This year, Women Forward International has partnered the University of California, Berkeley with California high schools, to launch the Human Rights Ambassador Program—a pilot initiative that combines creative arts education with human rights training to support newly arrived high school students, many of whom come from Afghanistan and other conflict-affected regions.

 

Thanks to the support of the Woven Teaching Foundation and ​inspired by their manual "Human Rights Are for Everyone," the program introduces students to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the history of the United Nations. WFI complements this foundation with poetry workshops that encourage self-expression, cultural empathy, and critical reflection on human rights.

 

Over the course of a semester, newcomer students participate in weekly workshops exploring key concepts and figures in human rights history—such as Mahatma Gandhi, Eleanor Roosevelt, Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, and Malala Yousafzai—while building knowledge of freedom, justice, and global citizenship.

 

To further support students navigating the complexities of cultural adaptation, language learning, and the U.S. education system, WFI integrates a mentorship component with UC Berkeley students who provide guidance on college readiness and social integration, creating meaningful connections across communities.

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The program culminated in a powerful final event at UC Berkeley on April 17, 2025. Visit our Events section for full details!

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Our impact:

 

• 35 students, including TAs and assistants, participating in the event with many more students engaged in the classroom.

• 8 languages represented, including Dari, Pashto, Spanish, Filipino, and Arabic.

• One-on-one mentoring with UC Berkeley students.

• Growing interest in expanding the program to more schools and communities across the country.

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In 2026, we will launch our partnership with the UC Berkeley Goldman School of Public Policy on a Capstone project to develop a strategic roadmap for scaling the Woven Teaching Foundation’s Human Rights manual and mentoring program. The goal is to expand education around the Universal Declaration of Human Rights across schools and communities nationwide.

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We are building an innovative, replicable model that empowers students and helps institutions become more inclusive and culturally responsive through human rights education and the arts.

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