Canadian Museum for Human Rights

C a n a d i a n M u s e u M f o r H u M a n r i g H t s - s u p p l e M e n t t o t H e W i n n i p e g f r e e p r e s s - s a t u r d a y, s e p t e M b e r 1 9 , 2 0 1 5 0 3 TEACHABLE MOMENTS education is primary role for museum She's had a lot of heartwarming moments over the past year. From January to June, 20,728 students — more than 35% from outside Winnipeg — took part in the eight different kindergarten - Grade 12 school programs on offer. During the 2015-16 school year, the museum will welcome 30,000 students, including groups from Saskatchewan and Ontario. Creelman says school groups who come to Winnipeg for sports tournaments and other events often book a museum program while they're here, and the CMHR is test-driving different models for a formal national students program that will bring in groups from across Canada. This summer, it worked with Rotary International on a leadership development program for individual students. This fall, it's working with the Asper Foundation to bring in a group of 100 students from a single school in Toronto, and next spring, the Asper Foundation will bring in groups from different schools across the country. Creelman says the CMHR is trying out different types of student groups, accommodations and programming during a three-year pilot phase to find the best mix of options before it launches the program on a wide scale. "We want to do it well and we are really open to feedback. We're in that lovely period where we're not set in our ways yet— we're quite nimble now." The CMHR is on a path to becoming a local, regional, national and international centre for human rights education. It held a series of open houses for teachers in the fall of 2014 to introduce them to the museum and its programs, and it's inviting teachers from across the province to explore the museum in conjunction with the Manitoba Teachers' Society's annual professional development conference program next month. The museum has promoted professional development in human rights education by hosting teacher institutes with the University of Manitoba Faculty of Education and Manitoba Education and, to reach a national audience, it worked with the Canadian Teachers' Federation (CTF) to develop the Canadian Human Rights toolkit, and a brand new resource for back-to-school called Speak Truth to Power Canada: Defenders for Human Rights, which is available to teachers online. On the international front, a delegation from the International Human Rights Institute for Peace in Caen, France, will pay a visit in January. The CMHR hopes to offer its own version of the institute's intensive week-long University of Peace program for international students starting in 2017. The delegation from the French institute will teach CMHR staff how to develop a dynamic program. The museum is a destination for casual family visitors, as well. A guide to assist parents and caregivers in planning a visit will soon be available online, and Creelman says parents can always ask for advice on age-appropriate activities and family-friendly routes through the museum at the information desk on Level 1. "I think any family can find a way to explore the museum and have fun," she says. During the school year, there are scavenger hunts and other activities on holidays and professional development days, and there will even be special programming for preschoolers after XOXO: An Exhibit About Love and Forgiveness opens Oct. 4. Young children will be able to take part in hands- on activites and even enjoy a play, The Gift, which will be presented on weekend mornings. "We happen to have several of our staff who have theatrical backgrounds, so the actors will be from our own staff," she says. "We're looking forward to offering something completely different." ▲ ➤ The sight of a big yellow school bus pulling up in front of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR) warms June Creelman's heart. "It is sort of the lifeblood of the museum when you see student groups going through," says Creelman, who is the museum's director of learning and programming. The CMHR is on a path to becoming a local, regional, national and international centre for human rights education. It held a series of open houses for teachers in the fall of 2014 to introduce them to the museum and its programs, and it's inviting teachers from across the province to explore the museum in conjunction with the Manitoba Teachers' Society's annual professional development conference program next month. Cmhr exhibiTs by AAron Cohen TOGETHER WE BUILD SUCCESS. ������������������������ ������������������������� ����������������������������� �������������������������������� �����������������

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