Human Rights Day Resources for Primary and Secondary

Every year, Human Rights Day is celebrated around the world on December 10. The date marks the United Nations’ adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights—the first global statement for human rights. This milestone document outlines the inalienable rights of all human beings.

Since our founding in 1939, the NFB has played a major role in documenting inequalities borne of distinctions of “race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin,” etc. The result is a film collection that reflects the full spectrum of human life, both here in Canada and abroad.

Below are resources we’ve made for both primary and secondary students. Enjoy!

PRIMARY

NEW RESOURCE: Three Films to Empower Young People for Human Rights Day

Mini-Lessons

Mini-Lesson for Unspoken Tears (Primary)
- Overarching Question: Why develop empathy and appreciation for refugees?

Playlists + Study Guides

This collection of animated films was inspired by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, an historic international event which took place in 1990 to commemorate the Convention coming into effect. These films are meant to make children aware of the rights they have, and that the adults caring for them must ensure the law is respected.

A Study Guide is available for the Rights from the Heart series for CAMPUS subscribers

Films + Study Guides

Every Child

Every Child, Eugene Fedorenko, provided by the National Film Board of Canada

Discover this animated short about a baby that gets passed from house to house before finding an unusual home.

No Fish Where to Go | A Study Guide is available for CAMPUS subscribers

No Fish Where to Go, Nicola Lemay & Janice Nadeau, provided by the National Film Board of Canada

Enjoy this short animation that illustrates the friendship that unites two girls from opposing clans in a village where tensions are mounting. A modern tale that poetically addresses intolerance and the consequences of war.

SECONDARY

Mini-Lessons

Mini-Lesson for What Rhymes with Toxic
- Overarching Question: What can be done to cope with the denial of an environmental crisis?
Mini-Lesson for Stateless
- Overarching Question: What kind of responsibility do we have to fight anti-Blackness?
Mini-Lesson for Unspoken Tears (Secondary)
- Overarching Question: Why create empathy and compassion for refugees?
Mini-Lesson for Hi-Ho Mistahey!
- Overarching Question: Why isn’t the right to a quality education universal in Canada?

Playlists

Health Equity Playlist
- How can we create a healthier and more equitable world?
Rights From the Heart Collection Part 3

Films + Study Guides

Last Chance

Last Chance, Paul Émile d’Entremont, provided by the National Film Board of Canada

This feature documentary tells the stories of 5 asylum seekers who flee their native countries to escape homophobic violence.

Standing on the Line | A Study Guide is available for CAMPUS subscribers

Standing on the Line, Paul Émile d’Entremont, provided by the National Film Board of Canada

Breaking the code of silence that prevails on the field, on the ice and in the locker room, Standing on the Line takes a fresh and often moving look at some of our gay and lesbian athletes, who share their experiences with the camera.

Mary Two-Axe Earley: I Am Indian Again | A Study Guide is available for CAMPUS subscribers

Mary Two-Axe Earley: I Am Indian Again, Courtney Montour, provided by the National Film Board of Canada

Watch the powerful story of Mary Two-Axe Earley, who fought for more than two decades to challenge sex discrimination against First Nations women embedded in Canada’s Indian Act.

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