Past Programs

NMHRP’s Speakers’ Bureau featured local, national and international speakers who had been victims of genocide, violence and/or spent their lives fighting for human rights. NMHRP has been the conduit for local Holocaust survivors to speak in New Mexico schools and other venues when requested. Since 1995 our speakers have spoken to more than 30,000 middle and high school students. From November 2011 through April 2013 NMHRP survivors spoke to 1,600 students from Albuquerque, Rio Rancho, Farmington, Roswell, and Santa Fe schools.

FBI and New Mexico US Attorney Partnership NMHRP provided speakers for the US Attorney’s office and the Albuquerque FBI Field Office. NMHRP colleague, Cor Suijk, a personal friend of Anne Frank’s father, Otto Frank, spoke to more than 70 employees at the Albuquerque Division of the FBI including their Citizen’s Academy Alumni Association. Actor Gene Hackman attended the program.

Model International Criminal Court
Current Opportunity
Working with an organization in Berlin, Germany, NMHRP select eight NM students to participate in the Model International Criminal Court (MICC) mock trials in Krzyzowa, Poland. Working in international teams from Germany, Israel and Poland, the students take on the roles of judges, prosecutors, defenders and observing journalists in three historical war crime cases. Real journalists and attorneys with expertise in international relations provide guidance and training.

Essay Contests
NMHRP sponsored statewide essay competitions for grades 6-12 addressing bullying and the roles people play - perpetrator, victim, bystander, helper. The competitions provided students the opportunity to think and write critically about their behavior. Essays were judged by a panel of distinguished New Mexicans including journalists, elected officials and community leaders.

Yom HaShoah (Day of Remembrance)
Today’s youth have the responsibility of passing on the memories of Holocaust survivors to future generations to insure that there is a continuum of remembrance.NMHRP provided an unparalleled experience for local high-school students to be mentored by Albuquerque’s Holocaust Survivors. The students met bi-monthly with survivors for three months in 2012. The project culminated in April in a public Yom HaShoah program held at the Holocaust & Intolerance Museum of NM. The students spoke eloquently of their observations and reflections gleaned from their experience of connecting with a survivor and of how they would pass their testimonials on to future generations.Renee Firestone, survivor of Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp, international speaker and leader in social justice and Holocaust education and founding lecturer for the Simon Wiesenthal Center’s Educational Outreach Program, Los Angeles, was the Keynote Speaker. Ms. Firestone is the Honorary Advisor for New Mexico Human Rights Projects.

Student Conferences
NMHRP held a Human Rights Student Conference entitled Not Like Us: The Other. The conference was conceived by teachers on the NMHRP Advisory Board based on their observations in the classroom that students need to address human rights issues prevalent in our society.“Thank you so much for allowing my students to attend the conference on Saturday. They have had a life-changing experience, and they so very much appreciate this opportunity. They “get it” which I am certain leads to peace and tolerance. Thank you!” Teacher, Valley High School

Rachel’s Challenge
Bullying, violence and teen suicides occur in schools nationwide. It is a serious epidemic. Rachel’s Challenge, a multi-media assembly helps create a positive and safe school environment for students. Rachel’s Challenge, featured on CNN, Fox News, the Today Show, and numerous other popular media outlets has prevented numerous suicides and drastically reduced bullying. www.rachelschallenge.org“On behalf of Grant MS and the entire community, I want to thank New Mexico Human Rights Projects for bringing Rachel's Challenge to our school. It was a wonderful event that inspires and challenges us to be better citizens within our school. I believe this will have a positive impact on our students for years to come.”

Anne Frank Exhibit
NMHRP has brought the international Anne Frank exhibit to New Mexico three times – in 1995, 2000 and 2010 reaching more than 200,000 visitors, the majority being middle and high school students. The bi-lingual exhibit challenges students in grades 5-12, to think about tolerance, human rights and democracy. It inspires students to confront issues of prejudice, intolerance, bullying and scapegoating and encourages them to promote positive values of diversity and tolerance in their own lives.  In 2010, visitors from 76 cities across America from 22 US states, UK, Spain, Holland, Ireland, Costa Rica, Germany, and Italy saw the exhibit in Albuquerque.

Choices: Through the Eyes of Students – A Student Run Exhibit
This NMHRP exhibit demonstrated the choices students made during the Holocaust and the choices students make today involving racism, prejudice.  It was organized and run by students, some of whom were trained to be the docents.  Full school involvement was encouraged through the organization of various student-run committees to include publicity, opening reception, documentation, music, art and writing. NMHRP staff visited the schools and taught the basics of hosting the exhibit.

Holocaust Training for Teachers
New Mexico Human Rights Projects was proud to host an Echoes and Reflections professional development training program for middle and high school teachers interested in incorporating Holocaust education into their curriculum. A joint program of the Anti-Defamation League, USC Shoah Foundation and Yad Vashem, Echoes and Reflections prepares teachers to teach the complex history of the Holocaust in a way that stimulates engagement, critical thinking and personal understanding among students. Through this comprehensive program, teachers help students gain relevant insight into how to examine human dilemmas and social challenges, and determine their roles and responsibilities in the world around them.

Stand Up To Bullying Teacher Training Workshop
Mike Dreiblatt president of Stand Up To Bullying and an outstanding national speaker presented a dynamic, practical workshop that engaged and empowered New Mexico teachers, social workers, counselors and administrators to replace bullying with more appropriate behavior. Mike is an expert in bullying and violence prevention and teaches best practices and realistic strategies that can be used immediately. Bernalillo County Sheriff Dan Houston stopped by the NMHRP bully prevention workshop to show his support and Bradford Bleier, Supervisory Special Agent with the FBI Albuquerque Cyber Squad addressed cyber bullying.

Moving Toward Civility Teacher Training Workshop
In October 2012, NMHRP offered a motivating workshop to help bring peace and civility into the classroom, to be a promising solution to help create a safe school environment, and to help combat bullying. Dr. Mary Johnson, Senior Historian, at Boston-based Facing History and Ourselves, conducted a one-day workshop that provided tools for educators to initiate thoughtful, in-depth discussions of ostracism and bullying. Incorporated into her presentation were clips and discussion of the film Bully. Kenneth Gonzales, U.S. Attorney for the District of New Mexico presented opening remarks. NM Representative Rick Miera, co-sponsor of SB 78 discussed the anti bullying bill and Bradford Bleier, Supervisory Special Agent with the FBI Albuquerque Cyber Squad addressed cyber bullying.

Moving Towards Respect Teacher Training Workshop
Hundreds of educators throughout New Mexico have participated in NMHRP’s Moving Towards Respect (MTR) workshop. MTR curriculum modules addressed Exploring Stereotypes, Scapegoating, Roles People Play, and Rights and Responsibilities. Participants received training in combating prejudice, racism, hate and bullying. The Holocaust is used as a jumping-off point by bringing it to present day where it affects their students.

Violence Impact Forum
In 2001, NMHRP partnered with the Tariq Khamisa Foundation to address the affects of violence and the importance of forgiveness. www.tkf.org

Delegations from other Countries visited with NMHRP
Delegations from Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and Morocco have visited NMHRP to learn about how small non-profit organizations like NMHRP promote human rights. The visits are sponsored by the U. S. State Department International Visitor Leadership Program. NMHRP was chosen because of its hands-on approach to teaching about human rights.