Human Rights Competition: the world I want to live in – celebrating young voices

Our human rights competition was launched in December 2021, you can read about it here. Over the last 6 months we have had a wonderful response with entries from all over the world. It is evidence of the discussions and investigations that young people have been having in schools with the support of their teachers.


The entries showed the wide range of stories, experiences and concerns that young people have and want to communicate. The competition highlighted the range of different experiences that young people are grappling with in their respective cultures and countries. These experiences do not always translate or get heard and understood by other people in different parts of the world.

 

We commend the young people who had the courage to send in entries based on their experiences and concerns. We believe that these art works and creations will speak to others and open a door for young people to understand each other and learn about the different experiences we have around the world.

 

 

The winning entries

 

The judges found it very difficult to choose the winners, many of the entries focussed on personal experiences and it was incredibly brave and honest of students to share their stories.

 

Some of the entries were deeply reflective of real scenarios the young people are contending with in reality, whether that is here in the UK or internationally.

 

There were many entries that linked all human rights together and they were much appreciated by the judges as it is very difficult to choose one human right over another.

 

The judges found some of the excitement of the primary entries very uplifting but often human rights was discussed in the abstract. We hope that young people will continue to find out about human rights and the principles and reality of human rights through creative arts.

Blockquote Title

Where, after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places, close to home—so close and so small that they cannot be seen on any maps of the world. Yet they are the world of the individual person; the neighbourhood they live in; the school or college they attend; the factory, farm, or office where they work. Such are the places where every man, woman, and child seeks equal justice, equal opportunity, equal dignity without discrimination. Unless these rights have meaning there, they have little meaning anywhere. Without concerted citizen action to uphold them close to home, we shall look in vain for progress in the larger world

- Eleanor Roosevelt

Winners in categories

 

Here you can see the winners in the various categories that the judges chose.



Drawing & Painting primary school winners

Drawing & Painting secondary school winners

Podcast winners

Poetry & Spoken Word winners

Illustrated Story winner

3D Art winners

Special mentions



Inspiration from the entries

 

We had so many strong entries that we would like to share them here. If you are doing a project in school about human rights, have a look at these collections of entries so that you can inspire young people to start their own discussions based on the ideas, artwork and creations of other young people in the world.


Collection of artwork entries

Collection of 3D craft entries

Collection of written entries

Collection of speaking entries

Collection of singing entries



We would like to thank everyone who entered the competition, and even those who did not share their artwork with us but did start discussions in their school about human rights, what they are and what they mean.


Thank you to the judges Audrey Osler, Ellie Barrett and Gus John for their time and energy in launching this project and judging all the wonderful entries.


Thank you to our partners The Gambia Teachers Union, National Education Union and The Big Draw.






Steve Sinnott • June 27, 2022

Volunteering in Zambia - Spotlight on a Steve Sinnott Foundation Ambassador

By Helen Porter • January 30, 2026
Summer of 2025, I volunteered in Lusaka, Zambia with Mission Direct to improve educational facilities for school children and staff. These nursery school children live in very basic and small homes in the Kaunda Square Compound. They are currently being educated in overcrowded classrooms with very little space for play and movement. The new school building will allow more children to benefit from an enriching nursery education and ensure that they are ready to learn when they start their formal schooling at the age of six. It will also enable more mothers to work and contribute to their families’ income. The children were very happy to meet us and performed a wonderful song with actions to thank us. Witnessing the challenges of these families living in poverty led me to reflect on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that finding a route out of poverty (SDG1) often starts with a quality education (SDG4). Educating children to become literate, numerate and confident, responsible young people allows them to obtain secure employment with fair pay and to have the prospect of rewarding careers, leading to economic growth (SDG8). Of course education is about so much more than preparation for future employment. An educated person is better prepared to maintain the health and well-being of their family (SDG3) and ensure that nourishing food is provided everyday (SDG2). We are disappointed and saddened to learn that some of the world’s wealthiest nations are slashing their overseas development budgets. This makes the work of NGOs even more vital as they strive to reduce inequalities (SDGs 5 and 10) to ensure that all children benefit from a quality education.

