Human Rights for Youth and Scientology’s Community Focus
BRUSSELS, Belgium — 29 January 2026 — Human-rights education initiatives supported by the Church of Scientology through United for Human Rights and Youth for Human Rights International continue to frame the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) as an accessible, practical reference for everyday civic life—particularly for young people, educators and community-based organisations in increasingly diverse European societies.
UDHR Human Rights Education Europe
BRUSSELS, Belgium — 29 January 2026 — Human-rights education initiatives supported by the Church of Scientology, through United for Human Rights and Youth for Human Rights International, continue to promote the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) as a clear and practical guide for everyday civic life. These efforts focus especially on young people, educators, and community organisations within Europe’s increasingly diverse societies.
At the core of the initiative lies a simple idea: people respect rights more when they understand them. Adopted by the UN General Assembly in Paris on 10 December 1948, the UDHR outlines 30 fundamental rights and freedoms. Today, it remains one of the most widely translated documents in the world.
Addressing a Persistent Knowledge Gap
Across Europe, Organisers involved in human-rights education identify a recurring challenge. While many people support the concept of human rights, fewer understand what the UDHR actually states. As a result, key principles—such as non-discrimination, due process, freedom of conscience, and the right to education—often remain abstract.
To address this gap, the Church of Scientology has centred its educational materials on the UDHR. According to its European human-rights information pages, surveys show that public awareness of the Declaration and its 30 articles remains limited. Therefore, the initiative prioritizes accessible formats that explain rights clearly and practically.
Moreover, the programme uses multimedia materials that reach large audiences each year. These resources work well in classrooms, community centers, and civic presentations. This approach aligns closely with the UDHR itself, which emphasizes the promotion of rights through teaching and education, as noted by the UN’s human-rights office.
United & Youth Human Rights Programs
United for Human Rights (UHR) launched on the 60th anniversary of the UDHR. Its mission focuses on supporting individuals and organisations with educational tools that raise awareness and encourage the application of human rights in daily life.
Similarly, Youth for Human Rights International (YHRI), founded in 2001 by educator Dr. Mary Shuttleworth, concentrates on educating young people about the UDHR. The organization promotes tolerance, mutual respect, and peaceful behaviour in schools and communities.
Both programmes operate primarily as educational and public-information initiatives. They organize learning modules and media resources around the UDHR’s 30 articles. Although the Church of Scientology proudly sponsors and supports these initiatives, both organisations function as non-religious entities. Consequently, schools, civic groups, law-enforcement bodies, and government institutions use the materials, depending on local context.
A Toolkit Model for Practical Learning
A key feature of the campaigns is their toolkit-based design. The programmes offer short, adaptable resources suitable for different age groups and learning environments. These include a documentary film, The Story of Human Rights, along with 30 public service announcements, each linked to a specific UDHR article.
In addition, interactive websites host these materials in 17 languages. This structure allows educators to maintain consistent messaging while tailoring delivery to local needs. As a result, rights become easier to understand and apply in real-life situations, such as schools, workplaces, and public services.
Scientology’s Human Rights Advocacy
The Church of Scientology connects its involvement in human-rights education to broader community and social-betterment efforts. Its European publications reference the writings of founder L. Ron Hubbard, which emphasize dignity, spiritual freedom, and humanitarian responsibility.
The same published material presents this as a longstanding orientation: a rights-awareness effort organized through cooperation with a mix of governmental and non-governmental actors, using the UDHR as a shared reference point across cultures and belief systems.
Rights Literacy As a European Civic Skill
Ivan Arjona-Pelado, Scientology’s representative to the European Union, the OSCE, the Council of Europe and the United Nations, framed the programmes’ emphasis on education as aligned with European civic expectations:
“Human rights are not strengthened only by legal texts; they are strengthened when people can recognise them, explain them, and apply them in daily interactions—especially in schools and neighborhoods where diversity is a lived reality. Europe’s democratic culture benefits when young people learn the UDHR’s principles early and see respect, equality and non-discrimination as practical responsibilities.”
The focus going into 2026 is on ensuring materials remain available and usable in real-world educational contexts—clear language, short formats, and modular content that supports lesson plans and community discussions without requiring specialist legal knowledge. In practice, this typically translates into training sessions for educators and youth workers, informational workshops in community settings, and partnerships with civil-society organisations whose work intersects with youth inclusion, anti-bullying, equal treatment and intercultural dialogue.
Scientology’s Presence Across Europe
The Church of Scientology, its churches, missions, groups and members are present across the European continent. Scientology Europe reports a continent-wide presence through more than 140 churches, missions and affiliated groups in at least 27 European nations, alongside thousands of community-based social betterment and reform initiatives focused on education, prevention and neighborhood-level support, inspired by the work of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard.
Within Europe’s diverse national frameworks for religion, the Church’s recognitions continue to expand, with administrative and judicial authorities in Spain, Portugal, Sweden, the Netherlands, Italy, Germany Slovakia and others, as well as the European Court of Human Rights, having addressed and acknowledged Scientology communities as protected by the national and international provisions of Freedom of Religion or belief.
Company Details
Organization: European Office Church of Scientology for Public Affairs and Human Rights
Contact Person: Ivan Arjona
Website: https://www.scientologyeurope.org
Email: Send Email
Address: Boulevard de Waterloo 103
City: Brussels
State: Brussels
Country: Belgium
Release Id: 29012640749