalistic pursuit.

starting a chapter What Will Your Chapter Do ??? jhr provides High School Chapters with three pillars of engagement: media creation, fundraising, and community engagement. As a Chapter, decide on what activities you want to participate in and make a calendar of when you want to do what. Email this to HYPERLINK "mailto:[email protected]" [email protected]. We encourage Chapters to engage in all three pillars of the program; however, some schools will be unable to do everything. Want to produce media but don’t have the resources to fundraise? No problem! Want to fundraise to support our cause but don’t have a lot of people wanting to produce media? That’s no worries either!

2. Register Your Group.

steps to starting a chapter

Send an email to HYPERLINK "mailto:[email protected]" [email protected] with your name, school, phone number, name of a teacher sponsor, and details of the group you would like to start up.

1. Get Together! Read this booklet, get familiar with the High School program, and get the word out that you want to start a jhr Chapter. Talk to your friends, their friends, and other students to build your team. Also find a staff member to supervise and support your Chapter.

3. Host Your First Meeting. Get the word out about your first school meeting! Hang posters, make announcements, and try to establish a regular time and location for the meetings. Remember that you need a teacher sponsor to start a chapter at your school.

[5]

forming the executive

jhr reaches 20 million Africans regularly with human rights information

All organizations require some form of organizational structure in order to encourage efficiency and avoid conflict. While each jhr Chapter is encouraged to individualize the structure of their executives, the following is a good suggestion. President - The Chapter President is responsible for communicating with head office, serving as the chairperson at meetings, and acting as the public figure of the Chapter. Consider having two CoPresidents instead of one President.

VP Fundraising – VP Fundraising coordinates the Fundraising pillar of the School Chapter Program

Vice President - The Vice President is the second in command to the President.

VP Recruitment – VP Recruitment coordinates recruitment to the jhr Chapter Program and creates innovative recruitment strategies throughout the year.

VP Finance - VP Finance is the treasurer of the organization. Check with your Teacher Sponsor as to whether they would like to fill this role.

Secretary - The Secretary is responsible for booking rooms and recording attendance at meetings.

VP Media Creation – VP Media Creation coordinates the Media Creation pillar of the School Chapter Program.

the successful meeting Chapters are expected to have meetings every two weeks. Meetings are required to keep chapter members up to date and to keep track of projects your chapters are undertaking. Here are some tips to ensure your meetings are productive, short, fun, and straight to the point! • Come Prepared - Make sure you have sufficiently prepared for the meeting: make an agenda and handouts if you need them. • Listen - Make an effort to listen to all ideas presented. Help people develop their thoughts if they are having difficulties. • Direct the Conversation - While you want to ensure that everyone participates, redirect the conversation if it is heading in the wrong direction. • End with Clear Steps - Make sure everyone knows what they need to do following the meeting. • Keep Minutes - Keep a written record of everything that is said over the course of the discussion.

[6]

pillar one media creation

jhr has trained over 2000 African journalists

The Media Creation pillar is the jhr University Program’s most significant contribution to Change Journalism. They provide students with a plethora of opportunities to use the written word to create a dialogue on human rights.

jhr uses the power of the media to create human rights awareness. This process is the first and most necessary step to ending human rights abuses. Through producing Media, High School Chapter Members are able to have the same effect on Human Rights awareness as jhr trainers are able to have overseas.

press for change

Press for Change is the world’s first online site for youth to publish media about social issues around the world. It will feature the ability for youth to submit print, video (youtube), and radio pieces that will be shared with like-minded youth around the world. Press for Change is in the final stages of development and will be launched in mid September 2009.

write the wrong Write the Wrong is Canada’s largest human rights essay competition. Last year the competition received submissions from coast to coast and the winner was published in The Walrus Magazine Online. The student Engagement Team is busy forming partnerships and making connections for Write the Wrong 2010. The competition will launch in January 2010.

[7]

hs newspaper competition High School Newspaper Competition For the first time jhr will be hosting a High School Newspaper Competition open to student newspapers across North America. The competition will involve schools submitting publications to be evaluated based on journalistic merit, layout and presentation, amongst other topics. This initiative is in its first year and is still being developed.

school news partnerships

Get your school newspaper involved with your jhr High School Chapter. A lot of our most successful chapters have a section in the school paper that features rights media stories. Don’t have a school paper, you can still share your articles at Press for Change, jhr’s online new site that is launching in mid September 2009!

jhr has produced over 3000 human

rights stories across Africa

[8]

pillar two fundraising Fundraising supports jhr’s goal of making everyone around the world fully aware of their rights. Without the hard work, dedication, and support of students across North America, the work of jhr simply would not be possible. For every $1 raised, jhr is able to make 15 more people aware of their rights. With Administrative costs of just 3% (the lowest in the industry), you can be sure that your efforts will go straight to supporting jhr’s programs!

speak silence:

Speak Silence is an annual vow of silence for those around the world who do not have access to Human Rights. Pledges are collected by participants taking the vow, and many groups have an epic party to mark breaking the silence at the end of the event. Speak Silence is scheduled this year for November 4. More information will be available in September 2009.

