Peter Weiss, The Investigation (1965)

The Investigation is a harrowing drama about the Frankfurt Auschwitz trials held by the German government to prosecute crimes committed at the Auschwitz concentration camp. These trials lasted from 1963-1965 and charged twenty-two defendants with 4,243 counts of murder and 28,910 counts of accessory to murder. Unlike the earlier Nuremberg trials in Poland, in which former SS officers were tried for crimes against humanity as recognized by international law, the Frankfurt trials represented the German government prosecuting its own citizens for violation of state law.

This play is a documentary drama constructed verbatim from archival records and reports. Weiss himself attended the Frankfurt trials as a journalist, but he did not attempt to reconstruct the narrative of the courtroom proceedings in his play. Instead, he represents the facts of the case as reported by the judge, nine witnesses (composites of a larger number of real people), the prosecuting attorney, and eighteen named defendants. The five-hour play is comprised of eleven

cantos that each relate a different story of the atrocities committed at Auschwitz. The audience must bear witness to their horrors of the Holocaust without the distraction of anything fictionalized or narrativized. The Investigation is both a powerful play and an important contribution to the historical archive of World War II.

Rachel Corrie, Alan Rickman, and Katharine Viner, My Name is Rachel Corrie (2005)

In 2003, a young American activist named Rachel Corrie was protesting the demolition of Palestinian settlements in Gaza when she was killed by an Israeli Army bulldozer. This event ignited an international media firestorm that brought renewed attention to the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict. To this day, there is disagreement about whether Corrie’s death was an accident or whether she was intentionally targeted by Israeli Defense Forces.

My Name is Rachel Corrie is a one-woman play assembled by journalist Katharine Viner and actor Alan Rickman (who directed the play’s original production) from Corrie’s own letters, emails, and journals. Viner and Rickman were committed to representing Corrie’s politics as well as her personality, and the play is an angry and elegant depiction of a committed human rights activist. While it was well-received when it opened in London in 2005, it’s planned New York Theater Workshop premiere in 2006 was indefinitely postponed because of its controversial political content. The play has subsequently been produced at a number of venues in the U.S.

Jane Taylor, Ubu and the Truth Commission (1997)

After the brutal reign of apartheid ended in South Africa, the government established a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to solicit testimony from those who wished to share their experiences as victims, survivors, or perpetrators of the racist system. Playwright and Jane Taylor and director William Kentridge collaborated with South Africa’s famed Handspring Puppet Company to create a play combining music, puppets, animation and documentary footage to tell a story of life under the brutal apartheid regime.

In addition to primary source text from the TRC testimonies, this play also includes the character of Ubu Roi, a vulgar, greedy antihero created by French playwright Alfred Jarry in the 19^th century. Ubu and the Truth Commission reimagines Ubu as a South African police officer who has an unquenchable appetite for torture, sex, and food. The amoral Ubu, who gleefully works to erase evidence of his past crimes, is juxtaposed with the wrenching testimonies of those who survived under the oppression of apartheid. In addition to the text of the play, a video recording of Handspring’s 2015 revival is available online.

Caridad Svich, Upon the Fragile Shore (2015)

A U.S.-born playwright of Cuban, Argentine, Spanish, and Croatian heritage, Caridad Svich is accustomed to writing cross-cultural tales of migration and diaspora. Upon the Fragile Shore is a play for four actors that tells nine interconnecting stories from the U.S., Nigeria, Syria, Malaysia, sub-Saharan Africa, and Venezuela about the intersection of human rights and environmental crises. Svich exposes how these crises are often caused by humans and wrapped up in global networks of money and power. Each section of the play traces a different story of devastation, including terrorist attacks, biochemical weapons, erosion, imprisonment, and state violence. The play revolves around a witness figure who lives near the Gulf of Mexico and watches how humans work to destroy each other and the planet itself. Ultimately, this “play-conversation” asks the audience to think about how the actions they take every day affect others around the world as well as the future of our planet.

