Lesson 1

Human Right: The Right to Equality

Business Skill: Active Listening

Lesson 1A – The Right to Equality

“Empathic listening takes time, but it doesn’t take anywhere near as much time as it takes to back up and correct misunderstandings when you’re already miles down the road; to redo; to live with unexpressed and unsolved problems; to deal with the results of not giving people psychological air.”

Stephen R. Covey (2004). “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change”, Simon and Schuster.

Learning Outcomes

1. Students will restate to a friend the purpose of human rights.
2. Students will describe the origin of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).
3. Students will understand and practice the business communication skill “active listening.”

Lesson 1A – The Right to Equality

Active Listening

1. Welcome

[Select a song.]

2. Review

Initial Student Assessment (p. 8).

Introduce human rights with the Initial Student Assessment to learn what your students know about human rights. Explain that this is a short questionnaire (not a quiz), and that there are no wrong answers.

Note: Keep the Initial Assessment to compare with the Final Assessment at the end of the course.

3. Business Skills Development

Today’s activity will help us practice today’s business skill: Active Listening. This is a skill that is helpful for working with others in school and work—for the rest of our lives.

[Select a Business Skills Development activity.]

4. Discussion

Millions of people all over the world died during World War II. After the war, in 1945, men and women from 18 countries and cultures created a set of articles for the whole world that would help everyone live together in peace.

They worked in a way similar to how the Talking Stick circle worked anciently where everyone had dignity and could be heard. Together these representatives wrote 30 articles or principles: the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).

Read or have a student read the UDHR Preamble (p. 4). Show the picture of the United Nations on page 9 and discuss the points below.

• These 30 principles or articles are called Human Rights. They help us develop a global community.
• This document was written without reference to any particular culture, political system, or religion.
• These 30 articles declare the protection of the life, liberty, and security of every person. These articles define the human rights of all people. They proclaim the worth of every person on earth, making it clear that we all have equal value.
• These articles help us understand that when we have rights, we also have responsibilities to protect those rights for us and others.

5. Conclusion

Questions

1. What does universal mean? (For the whole world and everyone in it)
2. What is a declaration? (A formal statement of principles)
3. Why was it important to have people from different countries and cultures on the committee writing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights?

6. Challenge

[Select a challenge.]

Lesson 1B – The Right to Equality

“Empathic listening takes time, but it doesn’t take anywhere near as much time as it takes to back up and correct misunderstandings when you’re already miles down the road; to redo; to live with unexpressed and unsolved problems; to deal with the results of not giving people psychological air.”

Stephen R. Covey (2004). “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change”, Simon and Schuster.

Learning Outcomes

1. Students will explain what is meant by the terms human rights, free, and equal.
2. Students will list three rights related to their lives and personal safety.
3. Students will list three ways they can protect the rights and freedoms of others.
4. Students will demonstrate some aspects of the business communication skill “active listening.”

Lesson 1B – The Right to Equality

Active Listening

1. Welcome

[Select a song.]

2. Review

Use simple questions to review active listening and follow up on the challenge from Lesson 1A.

3. Business Skills Development

[Select a Business Skills Development activity.]

4. Discussion

Read or have a student read Article 1 of the UDHR (p. 10).

Questions (invite students to share thoughts with the class)

1. What does it mean to be free and equal?
2. Who is born free and equal in rights?
3. Do you have rights even if you are poor?
4. What does it mean when we say human rights? (A right is like a rule that exists because it is the fair thing to do. A human right is a right we all have just because we are human beings. Along with our rights, we have the responsibility and duty to respect the rights of others.)

Read or have a student read Article 3 of the UDHR (p. 10).

Questions (invite students to share with a partner and practice active listening)

1. Why are the rights of life, liberty, and the security of person important to you and to your friends?
2. In many places in the world children struggle to live, to be free, and to feel safe. What can be done to help them?

Read or have a student read Article 29 of the UDHR (p. 10).

Questions (invite students to share thoughts with the class)

1. What does duty mean? (A moral or legal obligation)
2. What does responsibility mean? (The act of accepting and acting on a duty that has been given to you)
3. Who is your community?
4. What duty or responsibility do you have to your community?
5. How does your community help you grow?
6. How can you show respect for people who are not like you?

5. Conclusion

[Select an activity.]

6. Challenge

[Select a challenge.]