Why stop with Speak Silence and Stop the Noise? Stretch your creative muscles and try organizing a new, unique fundraiser at your school! Here are some ideas: - Bake Sales - Epic Dances, Concerts, or Fashion Shows - Community Car-wash - Raffles - Walk or Run - Doughnut Sale

STOP THE NOISE: In Spring 2010 jhr will premier its new fundraising campaign Stop the Noise, a campaign where a Chapter picks their favourite annoying song, plays it before school, after school, and at all breaks until the school reaches a certain fundraising target. Expect more information of Stop the Noise in Spring 2010.

[9]

pillar three community

jhr has offices in the DRC, Liberia and

Sierra Leone

Through holding events in your community you help raise awareness for human rights. At jhr we believe awareness is the first step to ending human rights abuses. By raising awareness within your school and community, you help build a culture of human rights where everyone around the world are

film screenings: How to do it:

Whether watching Hotel Rwanda, or a small independent film, screenings are low cost/cost-free, fairly straightforward events that offer a chance for students to meet and spotlight an issue while fundraising for jhr. After the film, a panel discussion about the topic could also occur.

1. Brainstorm - Get together with your school chapter and brainstorm a film that you would like to screen. Ensure that it is somewhat related to jhr’s mandate of human rights and/or the media. 2. Find a Venue - Find a classroom with a projector or a movie theatre in your school or your community. Rent the space for the evening. Try to get the venue for free as a student (most universities rent rooms free to students). 3. Additional Variables - What will the event’s admission be? What is the budget? Are you going to have a jhr info booth? A concession? A panel discussion after the film? Something else? Discuss in a Chapter Meeting what special additions you can add to the evening to truly make it your own event. 4. Advertise - Get the word out there! Make posters, chalk sidewalks outside main buildings, invite friends on Facebook, and get your event posted in your community papers. If you wish to distribute a press release, draw up one and send it into Head Office so the communications department can give it a once-over and distribute it across the Canadian News Wire. 5. Host - Host the event! 6. Post-Event Evaluation - Evaluate the successes and weaknesses of your film screening, and how this event could be improved in the future.

jhr street team:

In the 18th and 19th Centuries journalists took the form of pamphleteers, people who wrote leaflets and papers against unjust laws in the 18th and 19th centuries. Many School Chapter Members embrace the tradition of pamphleteers, and make handouts about human rights issues to give out throughout their school or in the community. The jhr Chapter at West Point Grey Academy last year printed pamphlets in the lead up to speak silence and gave them out in front of the Vancouver Art Gallery, raising awareness for human rights and jhr!

[10]

Bring in either a jhr member of Head Office, former overseas trainers or media professionals to give a presentation. Invite both your chapter and the broader university community. How to do it:

:speaker series

1. Brainstorm - Get together with your school chapter and brainstorm a speaker that you would like to host. Ensure that it is someone relevant to jhr’s mandate of human rights and/ or the media. 2. Find a Venue - Find a venue in your school or community. Rent the space for the evening. 3. Additional Variables - What will the event admission be? What is the budget? Are you going to have a jhr info table? A concession? 4. Advertise 5. Host - Host the event! 6. Post-Event Evaluation - Evaluate the event’s successes and failures, and how this event could be improved upon in the future.

art showings:

How to do it:

jhr has a traveling photo exhibit from Ghana that you can bring to your school to showcase, or you can choose to display other art that represents the main themes of jhr (human rights and the media).

1. Brainstorm - Get together with your school chapter and brainstorm whether you would like to show the Ghana exhibit or select new art for your exhibit. 2. Find a Venue - Find a venue in your school or community. Rent the space for the evening. Try to get the space for free as a student. Consider contacting local galleries to form a partnership. 3. Additional Variables - What will the event admission be? What is the budget? Are you going to have a jhr info table? A concession? A panel discussion after the speech? 4. Advertise 5. Host - Host the event! 6. Post-Event Evaluation - Evaluate the event’s successes and failures, and how this event could be improved upon in the future.

anything else? The best part of being involved with jhr is that the School Engagement Team is flexible and easy going! If you have another creative idea for building community awareness, email HYPERLINK "mailto:[email protected]" [email protected] and we’ll help make it a reality! The best new ideas get incorporated into the School Chapter Program the following year!

