ARTIVISM: the Art of Activism

Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Switzerland organized it’s first summer program. Together with the Pädagogsiche Hochschule Luzern and VforArt we developed a program for all ages in which the interconnections between art and human rights took central stage.

With the help of Dienststelle Soziales und Gesellschaft (Kanton Luzern), Migros Kulturprozent Luzern and Förderpool Kinder- und Jugendfreizeit (Stadt Luzern) we were able to offer special workshops, tours, meet ups and food-for-thought sessions. Together with VforArt and three students of the PH Luzern we developed a workshop for teens on how to become a human rights defender. A new ready-to go lesson plan based on this course will be available on our website before the end of the year. You can find positive reactions in instagram.

Part of the summer program were visits by human rights activists Marie-Claire Graf and Karen Tse. Ms Graf is an environmental activist and Mrs. Tse talked to us about how we can (and should!) end torture. They were interviewed by staff of Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights for an upcoming new projects and available to the public for questions. The interview with Marie-Claire Graf is now online.

During the 4 weeks that RFK Human Rights was a guest at IS Utenberg in Luzern, several food-for-thought sessions were organized. We showed representatives of museum, galleries and schools our STTP photp exhibition and discussed how arts and human rights activism could complement and enhance each other. Out of the 5 sessions that took place, 4 follow-up projects were conceived.