CIS Centre for Human Rights

The CIS Centre for Human Rights works for the promotion and advocacy of human rights in the world. It aims to raise awareness about freedom for everyone, regardless of their race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, political beliefs, etc. The abuse of any of these rights is a serious attack against all human beings and, therefore, it is key to protect and foster equality. At CIS – The College for International Studies, we believe it is essential to convey these values through an ethical, civic and democratic education to be able to train professionals as well as informed, motivated and capable citizens.

Goals:

To disseminate the importance of Human Rights.
To raise awareness about violation and abuse of Human Rights throughout the world.
To promote the defense of Human Rights.
To teach humanitarian values in an academic approach.
To research and study Human Rights.

Among the activities being carried out by the CIS Centre for Human Rights, we can point out training on Human Rights at university level as well as research and development of documentation and reports about the issue.

The CIS Centre for Human Rights collaborates with the International Studies Foundation– the representative of the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Foundation in Spain- in several training projects. It teaches the Speak Truth to Power program, created by Kerry Kennedy, at the Brains School in Madrid and the Access and Go American English projects, which are being developed by the International Studies Foundation in collaboration with the US Embassy in Spain. It has also provided training sessions in the Teach Truth to Power project to teachers from different educational centers in Madrid. The CIS Centre for Human Rights is working towards the integration of Human Rights values into the academic syllabus, through an official university accreditation and to include them as part of the academic contents of several subjects.

Partners and Collaborators

Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Foundation

Led by human rights activist and lawyer Kerry Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights has advocated for a more just and peaceful world since 1968. They work alongside local activists to ensure lasting positive change in governments and corporations. Their team includes leading attorneys, advocates, entrepreneurs and writers united by a commitment to social justice.

Whether in the United States or abroad, their programs have pursued strategic litigation on key human rights issues, educated millions of children in human rights advocacy and fostered a social good approach to business and investment.

International Studies Foundation

The International Studies Foundation forms an integral part of the overall mission of CIS – The College for International Studies. Their mission is to share and spread the values of American higher education and to serve as a point of contact between universities, public and private education institutions, corporations and foundations operating within the realm of education in the US and in Spain so as to strengthen the bonds between both countries.

Brains Foundation

TThe goals of the Brains Foundation rest on the creation and development of a strategy that draws the educational tools for the “Professionals from the Future”. This is being fostered through a global and international action plan, along with businesses, universities and schools, in the benefit of the Spanish educational sector. CIS – The College for International Studies is part of the Brains Foundation’s advisory board since June, 2017.

Projects and Activities

Speak Truth to Power: Access and Go American English

The Access Program is an English-language program for students in danger of social exclusion from Madrid, who are between the ages of 13 and 17. This project has been developed by the US Embassy in Spain, in collaboration with the International Studies Foundation. During the school years between 2015 and 2017, the students from the program have received human rights lessons, framed in the Speak Truth to Power project, created by Kerry Kennedy and developed by the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Foundation.

Starting the next school year, the human rights program of Speak Truth to Power will be taught to the students of Go American English, the new micro-scholarship project of the US Embassy in Spain, in collaboration with the International Studies Foundation.

Speak Truth to Power: Brains School

Since 2015, teachers from CIS – The College for International Studies have been teaching the Speak Truth to Power program about human rights defenders- a project created by Kerry Kennedy and developed by the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Foundation- at the Brains School in Madrid. The course is offered to students of 4^th of ESO (Spanish Secondary Education) and the third edition of the program will start on September this year.

Speak Truth to Power

In collaboration with the administration of the Community of Madrid, CIS – The College for International Studies have taught the training program Teach Truth to Power, intended to give the necessary tools to teachers from different schools and educational centers in Madrid to teach the Speak Truth to Power curriculum. The aim of this program is to promote and raise awareness about human rights at all educational levels.

Academic Syllabus

CIS – The College for International Studies is working towards the integration of Human Rights values into the academic syllabus, through an official university accreditation and to include them as part of the academic contents of several subjects.