The Baltic Human Rights Society (BHRS) is proud to announce that its flagship educational project, the Human Rights Guide, has been named a laureate of the prestigious European Innovative Teaching Award (EITA) for 2025.
The award, presented by the European Commission, celebrates outstanding teaching practices and recognizes the work of educators who utilize innovative, interactive, and inclusive methods to shape the citizens of tomorrow. This year’s theme, “Citizenship Education - participation in democratic life, common values and civic engagement”, aligns perfectly with the core mission of the Human Rights Guide.
The Guide is a free, multilingual digital platform designed to make complex human rights principles accessible and understandable to a broad audience. By providing practical knowledge and skills, the project directly contributes to fostering a culture of active civic participation and democratic responsibility - a key criterion for this year's award.
“We are immensely honoured to receive this recognition”, said Arina Melse, legal director at BHRS. “It validates our belief that innovative, accessible education is the cornerstone of a democratic society. The Guide was created to empower individuals by translating abstract rights into tangible knowledge they can use in their daily lives. This award is a credit to our dedicated team and our international partners who share our commitment to this vision.”
The success of the Guide is a result of a strong European collaboration. BHRS developed and implemented the project with its partner organizations in Estonia, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Slovenia, France, and Croatia that all come together under the Guide Network. This award is a shared success that highlights the importance of cross-border cooperation in strengthening human rights education across Europe.
Energized by this achievement, BHRS remains steadfast in its mission to develop and disseminate high-quality educational materials that contribute to a culture of human rights throughout the Baltic region and beyond.
The Human Rights Guide was created with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the Kingdom of the Netherlands Embassy in Latvia, the Nordic Council of Ministers’ Office’s Nordplus Education Programme, the European Union’s Erasmus+ Programme, Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Latvia, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia and the Active Citizens Fund.