Augusto Boal, Theater of the Oppressed

Although this isn’t a traditional play, Augusto Boal’s Theater of the Oppressed philosophy and exercises are amongst the most popular theater texts for exploring questions of human rights onstage. As a theater director and writer working in Brazil, Boal experimented with approaches that allowed audiences to participate in and speak back to the play itself. In the 1960’s he developed the idea of a “spect-actor” a part spectator/part actor that would allow anyone watching the show to stop what was happening and give suggestions that would change what happened onstage. The scenarios for the plays in question were all designed to investigate or highlight structural and societal oppression, and the spect-actors became a way for the community of performers and audience members to try out different ways of approaching and understanding social problems.

Boal paid a political price for this activist work. In 1971, he was kidnapped by the Brazilian government and exiled to Argentina. He later moved to Europe began formally writing and teaching about his Theater of the Oppressed work. After the military junta was removed from power, Boal returned to Brazil in 1986. In 1992, he ran as an at-large candidate for a city council seat in Rio de Janeiro. He used his political power to help continue his theatrical work and developed a new theatrical form – Legislative Theatre – to work with local to collaboratively develop new approaches to solving community problems, often leading to actual legislation. While Boal passed away in 2009, his books of theater exercises and philosophy, including Theatre of the Oppressed, The Rainbow of Desire, Legislative Theatre, and Games for Actors and Non-Actors, continue to be used by theater practitioners across the globe.

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The following article lists five of the world’s top universities at which to undertake a Master of Laws Degree in the field of International Human Rights Law.

LLM in International Human Rights Law, University of Law

This LLM in International Human Rights Law focuses on building a student’s in-depth knowledge of the subject and how international law protects human rights. It covers topics like the general principles of international human rights law, the connection between humanitarian and human rights law, and the challenges and future of international and domestic human rights. Full-time, the program takes 12 months. Part-time takes 21 months. Modules are assessed by a 3-hour written exam (which must be taken at one of the UK campuses or approved overseas center) or a written coursework assignment. A 15,000-word thesis is also required. To apply, students need a UK undergraduate degree (any subject) at 2:2 or above, or an equivalent qualification. Proven English proficiency is needed, as well.

Master in International Human Rights Law, Oxford University

This programme is offered jointly by the Department for Continuing Education and the Faculty of Law and takes place on a part-time basis over a period of 22 months. The programme is structured as such so as to accommodate for lawyers and others human rights practitioners who wish to further their studies while continuing their practice in the field. During the learning period, students will complete two distance-learning modules online as well as two learning periods based at the Oxford campus. The course has a focus on human rights in practice. The aim is to ensure that students not only know the law around human rights, but can use it to implement change in the real world. Furthermore, in grappling with the scope and limitations of international human rights law, students are pushed to think analytically about what further research needs there are around the subject.

LL.M. Concentration in Human Rights, The Human Rights Programme at Harvard Law School

The Human Rights Programme at Harvard Law offers an academic programme centred around international human rights learning, scholarship and research. The ‘Concentration in Human Rights’ is offered by the Human Rights Programme as one of four concentrations for LL.M. students at the university. The LL.M. is a one-year degree and students are expected to take classes in ‘International Human Rights’ and ‘Human Rights in the UN Treaty Bodies’ amongst other electives as well as to submit a long paper on a subject related to human rights. The programme also offers reading groups for students which focus on specific human rights topics and are led by experts in the concerned field. The Harvard Human Rights Programme aims to create a community of scholars and practitioners engaged in critical reflection and discussion around international human rights issues. This environment provides excellent exposure and opportunity for LL.M. students to network with a broad array of human rights thinkers.

Human Rights Law as an Area of Interest at Yale Law School

The LL.M. programme at Yale Law School allows students to tailor their legal education towards their specialised area of interest. One such ‘area of interest’ is the Human Rights Law stream. As a one-year, full-time degree, students are encouraged to use the resources from the Law School to design a programme of study that will best fit their interests. The study of human rights law at Yale is centred around the Orville H. Schell. Jr. Center for International Human Rights which coordinates a diverse range of human rights programmes and activities for students, scholars and the broader community of human rights practitioners. Additionally, the Allard K. Lowenstein International Human Rights Clinic is a Law School course which allows students to engage practically with on-going projects and gain first-hand experience dealing with and on behalf of practicing human rights organisations. The structure of the LL.M. degree at Yale, and the various resources available, allow students to develop their own academic programme around International Human Rights Law.

