The Human Rights Key

The link between health and human rights is clear. Yet, questioning how we can better facilitate students' personal meaning-making in higher education was the catalyst that led to my interest in seeking alternative approaches to teaching. While working as a facilitator in the Health Science Faculty at the University of Cape Town I noticed students frequently grappled with conceptual and practical issues in human rights education even though they had learnt about human rights in their Life Orientation course, a compulsory topic in all South African high school curricula. Within the Faculty I queried and evaluated the strength and relevance of the medical curriculum's "golden thread" of human rights. This led to opportunities to engage with students in their clinical years, in an unrestricted way -- without assessment demands and in an authentic manner where students could draw on their own experiences. Taking risks and teaching in uncertain spaces has been a rewarding experience. I witness the opening of students' minds and eyes when alternative perspectives are considered. In the process I developed the metaphor of a Human Rights Key which highlights the connection between the students' experiences and the United Nations' human rights framework. The Key is a graphic tool that gives structure and tangible visibility, showing the relationships between theoretical and intangible concepts, and practical realities. Through an iterative process I have had pleasure in developing this as a visual representation for teaching and learning with colours and shapes assisting students to make meaningful connections and interpretations. The Key is memorable and promotes dialogue and discussion. Students feel motivated to think about the issues that face them and to question their own understanding. The Key emerges as a valued tool that each person can relate to within the context of their own lives and use in their present and future practice. By using the Key in different places and spaces, I have been gratified to realise the impact it has on other educators too. Each individual engages with the concept from their own frame of reference. Through Creative Commons licensing I am pleased to offer the Key and its themes for reusing and remixing in different contexts. As other educators take up their Key to teach and advocate for human rights, reviews and suggestions will be most welcome. The Key is an entitlement and it is up to us to become advocates for change. Teaching through this interactive tool is fulfilling. It turns and shifts attitudes and values