Heritage

Contentseducating towards a better future93pation, responsibility and citizenship. We teach them to investigate the boundariesof freedom.A society needs rules and agreements, otherwise it degenerates into chaos. Those rulesand agreements translate into rights and obligations. They are based on behaviourthat we consider to be honest and just, and that ensures that we can live together in adignified, respectful, safe and comfortable way.Rights and obligations support and protect people, but they also mean that peoplehave responsibilities. They invoke feelings of solidarity and citizenship, and call forconsideration and tolerance. Children can sometimes demand their rights, unawarethat they must give something in return.to Teaching optionRaise awareness about rights and obligations.In order to make children aware of their rights and obligations, we can present examplesfrom everyday life, such as cultural heritage sites or museums – they shouldbe linked to the maritime context of the First World War. If there were no rules andeveryone could take a piece of the site home, then there would eventually be nothingleft for others.tt Teaching tipHow self-evident are our rights?Those born after the Second World War often do not realize that fundamental humanrights make a major part of their life possible. This can be illustrated in a simple exercise.Ask your pupils (or other adults) about the things they did the day before, and discusswhich fundamental right they used in order to do them. A whole series of rights will bementioned. In the morning, people read the paper or listen to the radio (right to freedomof expression). People take public transportation to school or work (right to freedom ofmovement, right to education, right to work). During religion or ethics classes, a spiriteddiscussion arises about a social or ethical issue (right to freedom of thought, conscienceor religion, right to freedom of expression). During a lunch break, there is a meeting ofthe student council (right to freedom of assembly), and so on. We often take these rightsfor granted, but in many countries, some or all of these rights either do not exist, or arefrequently violated, for some or all of the population.