Youth for Human Rights International World Tour 2006 In the Capital of Germany

Youth from the Berlin chapter of Youth for Human Rights International celebrated their freedom as part of the Youth for Human Rights International 2006 World Tour.

Although they are too young to remember the 27 years when the Berlin wall separated families and prevented East Germans from access to the West, these youngsters know that when the wall came down in 1989 that act became a symbol of freedom prevailing over oppression.

Youth for Human Rights and the Church of Scientology International have created 30 hard-hitting public service announcements (PSAs) to bring each of the 30 Articles of the Universal Declaration to life, to educate youth on their rights and responsibilities. Four of these PSAs were released in the German leg of the world tour including, appropriately, Article 9, which states:

No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.

The purpose of Youth for Human Rights International is:
"To teach youth around the globe about Human Rights, thus helping them to become valuable advocates for the promotion of tolerance and peace."

For more information on Youth for Human Rights International visit their web site at www.youthforhumanrights.org

Youth for Human Rights World Tour in England

It was not just a normal day for the youngsters in one Brighton school: these 12 to 16 year-old students were participating in a very special class, delivered by the President of Youth for Human Rights International.

The Youth for Human Rights International 2006 World Tour is holding events in countries around the world to promote human rights education that center around a series of 30 new public service announcements (PSAs) — one for each article in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

In the United Kingdom, the first country in the European leg of the tour, the PSAs were released in schools where students were taught about human rights using a new curriculum designed by Youth for Human Rights International.

These youngsters learned:

Article 5.

No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

Article 6.

Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law.

The 30 PSAs were produced by Youth for Human Rights and the Church of Scientology International.

Youth for Human Rights International President, Mary Shuttleworth introduced the students at this Brighton school to the subject of human rights. In the poster the children created after the class they showed that they now understand the importance of human rights and their own responsibility to make human rights a fact.

Church of Scientology International's Human Rights Education Campaign goes Global

Each local launch premieres a selection of the PSAs, including "The Right to Life" (Article 3); "Freedom of Assembly" (Article 20); "The Right to Education" (Article 26); "A Free and Fair World" (Article 28); and "Our Responsibilities" (Article 29).

Some 450 actors and actresses appear in the messages. The time and effort involved in shoots was equivalent to what it takes to shoot a full, feature-length film. Five months of postproduction followed and, in the end, the 30 PSAs were produced — start of scripting to finish — in seven months.

This grassroots campaign is inspired by the words of Scientology founder and humanitarian L. Ron Hubbard , who wrote, "Human rights must be made a fact, not an idealistic dream."

The need for broad-scale human rights education could not be more urgent. Across the globe today, 100 million children are living on the street, and 115 million primary school-aged youth are out of school. Through these audio-visual presentations and other educational tools, the Church of Scientology International's Human Rights Department and YHRI seek to reach millions of people to raise awareness and bring about global change.

"The release of these PSAs constitutes a breakthrough for the teaching, preservation and advancement of human rights for all people everywhere," said Church of Scientology International human rights director, Leisa Goodman.

The new PSAs are a unique educational tool in part inspired by YHRI's award-winning United music video (TXL Films). United has won 12 film festival awards, including the International Gandhi Film Festival in Barcelona, Spain.

"The PSAs are something entirely new," said Taron Lexton, the 22-year old director of United and the new PSAs. "They bring to life the very human rights you actually have right now."

For more information on the Church of Scientology International's human rights campaign, call the Church of Scientology International's Human Rights Department at (323) 960-3500. For information on Youth for Human Rights International, call (323) 663-5799 or email news@youthforhumanrights.org. To view sample PSAs and the United video, visit www.youthforhumanrights.org.

Youth for Human Rights International Brings a Message of Peace to a Troubled Ukraine

Ms. Mary Shuttleworth, President of Youth for Human Rights International in a press conference at the National Press Center.

Arriving in Kiev after four months of post-election deadlock, with supporters of two political parties attempting to seal off approaches to parliament in protest, Youth for Human Rights International (YHRI) and the Church of Scientology Mission of Kiev called on the people of the Ukraine to uphold a respect for human rights in these times of political and social upheaval.

In Kiev as part of the Youth for Human Rights International 2006 World Tour, the YHRI President, Ms. Mary Shuttleworth, showed the award-winning human rights music DVD UNITED at a press conference at the National Press Center. She reminded those in attendance that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was conceived in the aftermath of World War II with the understanding that "recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world."

Ms. Shuttleworth, a school principal and children's advocate, formed Youth for Human Rights International in August 2001 with the purpose "To teach youth around the globe about Human Rights, thus helping them to become valuable advocates for the promotion of tolerance and peace."

The city of Kiev in the Ukraine is the 19th stop of YHRI's 30-city 2006 World Tour.

Promoting Peace through Human Rights in the Middle East

En route to the Middle East, the Youth for Human Rights 2006 World Tour stops in Istanbul where youth are educated on Article 20 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights — the right to public assembly.

At a time when images of bombings and death in the Middle East fill the headlines and TV screens around the world, Youth for Human Rights International visits the region with a message of peace through human rights.

