{"id":207614,"date":"2023-12-12T07:30:04","date_gmt":"2023-12-12T12:30:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=207614"},"modified":"2023-12-11T20:04:08","modified_gmt":"2023-12-12T01:04:08","slug":"human-rights-close-to-home-a-unique-civics-education-program-for-k-12-students-supported-by-the-redstone-family-foundation-launched-at-uconn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2023\/12\/human-rights-close-to-home-a-unique-civics-education-program-for-k-12-students-supported-by-the-redstone-family-foundation-launched-at-uconn\/","title":{"rendered":"Human Rights Close to Home: A Unique Civics Education Program for K-12 Students, Supported By the Redstone Family Foundation, Launched at UConn"},"content":{"rendered":"

Most people know Shari Redstone in her capacity as chair of the board at Paramount Global, a leading global media, streaming, and entertainment company.<\/p>\n

\"Portrait
“I think we fundamentally underestimate how much our kids can learn even about the biggest and most important issues of today,\u201d says Shari Redstone, the non-executive chairwoman of Paramount Global and chair, CEO, and president of National Amusements, and supporter of Human Rights Close to Home at UConn.” (Contributed photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

But as much as she is deeply committed to her work at Paramount, Redstone has also put her heart and soul into her philanthropic work with one goal \u2013 combatting hate and intolerance. She is doing that, in part, by working to increase civics education and involvement as a means to safeguard our democracy.<\/p>\n

A flagship example of that is the Human Rights Close to Home<\/a> program, a new, innovative, and entirely unique teacher-and-student human rights and civics education program conceived and supported by Redstone, along with her family\u2019s charitable foundation and her longtime friend, Connecticut Senator Christopher J. Dodd. The program formally launched this year at The Dodd Center for Human Rights at UConn<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Teaching Young People to Love, Before they Learn to Hate<\/strong><\/p>\n

In 2020, Redstone had the inklings that would ultimately lead to the establishment of Human Rights Close to Home.<\/p>\n

That year, during the depths of the global pandemic, she had the idea to teach her grandchildren a foundational understanding of civics and its role in maintaining democracy.<\/p>\n

Those lessons could not have come at a more pivotal time. That same year brought to the fore the apparent divide in our nation, the increasing threat to democratic institutions around the world, and the terrifying rise in incidents of racism, antisemitism, voter suppression, and other expressions of hate.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve lost the ability in this country to have the conversations that we need to have and to have dialogue with people who disagree with us,\u201d Redstone says.<\/p>\n

The key to changing that, Redstone believes, is a simple but powerful solution: education. And not just education from books \u2013 but through experiences, conversations, and equipping young people with the tools they need to make a difference.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we fundamentally underestimate how much our kids can learn even about the biggest and most important issues of today,\u201d Redstone says. \u201cWe just need to teach them in ways that are relatable and fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

Redstone and Dodd had been speaking for some time about ways they could collaborate to address subjects of mutual interest, such as civics and human rights education.<\/p>\n

\u201cI knew he cared about a lot of the same things that I did, and we had been talking for some time about how we could work together to have an impact on the issues that matter,\u201d says Redstone.<\/p>\n

\"Former
\u201cI think there is a growing appreciation in our own country and our own state that we’re not doing as good a job as we should be doing with our children about teaching them what it means to live in a democracy,\u201d says Connecticut Senator Christopher J. Dodd, pictured here with the bust of his father at The Dodd Center for Human Rights at UConn. (Peter Morenus\/UConn Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In the spring of 2020, Redstone\u2019s father, the legendary media executive Sumner Redstone, passed away. She started thinking about how to honor his legacy, particularly his long-time passion and support for education.<\/p>\n

Redstone raised the idea of a civics education program with Dodd, who initially thought such a program should be geared more toward older children \u2013 high school age. Redstone disagreed.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe would argue with me,\u201d Dodd says. \u201cShe said, \u2018No, you can teach younger children what their rights are.\u2019 And I just said, I don\u2019t know how you do that with an elementary school student.\u201d<\/p>\n

Redstone\u2019s response: Watch, I\u2019ll show you.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll never forget it,\u201d Dodd says with a laugh. \u201cShe brought out her grandchildren, and she said to her granddaughter, \u2018If you don\u2019t eat your peas tonight, and I send you to bed without any dessert, and in the morning I don\u2019t give you breakfast. What is that?\u2019 And she said, \u2018That\u2019s the Eighth Amendment \u2013 cruel and unusual punishment.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cHer point was that if you use the right language and examples, the concepts are not impossible to understand,\u201d Dodd says. \u201cAnd it was my epiphany \u2013 she was absolutely right.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dodd\u2019s own career-long legacy of human rights action and advocacy<\/a> and his deep connections with the active<\/a> and vibrant human rights community at UConn<\/a> connected him and Redstone to a team at UConn \u2013 including professors, graduate students, high school teachers, and professional staff \u2013 who were working to design a model for human rights education in schools.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe question then was how we could do this?\u201d says Dodd. \u201cThere were not really examples to follow. So, we decided \u2013 let\u2019s get smart about it, and we got some people interested at the University, who brought some ideas to the table.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI had an idea to create a summer program for kids and teachers focused on integrating civics education into the core curriculum in schools,\u201d Redstone says. \u201cI wanted it to be both effective and exciting for teachers and students alike.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Ayele
\u201cHaving an explicit way to teach civics is vitally important, and what Human Rights Close to Home does really well is infuse and embed civics into other subject areas,\u201d says Ayele Shakur, president of the Redstone Family Foundation. (Contributed photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Redstone\u2019s personal mission mirrors that of her philanthropic organization, the Redstone Family Foundation. The foundation\u2019s president, Ayele Shakur \u2013 a former classroom teacher with more than 30 years of experience in nonprofit leadership \u2013 joined the Redstone Family Foundation in January 2023, when the collaboration with UConn was in its early design stages.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe mission of the Redstone Family Foundation is to combat racism and antisemitism through civics and cross-cultural education while engaging the broader community,\u201d explains Shakur. \u201cMost of our work is with children as early as 4 years old, older youth in middle and high school, and families, since learning begins at home. And of course, working with teachers and developing meaningful curricula is critically important as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shakur joined UConn\u2019s Advisory Council for the new civics program during the development phase and also provided guidance on the student selection process and curriculum frameworks.<\/p>\n

\u201cUConn\u2019s program is one of our primary investments at the Redstone Family Foundation. Students are specifically being taught about civics, democracy, and human rights,\u201d Shakur says. \u201cOur goal is to ensure young people understand their role as citizens, and that they understand empathy, equity, and social justice. These are important issues that underpin a thriving democracy.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was from this support, insight, and effort by the Redstone Family Foundation and the UConn team that Human Rights Close to Home<\/a>, an initiative of Dodd Impact Human Rights Programs<\/a> in collaboration with the Neag School of Education<\/a>, was born.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are overwhelmed with gratitude to Senator Christopher Dodd, Shari Redstone, Ayele Shakur, and the Redstone Family Foundation for their critical support and guidance in helping to make the Human Rights Close to Home program a reality,\u201d says UConn President Radenka Maric. \u201cThis program is truly groundbreaking and unique in its approach to human rights education. Through this opportunity, we at UConn hope to inspire educators throughout Connecticut school districts to engage their students in the most important human rights issues and to empower students to be the human rights advocates of the future.\u201d<\/p>\n