The Freedom Prize is an educational program to raise awareness of freedom, peace and human rights anchored in the values carried by the Landings of June 6, 1944 in Normandy. It invites young people aged 15 to 25 in France and around the world to nominate each year a person or an organization engaged in an exemplary fight in favor of freedom.
For two years, the International Institute for Human Rights and Peace has offered educational support and intervened in classes to raise students' awareness of the Freedom Prize and the values conveyed by this educational program: freedoms, commitment and the citizenship.
As part of the third edition of the Freedom Prize, the International Institute for Human Rights and Peace has been going since November in 30 classes registered in the educational support program in order to raise awareness of 862 high school students, CFA and BTS at the Freedom Prize and the values carried by this system.
By questioning freedoms and engagement in today's world, the Freedom Prize encourages people to speak out about the struggles to be defended through the women, men and organizations that carry them. By identifying and understanding current issues, and calling on collective reflection, research, argumentation, empathy and critical thinking, it is particularly relevant to the development of students' citizenship path.
Two highlights are particularly suitable for class work: the call for proposals "Our Freedom Prize 2021" and the voting period that will take place for this edition from March 15 to April 25, 2021.
First step: training and supporting teachers
In order to familiarize teachers with the methods of human rights education and the educational activities offered by the International Institute for Human Rights and Peace, a distance training took place on Monday, November 9, 2020 with 12 teachers from the Academy of Normandy.
This training also made it possible to focus on the main stages of educational support and to transmit to teachers the collection of activities "Our Freedom Prize 2021" which includes the various activities that can be carried out with the students.
The call for proposals "Our Freedom Prize 2021": asking students about freedom and commitment
Objective of these sessions with the students: to question freedoms and the commitment to freedom in today's world, express themselves on the fights to be defended through the women, men and organizations that carry them, and of course, mobilizing students to propose and defend the person or organization of their choice within the framework of the call for proposals "Our Freedom Prize 2021".
One of the people or organizations proposed by the students may be the future laureate of the 2021 Freedom Prize.
Next step: voting, debating with students on citizenship and democracy
A second major support period will be offered during the 2021 Freedom Prize voting period, from March 15 to April 25, 2021, which offers the opportunity to debate with young people on citizenship and democracy, while allowing students to study, through the example of the three people or organizations submitted to the vote, so many contexts and struggles for freedom in the world.
