The Baltic Human Rights Society (BHRS) is delighted to report on the successful Human Rights Guide project workshop, which took place on the 1st and 2nd of October in Yerevan, Armenia.
This meeting brought together our partners to review progress, strategize future steps, and strengthen our collective efforts in human rights education across the EU Eastern Partnership region. The workshop served as a stepping stone to prepare for the launch of the Guide in Armenia this year.
The workshop was co-hosted by our Armenian partner, Europe in Law NGO, with the support from the Embassy of Latvia in Georgia. We were joined by our partners and Guide Network members: the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association from Georgia, the Human Rights Embassy from Moldova, and the Kyiv Human Rights Hub from Ukraine.
The first day began with warm welcoming remarks from the hosts. A significant portion of the morning was dedicated to partners sharing updates on the current human rights landscape within their respective countries. We then delved into the project's status, reviewing the timeline and key deliverables, with a special focus on upcoming communication strategies and public events.
The afternoon featured engaging, hands-on workshops. A "Persona" exercise challenged participants to view our target audiences of the Guide from new perspectives, while a subsequent session focused on crafting powerful and effective messages to better engage the public. The day concluded with a strategic discussion on how to work with media and influencers to amplify our message of human rights for all.
The second day continued the momentum with practical media training, providing partners with tools to engage with media. A highlight of the morning was a session dedicated to sharing successful dissemination activities, where partners from Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, and Armenia presented inspiring examples of their events, social media campaigns, and partnerships. This exchange of best practices sparked a creative brainstorming session on innovative outreach methods, exploring everything from digital channels and social media to the impact of public broadcasters and innovative print materials. We thank Kaspars Rūklis, Communication Expert and Trainer, who joined us for this workshop in Armenia.
The workshop concluded by looking towards the future. The final sessions were dedicated to identifying joint fundraising opportunities to ensure the project's long-term sustainability and outlining the concrete next steps and new ideas to carry our shared mission forward.
This project is financially supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia under the "Development Cooperation Projects and International Aid" Programme. The project in Eastern partnership countries is supported by its associate partners the Ombudsman of the Republic of Latvia, the Riga Graduate School of Law, 2022 Nobel prize winner Center for Civil Liberties (Ukraine), the People's Advocate of Moldova, the Equality Council of Moldova and the Grigol Robakidze University Georgia.
