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BAL: Citizenship and Community Life

Educational Aim
To enable students to take part in the democratic life of the class or the school and develop an attitude of openness to the world and respect for diversity.

"Like the society of which they are a part, schools bring together students of diverse social and cultural origins, with a variety of traditions, beliefs, values and ideologies. Students therefore confront on a daily basis situations that pose challenges related to cooperation. This makes the school an ideal place for learning to respect others and accept their differences, to be receptive to pluralism, to maintain egalitarian relationships with others and to reject all forms of exclusion, such as those based on physical characteristics, age, ethnic background, gender or sexual orientation..."
Read more by viewing page 13 of the Quebec Education Program here.

Web-based resource collections:

The following  suggested resources to support projects and learning situations, are organized according to the three "Focuses of Development" outlined in the Quebec Education Program.

PROMOTION OF RULES OF SOCIAL CONDUCT & DEMOCRATIC INSTITUTIONS

  • respect for the democratic process in establishing rules of conduct in the school and in the municipal, national and international contexts
  • knowledge of the principles of democracy and the charters and basic laws that ensure their application
  • knowledge of the main actors in political and social life and respect for their roles
  • knowledge of the rights and responsibilities associated with democratic institutions
  • critical thinking regarding various ideologies and forms of political organization
  • knowledge of the mechanisms for protection of citizens’ rights
A History of the Vote in Canada
http://www.civilisations.ca/hist/elections/el_001_e.html
Site sponsored by Elections Canada - Take one of nine a mini-journeys into the history of the vote, follow the timeline into the past, present or future of the vote, or play SElections - an election trivia game.
CIVNet: International Resource for Civic Education
http://civnet.org/  An international, non-governmental organisation dedicated to promoting civic education and civil society.

Government Overview - Canada Site 
http://Canada.gc.ca/howgoc/howind_e.html
Information on the facets of government and its key functions.
Nelson Political Science - Canadian Politics on the Web
http://polisci.nelson.com/canpol.html
Annotated links to hundreds of sites on the Internet that can help you with your research on Canadian politics and government. Many connections are provided to full-text documents as well as to useful

The National Assembly 
http://www.assnat.qc.ca/eng/assemblee/index.html
200 years of history  
Parliamentary and electoral system  
Parliament and government  
The role of members Stages in the passage of bills

You be the Judge
http://www.youbethejudge.ca/
You Be The Judge is the first Canadian student program to be conceived, designed and produced by judges. It is a multimedia educational program designed for integration into high school social studies, civics and law courses. You Be The Judge introduces students to the role of judges within our judicial system, and encourages exploration of important concepts such as the rule of law, judicial independence and judicial impartiality.

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PARTICIPATION, COOPERATION AND SOLIDARITY

  • respect for the principles, rules and strategies of teamwork and for complementary roles in the classroom and in workplace practicums
  • respect for a decision-making process based on compromise, consensus, etc.
  • establishment of egalitarian relationships
  • use of debate and argumentation
  • exercise of leadership in various ways
  • mutual help
  • involvement in community action projects
Speak Up! Dynamic Student Debating [On LEARN site]
Resources and materials to help you conduct lively debates.  Students section with help in setting up the process, sample topics.  Teachers section with appropriate theory and guides.  Includes it own debating resources section with links to more external sites. 

Canadian and Quebec Charter of Rights and Freedoms Activities [On LEARN site]
The executive of the Quebec branch of the Canadian Bar Association (CBA) has identified the secondary school as an environment in which it could assist in promoting legal knowledge.  To this end, a partnership was struck between educators from three Montreal area school boards and Quebec jurists to develop a pilot project. It is hoped that the secondary IV students for whom this program is prepared will develop both a greater interest and understanding in our legal system and though the mock trial with exercises, acquire the sense that oftentimes rights must be advocated to be protected.

Taking it Global - Take Action Section
The main Taking it Global site contains several overviews of key issues and offers students a chance to participate in discussions through various tools.  Several sections point to ways to take action, and include a new section called " Committments" where students can actively begin to get involved.   Various " Guides to Action" are also available.

Constitutional Rights Foundation
Main site leads to some programs,  such as a mock trial competition, but it seems mostly focused on forming US citizens.  However, to help students "participate" in society, various tools and techniques are organized in their useful links collection here:  http://www.crf-usa.org/act/ACT_ch6.htm



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ADOPTION OF A CULTURE OF PEACE

  • knowledge of international conflicts
  • reflection on the concept of power: situations of cooperation and of aggression, taxing and violence in the school, peaceful management of power relations
  • awareness of the interdependence of individuals, generations and peoples
  • application of the principle of equal rights
  • understanding of the negative consequences of stereotypes and other forms of discrimination or exclusion
  • understanding of mechanisms that contribute to poverty and illiteracy
  • respect for confidentiality, promises, agreements and contracts
Learning Approaches, Institutions, General Information

Taking it Global
The main Taking it Global site contains several overviews of key global issues.  Specifically its section on Peace, Conflict and Governance may be particularly relevant as a way to understand and discuss international conflict.