Enhancing safe education; phase two of the addressing school-related Gender Based Violence (SRGBV) Programme

By Isata M Kamara • January 29, 2026
Addressing SRGBV comes through different methods. One effective approach is to provide the most at risk of becoming victims with required skills and knowledge. The essence of this approach is to keep girls safe, engaged and ensure before they return to school that they have a better understanding of SRGBV. The phenomenon of school-related gender-based violence [SRGBV] undermines the right to education for countless children, particularly girls. In the initial phase of our project, we successfully implemented SRGBV awareness and prevention programmes in 14 schools across Bombali district Northern Region. Phase one involved training school staff, engaging students, and building community awareness to create safer school environments. This phase focused on training girls to make reusable sanitary pads and other soft skills to engage them in daily activities. The project engaged over 50 students between the ages of 12-18 years in skills training to help keep them engaged in learning how to make reusable sanitary pads, bead design and cake making. The overall implementation of the project was a success as all of the girls engaged were able to learn new skills and new knowledge relating to GBV prevention. Below are some of the specific successes; Girls were trained in making reusable sanitary pads, sewing and bead design work, basic cake making skills, learning to identify violence, report it and learn how to prevent and de-escalate violent situations and how to stay positive in life through mentoring and supporting each other. This increased the knowledge of community stakeholders and parents on the impact both in and out of school. 100 participants including parents, education officials and community leaders were engaged. Despite the successes recorded, there were some challenges in the implementation. Challenges The rains were heavy and affected some classes Inflation in the market affected the proposed initial costs and the current cost of items The number of stakeholders and parents engaged were more than the proposed number leading to an increase in the food budget BY ISATA M KAMARA DIRECTOR OF GENDER EQUALITY AND DEVELOPMENT FOR SOCIAL ACTION (GEDSA)

Alfabetizasyon se chemen development - Literacy is the way to development

By Sarah Grey • January 28, 2026
Alfa Limonade, Haiti  For all our people who were deprived of childhood education, the objective of this Alfa programme is to provide the opportunity to become literate. In Haiti, especially in rural areas such as ours, literacy rates are dismal. 44% of Haitian men and 56% of Haitian women are illiterate, but these statistics are far worse in villages and the countryside. (UNESCO) Launched 23 years ago, Alfa uses an excellent participatory text book, Goute Sel, for writing, reading, and comprehension. It was developed specifically for use here in Haiti. We also use Ti Koze Sou Istwa Peyi Ayiti, stories and questions from Haitian history, and Lekti Net Ale, reflections on connecting with the world. Through blackboard instruction and Kaye Kalkil, Alfa participants practise exercises in arithmetic. At the second level we launch group discussion through reading Edikasyon Civik. After long consideration, our team of monitors has established that Alfa must develop its own practical introduction to numeracy for adult learners. Our improved numeracy project must adjust to the situation of Alfa participants. Obviously, in their daily lives our participants constantly face numeracy problems. Having no education, they were unaware of their lack of capacity. Today, through Alfa, they are gaining in literacy, and we should also ensure that, despite their often advanced ages, they also become numerate. They must not lose this gift simply because they have been deprived of the basic human right to education. Through our new tool, Alfa’s market women and peasant farmers will grasp the basics of numeracy, so that they are not lost in the economic situations of their adult lives. They will address these problems with awareness, papers and pencils in their hands - just as others do! Chancy Jacques, Alfa Supervisor, and Antolius Pierre, Alfa monitor in Jede, are collaborating on Alfa’s own book, Kalkil San Limit, with the following objectives: To support our monitors with a good tool for introducing numeracy. To reinforce the capacity of every Alfa participant. To enable participants to reflect productively. To enable participants to calculate well and fast. To enable participants to record their written results. Thus Kalkil San Limit will include the following sections: numeracy, problem solving, geometry, and mental calculation. Numeracy is a key part of the core skill base of a literate individual. In our Haiti, this means the ability to understand and use basic maths in real life situations at home, in the market place, or for agricultural transactions. We are preparing to go to print this summer! By Sarah Grey Alfa Limonade, Haiti