What does it mean to be human?
The coronavirus crisis has laid bare the injustices and shortcomings of our society at a local and global level. But it’s also reminded many of us how much we share, how deeply interconnected we are and that individual actions matter to all of us because they impact us all.
It asks of us – how do we create a future for people?
Which brings us to human rights – the best expression humanity has ever found of what people’s fundamental interests are. We at Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights believe in the power of people to make decisions and take actions every day to make human rights a reality in their own lives.
Human Rights offer us the path to a world where people are of equal value and for their rights to be rooted in a deep belief in equality. At the heart of human rights is the question of what it is to be human.
As the First Article of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states: “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.”
We believe we have to work to make human rights a reality. But to do that we have to connect with the idea of what it means to be human; what connects us and what the essence of humanity is. Here, you will find reflections on these questions from school children from across Greater Manchester.
Preview the photos below and click here to download a pdf of the final poems.
With thanks to: Young Identity, Comino Consortium, Clive Booth, Edge Gain, Ideas Foundation and all the schools who took the time engage in this project