Human Rights Watch
http://www.hrw.org/
Various campaigns and active monitoring of human rights issues around the world.  Search by area and country, view media including links to video sources.

The Briefing Papers
http://www0.un.org/cyberschoolbus/briefing/index.asp
Especially for students, there are nineteen issues, arranged in six sections: an overview, progress that's already been made, a specific focus, the next steps to be made, student activities and resources for each issue. Ages 12-18

Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
http://canada.justice.gc.ca/Loireg/charte/const_en.html
An online copy of the Charter

The Canadian Human Rights Act
http://laws.justice.gc.ca/en/H-6/index.html
Online version of the Act and full document available for printing

The Canadian Human Rights Act: a Guide 
http://www.chrc-ccdp.ca/legislation_policies/human_rights_act-en.asp

What is discrimination? 
Grounds for action  
You are protected  
Discriminatory acts
Right to protection

Canadian Race Relations Foundation
http://www.crr.ca/rt/ 
The Foundation is committed to building a national framework for the fight against racism in Canadian society. It aims to shed light on the causes and manifestations of racism; provide independent, outspoken national leadership; and act as a resource and facilitator in the pursuit of equity, fairness, and social justice.

The Diana Project - Online Human Rights Archive
http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/diana/index.html
Includes several international human rights cases as well as a United Nations document collection.

Equality Today!
http://www.equalitytoday.org/
An electronic magazine (e-zine) published by Young People's Press (YPP) which features articles written by youth, 14-24, on the issues of multiculturalism and anti-racism. Includes curriculum guides.

Guide to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
http://www.pch.gc.ca/progs/pdp-hrp/canada/guide/index_e.cfm
This guide is published by the Human Rights Directorate of the Department of Canadian Heritage. Its aim is to increase understanding of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and to heighten awareness of its importance in our daily lives.

Human Rights 101
http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/hr101/index.html
A production of Thirteen/WNET New York, this project encourages students to explore human rights issues and the impact that one person or group of people in the metropolitan New York area can make in the international quest for human rights.
Human Rights in Action
http://www0.un.org/cyberschoolbus/humanrights/index.asp
This project will help students understand the idea of human rights, gain a sense of themselves as people with dignity and hence with rights, and finally encourage them to act.
 
Human Rights Program
http://www.pch.gc.ca/ddp-hrd/
The mission of the Human Rights Program is to promote the development, understanding, respect for and enjoyment of human rights in Canada.
Peace Education
http://www0.un.org/cyberschoolbus/peace/index.asp
Five curriculum units, with guides for teachers and students, about making, valuing and keeping peace - everyday.
Ages: 8-14+
Quebec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms
http://www.cdpdj.qc.ca/en/human-rights/index.asp?noeud1=1&noeud2=3&cle=0

What is discrimination?
The grounds for prohibited discrimination? 
What is harassment? 
What is exploitation?
Racism. Stop it!
http://www.pch.gc.ca/march-21-mars/main_e.shtml
In 1966, the United Nations declared March 21 as the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and in 1989, Canada began the March 21 Campaign to promote racial harmony. This site is sponsered by Canadian Heritage - Multiculturalism.

United Nations - Human Rights
http://www.un.org/rights/

United Nations Association in Canada
http://www.unac.org
Action Guide: A Human Rights Resource Manual for Secondary Schools
http://www.unac.org/rights/actguide/index.html
Teacher's Tool Box features a resource centre and curriculum guides.
Model United Nations in Canada
http://www.unac.org/mun/

University of Minnesota Human Rights Library
http://www1.umn.edu/humanrts/
A collection of over 7200 online documents -Treaties and other International Instruments, Other United Nations Documents, Regional Materials, Bibliographies and Research Guides, Human Rights Education, Refugee and Asylum Resources, U.S. Human Rights Documents and links to over 3,200 other sites.

Women's Human Rights Resources
http://www.law-lib.utoronto.ca/diana/

The Women's Human Rights Resources web site is a project of the Bora Laskin Law Library at the University of Toronto, Faculty of Law. The site is produced by the Women's Human Rights Resources group in consultation and collaboration with law librarians, lawyers, students, researchers, activists and human rights experts around the world. The main goal of the Women's Human Rights Resources site is to assist individuals and organizations in using international women's human rights law to promote women's rights.


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