[11]

jhr’s overhead costs are 3% of our entire budget, some of the lowest in the industry

jhr high school brand This section provides more information about how to talk about jhr and represent your high school chapter in the community. While some of this may seem trivial, a consistent brand image allows us to maintain strong relationships with everyone we work with, whether Journalists participating in our project in Sierra Leone or students in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Social Media jhr has a Social Media Presence on Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube. Make sure you encourage all of your chapter members to join these groups to stay up to date with jhr: Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jhrnews Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/jhrnews Youtube: http://www.twitter.com/jhrnews You should set up a Facebook Group or Fan Page for your Chapter. Ensure that you clearly indicate that you are a High School Chapter of jhr. Having a Facebook presence allows you to post photos and video, as well as discuss the initiatives you are working on. Ensure you email [email protected] with the link to your Facebook site – this way we can link to it from jhr.ca! Some Chapters go further and setup blogs, Twitter, youtube, and other tools. If you need any help setting these up, just ask! Remember to email [email protected] to tell us about what you’ve created!

[12]

Quick jhr statistics: •jhr reaches 20 million Africans regularly with human rights information •jhr has trained over 2000 African journalists •jhr has produced over 3000 human rights stories across Africa •jhr has offices in the DRC, Liberia and Sierra Leone •For every dollar donated to jhr, 15 African’s are made more aware of their rights •jhr’s overhead costs are 3% of our entire budget, some of the lowest in the industry

How to write about jhr When writing about jhr we refer you our organization as jhr (abbreviation, in lower case, only) or jhr (Journalists for Human Rights). jhr’s tagline is: Mobilizing Media. Changing Lives. Write about jhr in one line: jhr’s goal is to make everyone in the world fully aware of their rights. Write about jhr in one paragraph: jhr’s (Journalists for Human Rights) goal is to make everyone in the world fully aware of their rights. Creating rights awareness is the first and most necessary step to ending rights abuses. By mobilizing the media to spread human rights awareness, jhr informs people about their rights, empowering marginalized people to stand up, speak out and protect themselves. How to talk about jhr How to talk about jhr in ten seconds: jhr’s goal is to make everyone in the world fully aware of their rights because rights awareness is the first and most necessary step to ending rights abuses. How to talk about jhr in thirty seconds:

jhr’s goal is to make everyone in the world fully aware of their rights because rights awareness is the first and most necessary step to ending rights abuses. jhr does this by encouraging Rights Media – the process of writing and producing media that creates societal dialogue on human rights issues We are currently concentrating our work in post-conflict countries in Africa, namely the Congo, Sierra Leone, and Liberia. There, we train and encourage local media to produce Rights Media and spread human rights awareness to all corners of their countries. We also work in high schools and universities across Canada, promoting human rights awareness in

[13]

jhr Success Stories Nothing conveys the power of what we do better than hearing it directly from the people whom jhr works with and reaches on a daily basis. What follows is a collection of our favourite success stories that you can use to help illustrate the importance and effectiveness of the work we do.

Rose’s Story jhr trainer John Gaudi worked for TV and radio media outlet Skyy-Power in Ghana and produced a story with local journalist Kweku Temang about twenty-six year old Rose Amina Abdulai who had her right arm and the fingers on her left hand cut off by her boyfriend. As her story was profiled throughout Ghana, empathy for Rose’s plight resulted in local women’s organizations fundraising to pay for her prosthetics and recovery. Through popular national media Rose became a role model in helping other women in abused relationships across Ghana realize their rights and seek support. Today Rose is once again teaching school children, no longer confined to life at home. Pictured left: Rose shows her hand Health Posts jhr trainer Rob McKee worked at Eastern Radio in Sierra Leone and produced a story with several local journalists investigating promises from the Ministry of Health to set up rural health posts to address the cholera outbreak. The story revealed that the health posts were never set up because the money apparently went missing just before the change in the national government. The media pressure prompted the new government to find the allocated funds and quickly launch the promised health posts. If you are interested in hearing more jhr

success stories just email [email protected]!

[14]

rights media: it can change the world Through promoting Rights Media globally, jhr is creating a dialogue over important issues which in turn, propels individuals, government, and civil society towards positive social change. Rights Media has the power to change the world - and so do you! jhr’s Executive Director, Ben Peterson, was only 24 when he co-founded Journalists for Human Rights; eight years later, jhr is Canada’s largest media development organization. The jhr High School Chapter Program gives you the chance to affect positive change through Rights Media - be it writing articles, hosting Human Rights fundraising and awareness events, producing Rights Media, or taking a vow of silence. You have the power to step up and make change. Ultimately, whether the tasks be large or small, menial or demanding, we are confident that you are equal to this challenge - you have an incredible power to make incredible changes in our changes. So go for it. Be the change.

[15]