New Jersey students study human rights issues, address local problems

Published: 2003-11-25

PATERSON, N.J. (CNS) -- For so many Americans, watching the evening news or even reading the local newspaper can be disheartening as journalists report on the endless parade of human rights concerns that continue to plague the world and their home towns. But now, thanks to a new outreach program called "Human Rights 101" from New York PBS station Thirteen/WNET, students at Paterson Catholic Regional High School have a chance to help address injustices in their community. They can, as Mohandas Gandhi once put it, "become the change they wish to see in this very broken world." Paterson Catholic, an urban school with 400 students, is one of 15 high schools in New Jersey, New York and Connecticut to be awarded a $1,000 grant to participate in the human rights program. Begun this school year, the program gives teachers and students tools to examine complex human rights concerns around the world, such as racism, women's rights, refugee rights and religious freedom.

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