Established in August 2001 as a project of the International Foundation for Human Rights and Tolerance, in partnership with the Church of Scientology International Human Rights Department, Youth for Human Rights International arrived in Dubai this week on the fourth week of a six-week international journey to promote the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

In 1948 when the Universal Declaration was first enacted, the United Nations mandated that it be disseminated and taught in schools so that future generations could be raised with a concept of the dignity of man and the rights to which each member of the human family is entitled. Yet human rights education has not been incorporated into school curricula and 90% of those surveyed have no knowledge of what rights are guaranteed by this document.

Although this is the third annual World Tour for the group, this is the first time Youth for Human Rights International has visited the Middle East.

With the purpose "To teach youth around the globe about Human Rights, thus helping them to become valuable advocates for the promotion of tolerance and peace," for the past three years Youth for Human Rights International has traveled around the world meeting with officials and other human rights organizations to promote human rights education, forming chapters of young people in each of the countries they visit.

Youth for Human Rights International travels to In Dubai to promote Article 21 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the right to democracy.

South Korea Empowered with Tools to Accomplish Universal Human Rights

Students from the University of Seoul attend a seminar, featuring a selection of the 30 human rights public service announcements produced by Youth for Human Rights International in partnership with the Church of Scientology International.

Civil and government leaders welcomed Youth for Human Rights International to South Korea this week, praising the human rights education campaign they have created in partnership with the Church of Scientology International. The campaign is designed to help young people understand and take responsibility for accomplishing human rights for themselves and others.

Youth for Human Rights International, a non-profit organization founded in 2001 in coordination with the Human Rights Department of the Church of Scientology International, holds events and produces instructional tools to raise human rights awareness. Their visit to South Korea is part of their 2006 World Tour, where they are urging leaders in the public and private sectors to implement mandatory human rights education. The tour is also releasing a series of 30 audiovisual public service announcements, one for each article of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The first three of these messages, released in late 2005, have been screened to more than 130 million people.

The year 1948 marked the adoption by the United Nations of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It also saw the founding of the country of Korea after 35 years of Japanese occupation.

But freedom and human rights continued to elude the people of this country, which was torn by a 3-year civil war that escalated into a multi-national conflict and was then subjected to 34 more years of military rule.

With international attention on neighboring North Korea for their recent testing of nuclear weapons, civil and government leaders in South Korea are all-the-more committed to continue a strong policy of human rights in their country.

Youth for Human Rights International presented its PSAs to Kim Young-sam, former President of the Republic of South Korea, whose administration is famous for his work to end corruption and provide basic rights to the people of his country, including the granting of an amnesty to thousands of political prisoners and the cancellation of criminal convictions of pro-democracy protesters who had been arrested during the late 1970s.

Presentations were also made to the Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development, the President of the Korea Federation of Teachers Associations, the Korea Human Rights Commission, the Gender and Family Committee of the National Assembly and students at Seoul University.

Having briefed these Korean human rights advocates and provided them with an effective education program they can use to make human rights known to the youth of their country, Youth for Human Rights International has moved on to the next stop on their world tour itinerary, determined to accomplish what humanitarian L. Ron Hubbard envisioned when he wrote, "Human rights must be made a fact, not an idealistic dream."

Youth for Human Rights International presents their human rights PSAs to Kim Young-sam, former President of the Republic of South Korea.

The Human Rights Commission of South Korea is briefed on the Youth for Human Rights International educational materials, with which they can ensure youth understand their rights and responsibilities.

Youth for Human Rights 2006 World Tour Arrives ''Down Under''

In meetings with public officials in Sydney, the President of Youth for Human Rights International presented the human rights curriculum and educational materials the group has produced, to work out how it can be implemented.

In Sydney, Australia, the 26th stop of their 2006 World Tour, Youth for Human Rights International focused on the urgency of full implementation of the right to education.

With UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) reporting that "860 million adults are illiterate, over 100 million children have no access to school, and countless children, youth and adults who attend school or other education programs fall short of the required level to be considered literate in today's complex world" the right to education, as guaranteed by Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights has even more relevance today than when it was adopted in 1948. Without this right, so many others, such as the rights to work and security become unobtainable.

But the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is written in legal terms — not something an 8-year-old child will be able to read and understand. So for the past five years Youth for Human Rights has been carrying out an international human rights education campaign to make the provisions of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights understandable to everyone.

With kids getting most of their information from TV and the Internet today, Youth for Human Rights International realized that the best way to get these concepts across would be through the medium of video. In partnership with the Church of Scientology International, they have created 30 short, imaginative, hard-hitting films that convey the essence of each of the articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in ways that bring each right vividly to life for youth and adults alike. These have been produced as public service announcements to be aired on television and watched online with the end of making every person on Earth aware of his or her rights and responsibilities.

The PSA on the right to education shows what happens when a precocious child in an affluent American city, who takes education as an annoying fact of life, realizes that other girls her own age have no opportunity to attend school at all.

In meetings with the Commissioner for Human Rights, and legislators in Sydney, the President of Youth for Human Rights International presented the human rights curriculum and educational materials the group has produced, to work out how these can be put into broad use to increase awareness and implementation of human rights on a broad scale.