Hans Thoolen on Human Rights Defenders and their awards

With my predilection for the use of images in the protection of human rights I can only applaud the initiative of the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights and New York State United Teachers, who on 5 October   launched a student video contest based on the Speak Truth To Power human rights curriculum.  The contest invites New York State students to create a 3-6 minute video about a human rights violation and the defender(s) fighting to stop it. The project is aimed at demonstrating the capacity of each individual to create change.  “This video contest will engage students in what it means to be a defender against human rights violations.” said NYSUT President Richard C. Iannuzzi

Prior film-making experience or expertise is not required.  Details about the contest can be found at http://www.speaktruthvideo.com.  All winning videos will be featured on the Speak Truth to Power web site, http://www.rfkcenter.org/sttp. The grand prize video will be shown at the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival. The deadline for entries is January 31, 2012.