UDHR 10: Creating a Better World
You may find these background resources useful for this lesson idea:
Eleanor Roosevelt and others on the United Nations Committee that drafted the UDHR saw it as one step toward achieving a larger goal-the pursuit of human dignity. Their work was motivated by the atrocities they had witnessed during World War II, including the horrors of the Holocaust and the collective shock at the destructive power of the atomic bomb.
- How do the values and principles expressed in the UDHR relate your everyday life and the way you treat others?
- Is this about the basic values and principles of being a good citizen, and if so, where do these principles come from?
- How do you learn a code of conduct?
- How do you learn what it means to be a good citizen?
Looking at the goals of the UDHR-to create a better world that preserves and promotes human dignity-what steps might you take today to pursue the same dream? What is different today? What have we learned in the past 60 years about the benefits and limitations of the United Nations and the UDHR? What other strategies might you consider?
Find a creative way to express your conception for the present day: write a song, sculpt a monument or memorial, paint a picture, concoct a recipe, choreograph a dance, etc. Find a way to show your work and be prepared to explain your artistic choices.
Related Lesson Ideas
UDHR 1: Exploring the Immediate Historical Context
UDHR 2: Universe of Obligation
UDHR 3: A Negotiated Document
UDHR 4: What is a Right?
UDHR 5: Fulfilling the Dream of the UDHR
UDHR 6: Legacy, Judgment, and Memory
UDHR 7: Universal Rights
UDHR 8: Human Rights and Educating Global Citizens
UDHR 9: Teaching Youth the Values of the UDHR
