Compasito: Manual on Human Rights Education for Children

Compasito is an online manual on human rights education for children. The users of the human rights education manual 'Compass', written for secondary school students and used in school environments in European countries, expressed an expectation for a training manual directed specifically at educators of children so that human rights education could start at the earliest possible age. Compasito has been produced within the framework of the Human Rights Education Youth Programme of the Directorate of Youth and Sport of the Council of Europe.

As stated in the introduction, Compasito builds on the philosophy and educational approaches of 'Compass'. As with 'Compass', it uses a non-formal educational methodology and a structure that provides theoretical and practical support to users of the manual. However, while 'Compass' addresses young people themselves, Compasito addresses adult educators who work with children. It provides them with theoretical and methodological information and discussion of the book's human rights themes. Compasito also encourages educators to adapt material to reflect their own reality and that of the children with whom they work. Although the practical activities are designed for play with children, most activities need the proper facilitation of an educational expert. It includes the following:

Chapter I familiarises the reader with what is meant by human rights and children’s rights and describes the main international human rights mechanisms.

Chapter II explains the aims and outcomes of human rights education and puts it into both European and international perspectives.

Chapter III gives information and practical tips on how Compasito can be used in various formal and non-formal educational settings and how to get the best out of its educational approaches. The "tips for facilitators" provides ideas on how to start human rights activities with children and how to follow them up, including concrete actions.

Chapter IV collects 42 practical activities for different age groups and at different levels of complexity related to the selected themes of human rights. Children do not need to have any special skills to be involved in most Compasito activities. Users of the manual are encouraged to use the activities in a creative way either in a sequence or individually.

Chapter V provides essential background information on the thirteen selected themes. Facilitators are encouraged to read the relevant themes before starting an activity. Questions included in these texts are intended to help readers to reflect on their own knowledge and attitudes and to be able to put the themes in a personal or local context.

The Appendices contain essential information on legal documents that have key relevance for children in a European context. The text of the European Convention of Human Rights, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child are also included here, in child-friendly formats. The Human Rights Glossary contains  explanations of the key legal terms appearing in the manual. The terms in the glossary are found in bold in the text of Compasito.

The Council of Europe has made the document available online in the three languages listed below. Copies are available in other languages by ordering through publishers listed here - with the possibility of more translations in the future.