Children Today – Citizens Tomorrow
Children’s Rights Now Program

          The CTCTCRNP is a vital core of HIHR realizing the necessity of the role of youth for living now and forging a future of fundamental freedoms. HIHR volunteers in the schools and after-school programs to teach principles of peace, conflict resolution and children’s rights. HIHR is also a regular guest speaker to at-risk children in various programs. HIHR understands children can’t become active citizens without proper respect and roles provided in schools and communities.

          HIHR assists with established educational models such as Project Citizen and Peace Games in elementary and middle school providing curriculum and creative education to understand civil rights and conflict resolution. HIHR is also involved with the We the People…Citizens and the Constitution providing legal rights education in high school.

          HIHR networks with children’s rights movement in Hawaii to combine resources together to support future citizens to understand their rights and responsibilities to the legacy of liberty. HIHR assists with creative projects to move beyond following the text to learn the truth.

          The Youth Exchange Peace Project connects children with children to change the world together. Children of Colombia nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize came to Hawaii to speak directly to fellow youth about the power of peace. The Children from Colombia that serve as youth mayors and peer educators that organized a cease-fire in a war-torn country went to schools of Hawaii. The Children of Colombia were the keynote speakers at the first International Education Week celebration in Hawaii at the East West Center. The Children from Colombia along with the CNN producer Lydia Smith returned to teach peace studies after repeat requests. Building on the success of student to student peace peer education, HIHR sponsored another children volunteer organization Kids Can Free the Children’s Leaders Today. Craig Kielburger, the young Canadian, created this movement to show children can be problem solvers and peacemakers. Sarajevo’s Anne Frank and Kielburger’s brother spoke to students across Hawaii via the Hawaii Interactive Television Service as well as visiting schools teaching about active citizenship.

          To teach children, various experiments with truth allowed for future leaders to express their vision of a better world through essay, art, poetry, video and dialogues. Students are selected to represent Hawaii at the United Nations on international human rights day to discuss issues of the day in interactive dialogue with youth from around the world. HIHR also assists youth as a facilitator for UNICEF at the World Summit for Children at the Special Session at the UN headquarters.