Thanks to the amazing support of Diane Ruffles, Director of Library Services at Melbourne
Grammar School (MGS), we were able to run the first Victorian Human Rights Educational
Leadership Forum at MGS. Approximately 120 students from a variety of Victorian schools
attended and actively participated. We were even honored to have MGS Headmaster Philip
Grutzner open the forum and appreciated his encouraging words.

Due to the educational nature of the forum and Hugh Kingsley’s collaborative relationship with
Monash University, it was offered as a Monash University forum. We were thrilled that Lorraine
Finley, Australia’s Human Rights Commissioner could fly in for the forum and be a co-presenter.

After Lorraine Finley provided a contextual address explaining how human rights applies to
everyone, Hugh started the educational component of the forum, in the form of The Human
Rights Game. In groups students discussed the issues involved on the playing cards and then
freely shared their opinions. After gameplay students were asked to write down their thoughts
about how to create human rights friendly schools. Soon the white board was full of thoughtful
suggestions. Those suggestions have been analyzed by Monash University’s Dr Erin Leif. Shortly
she will publish an article so we can all better understand the themes that students presented.

At the end of the forum, students were invited to meet the presenters and participate in
photos. A surprising number of students came up, said the game was brilliant and wanted to
shake hands.

We hope that the MGS human rights educational leadership forum becomes the catalyst for the
wide-spread uptake of human rights education is schools so that we see a significant reduction
in Racism, Anti Semitism, and Hate.

I also hear a clear message of sustainability. We have the solutions but need to act on them. Libraries are ever evolving to meet the needs of their communities, particularly after COVID. Also with false media on the internet – more than ever – children and teens need a neutral, safe environment where they can learn about values. Libraries play a critical role in that sense.

My work is about human rights, and my company cooperates with public libraries, supplying them with resources and training – for example an educational game about human rights.”

– Hugh Kingsley, The Brainary, Geelong, Australia

The National Council for the Social Studies has accepted us to present
The Human Rights Game session at the 102nd NCSS Annual Conference in Philadelphia, PA
in December on the 2nd to 4th 2022.

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Don’t miss this unique opportunity to make a positive difference by teaching children and teens about their rights, freedoms and responsibilities in a rapidly changing world.

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We are so thrilled!

‘We are pleased to inform you that your proposal “The United Nations & “The Human Rights Game”” (proposal id 849), submitted for consideration to the 2020 NCSS/NCGE/NLRE Annual Conference has been accepted. Congratulations on this accomplishment. We received a large number of submissions this year. To ensure the highest quality sessions presented at the conference, your submission underwent a blind review (without revealing presentership) by up to six highly qualified peer reviewers, all of whom gave you high marks. A second review was completed by the Conference Planning Committee who also identified your session as among the best.’  

We have also been selected to present at the international Next Library Conference being held in Australia.