The Church of Scientology Los Angeles invited community leaders to attend a human rights education seminar to mark Nelson Mandela Day. 

In 2009, the United Nations designated July 18, Mandela’s birthday, as Nelson Mandela Day, in recognition of his contribution to the culture of peace and freedom. To mark this day, the Church of Scientology Los Angeles held a human rights seminar in coordination with the local chapter of United for Human Rights, the human rights education initiative the Church supports.

 

The purpose of United for Human Rights is “to provide human rights educational resources that inform, assist and unite individuals, educators, organizations and governmental bodies in the dissemination and adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights at every level of society.”

The seminar was attended by representatives of local groups and organizations dedicated to raising awareness about human rights. 

All attending were introduced to the education materials and shown how to use them in seminars or classroom settings. They are designed to make it easy to understand the rights enshrined in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. They were shown: 

• The award-winning documentary The Story of Human Rights 
• 30 Human Rights PSAs—each illustrating one of the 30 articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. 

United for Human Rights has also created an Educator’s Guide—a complete manual for implementing a human rights curriculum. It includes:

• Lesson plans 
• The complete text of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
• Ideas for activities 
• Glossary
• A brief history of human rights.

Attendees were presented with these United for Human Rights education materials to use in raising human rights awareness in their communities.

United for Human Rights is a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization headquartered in Los Angeles, with over 150 groups, clubs and chapters around the world. With its educational materials translated into 27 languages, United for Human Rights brings the message of human rights to more than 190 nations and territories. 

The Church of Scientology and Scientologists support United for Human Rights and make its materials available free of charge to educators, parents, civic and community leaders—anyone wishing to use them to educate others on this vital subject.