The power of law and the power of people in defense of human rights and the environment
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Training

The EarthRights Schools work to enhance the capacity of human rights and environmental leaders to defend their rights and homelands from abuses associated with unsustainable development projects. ERI opened its first school in Thailand in 1998, and more recently, opened the Mekong Regional school in 2006. ERI also helped run the Amazon school from 2001-2005. These innovative programs provide rigorous training in human rights, environmental monitoring and advocacy techniques.

The Schools teach that earth rights promotion and protection are the cornerstones of democracy, which requires an engaged civil society to secure and defend these rights. Through the EarthRights Schools students gain specific knowledge and skills essential to the creation of a civil society, and take this knowledge out into their own communities.

By investing in students for the long-term, the EarthRights Schools help to create a corps of committed defenders of human rights and the natural world.

In addition to the EarthRights Schools, ERI's training activities include training sessions and workshops covering specific topics with various regional partners.

AMAZON SCHOOLBURMA SCHOOLMEKONG SCHOOL
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Features
EarthRights Mekong School Alumni Join International Day of Action for Rivers
Youth march in support of the International Day of Action for Rivers in Chiang Khong, Thailand
On March 11-12 of 2009, EarthRights Mekong School staff and alumni from Thailand and Burma joined local and regional NGOs on a trip to Chiang Khong, where the Mekong River forms the border between Thailand’s Chiang Rai province and Lao PDR’s Bo Kaew province. Over 50 youth joined in activities in commemoration of the International Day of Action for Rivers. Group members meet with civil society groups on both the Thai and Lao sides of the river, and discussed changes resulting from increased globalization in the region. These changes include blasting the river to widen navigation channels for Chinese ships, a new highway linking China, Laos, and Thailand, an influx of Chinese produce and consumer goods, and an increase in illegal drugs.
EarthRights Burma School Students Write Letters of Support to the Families of the Ogoni

EarthRights Burma School students learned about the struggle of the Ogoni people in the face of human rights and environmental abuses perpetuated by Shell and the Nigerian government.

Mekong School Alumni Use Local Press to Raise Awareness for Earth Rights Issues

Alumni of the EarthRights Mekong School have gone on to use regional media outlets to raise awareness for a range of earth rights issues: from river ecology and sustainable microhydro power stations to conservation efforts of the pagoda bats.