Human Rights for Youth: Scientology’s Community Partnership Focus

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BRUSSELS — 29 January 2026 — Human-rights education efforts supported by the Church of Scientology through United for Human Rights and Youth for Human Rights (YHRI) continue to highlight the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) as an accessible, practical reference for everyday civic life, especially for young people and educators in diverse European communities.

The programmes are built on a clear premise: knowledge of rights supports respect for rights. Adopted on 10 December 1948 by the UN General Assembly, the UDHR defines 30 articles describing core rights and freedoms.

Organisers point to a persistent “knowledge gap”: many people endorse human rights as a principle but are not familiar with the UDHR’s text and the 30 rights it contains, including topics such as non-discrimination, education and freedom of conscience.

UHR states it was founded on the UDHR’s 60th anniversary, with a goal of helping individuals and organisations promote and apply the Declaration’s principles. Youth for Human Rights International, founded in 2001 by educator Dr. Mary Shuttleworth, focuses on teaching young people about the UDHR and encouraging tolerance and peace in everyday settings.

Both initiatives present their work as education and public information, mapping learning modules and media resources to the UDHR’s 30 articles. They are established as nonreligious organisations and, with Scientology support, their materials are used by a range of bodies—from schools and civic groups to local partners—depending on context.

A consistent feature is a “toolkit” model: short videos, PSAs and teaching materials education designed for classrooms, youth groups and community settings. The package includes the documentary “The Story of Human Rights” and a series of PSAs aligned to each UDHR right, known as “30 Rights, 30 Ads”. Resources are available across 17 languages to support local delivery and age-appropriate use.

The Church of Scientology links its support for human-rights education to wider prevention- and education-based community initiatives. Church materials reference L. Ron Hubbard’s writings and the Code of a Scientologist as underscoring support for humanitarian work, including human-rights education.

Ivan Arjona-Pelado, Scientology’s representative to the European Union, the OSCE, the Council of Europe and the United Nations, said:

“Human rights are reinforced when people can recognise them, explain them and apply them in daily life—especially in schools and neighbourhoods where diversity is lived every day. Europe’s democratic culture benefits when young people learn the UDHR’s principles early and see respect, equality and non-discrimination as practical responsibilities.”

For 2026, the focus is on making materials easy to use in real settings—clear language, modular tools and training that supports educators and community discussions without specialist legal expertise. In practice this includes training sessions, youth workshops, community discussions and partnerships with civil-society organisations engaged in inclusion, anti-bullying, equal treatment and intercultural dialogue.

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 neighbourhood-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.

Complete story: Human Rights for Youth: Scientology’s Community Focus.

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