This is a resource guidebook with hands-on learning experiences for teachers, facilitators, and advocates working with youth between 12 to 18 years old. Designed for use in secondary classrooms, religious institutions, and youth advocacy organizations around the world, both content and organization aim to be adaptable to many different national and cultural settings. Lifting the Spirit focuses on the eight articles of the 1981 UN Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief. Unit I (Introduction to Human Rights and Freedom of Religion or Belief) lays the foundation for the whole curriculum, establishing classroom standards and challenging students to articulate their understanding and experience of key concepts, such as human rights, dignity, religion, and beliefs. Unit II (Understanding Freedom of Religion or Belief) introduces students to the UN Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief. Unit III (Human Rights from Concept to Declaration) takes students more deeply into human rights, first examining the content and history of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and then exploring the 1981 Declaration in the context of the international human rights system. Unit IV (The 1981 UN Declaration on the Freedom of Religion or Belief) takes students systematically through this document, clarifying its language and linking concepts to their own lives. Unit V (Taking Action for the Freedom of Religion or Belief) challenges students to research and assess their own family, school, community, and national legal system in light of the freedom of religion or belief.
