High School Studies Human Rights

Frau Fretz, High School Humanities and German teacher writes:

For the first two weeks of their third quarter Human Rights theme, the combined 11th and 12th grade studied issues relating to the worldwide refugee and migrant crisis. They read the introductory note of the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) convention, and discussed many of the underlying facts that entail the humanitarian emergencies on this planet. 

In the second week, the class was joined by the tenth grade for a talk by Ms. Nura Elmagbari, the director and founding member of the Portland Refugee Support Group (PRSG), (https://www.pdxrsg.org). Ms Elmagbari presented a slide show with global facts while adding a multitude of touching personal stories from refugees. Ms Elmagbari described the work that her group is doing in town and the obstacles that refugees face even after they have been accepted. Ms Elmagbari was so kind to forgo her speaker’s fee if the class organized a donation drive that would directly benefit the 50+ families whom PRSG is currently assisting. Please look for more information regarding this donation drive in the coming weeks and consider participating. 

To allow for a better understanding of the complexity and the diversity of the many conflicts worldwide, each student was asked to research a specific country in which a crisis has forced a large part of its population to flee. In the first week, the students created a map and presented that country’s topography, climate, infrastructure, demographics, etc. to their classmates. With their growing knowledge of their country, and the human emergencies unfolding in it, the students were asked to create a realistic scenario for a person or a family forced from their home, and all the steps that they might have to take on their odyssey to safety (e.g. possible dangers along the road and at refugee camps, possible routes and obstacles, and the bureaucratic maze of an application for refugee status and ultimately for asylum in a host country). The students’ resulting stories reflect an accurate understanding of the conditions in their chosen country and the detailed difficulties that people from that country would face during their escape to safety. Examples of student maps and a story can be viewed in these links.

For the next part of the Human Rights theme, the students will take a closer look at the situations in South, Central, and North America with Mx. Blanchette. As an accompanying literary work, the students have been working with Mr. Zinn on William Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and for art, they will be asked to create their own arpillera under the guidance of Ms. Churchill and with input from Prof. Umanzor.