LL.M. in International Human Rights Law, University of Cambridge

The Cambridge International Human Rights Law programme has a focus on bringing together historical and contemporary ideas and concepts that have shaped the practice of human rights law. At the end of the one-year programme students will have gained critical skills allowing them to: explore and analyse key concepts and themes in human rights law; examine the interconnection between international human rights law and other social and normative phenomena; assess the significance of international human rights law at a global level; and foster an engaged and critical approach to the protection of international human rights. The course comprises of both coursework and a master’s thesis allowing students to engage with a general introduction to concepts around human rights law as well as focus more specifically on specialised streams. Students will be well-equipped to enter the field of international human rights law upon graduating.

Human Rights LL.M. Fellowship at Columbia University

The Columbia Law School has introduced a ‘Human Rights LL.M. Fellowship’ for the class of 2018-2019. This programme is targeted at individuals who have a keen interest and show great potential in the field of international human rights. The Fellowship will provide students with a tailored and rigorous programme of practical skills training, academic scholarship and career mentoring in order to produce a class of innovative and dedicated human rights leaders. Jointly coordinated by the Columbia Law School’s Human Rights Institute, this fellowship encourages students to engage with practitioners, lawyers and academics alike. Applicants are expected to demonstrate a strong commitment to the field of international human rights and previous experience in some form is advantageous. The university offers plenty of opportunity for students to engage with human rights issues and become active participants in the protection of human rights.

More human rights masters.

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Obtaining a PhD qualification requires full determination and without adequate funding it is impossible for many students to obtain a PhD. This article has identified six scholarships which cover the full expenses of a PhD. Some of these scholarships are offered for a variety of disciplines and some are directed specifically towards human rights related degrees.

Heinrich Boll Foundation Scholarships

The Heinrich Boll Foundation is a German institute which has a variety of core interests, one of which is the upholding of human rights internationally. The institute offers scholarships for study in Germany for up to 1200 undergraduate, masters and PhD candidates from a variety of fields per year. The selection of candidates is a three-stage process including interviews and a final workshop held in Berlin where successful candidates will be chosen. The scholarship provides a monthly living and travel allowance. Candidates wishing to apply for human rights related degrees should provide information stating how their chosen degree aligns with the interests of the Foundation. Applications close at the beginning of March and the end of August each year for the following university cycle.

Commonwealth Scholarships

The Commonwealth Scholarship is offered to citizens from a list of countries associated with the British Commonwealth for study at a university within the United Kingdom. Funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID), there are over 800 scholarships and fellowships offered per year for scholars from different disciplines. The scholarship provides full funding for the selected candidates including full tuition costs, flights to the United Kingdom, a living allowance, as well as covering any research and examination costs that may occur. Commonwealth scholarships are awarded competitively based on merit and the closing date for applications is mid-November annually.

Fulbright Foreign Student Program

The Fulbright Award is a United States government initiative that supports foreign students from various disciplines to study at universities in the USA. Around 4000 students receive this scholarship per year from over 150 different countries. The Fulbright offers comprehensive funding covering tuition, return flights to the US, a living allowance as well as health insurance. Once successfully chosen, candidates will receive funding for the entire duration of their degree. The deadline for application varies and candidates should check for the specific course or university they wish to attend.

Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships

The Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship is funded by the Canadian government and aims to attract world-class researchers undertaking their doctoral studies at Canadian universities. The scholarship is open to applications from Canadian citizens as well as foreign students. Students from a variety of disciplines can apply with human rights related degrees falling under the ‘social sciences and/or humanities’ program. The award is worth $ 50,000 per year of study, thus covering students’ tuition and living needs. In order to be eligible for this award, candidates should first be nominated by the university they wish to attend. Internal university applications should be checked individually and nominations submitted to the Vanier board by 1^st November annually.

Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Doctoral Scholarship

This Foundation offers scholarships specifically for doctoral candidates in the field of humanities and the social sciences to study at a Canadian university. There are up to 15 scholarships available for both Canadian citizens and foreign students. ‘Human rights and dignity’ is highlighted as a specific theme of interest to this foundation. The scholarship provides $40,000 per year for three years with an additional $20,000 per year available for research and travel allowance. The selection process involves a final interview which takes place in Montreal. Applications open on September 1^st and the deadline for submission is the 8^th of December.

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Working in human rights often means working with people who have been exposed to trauma. Things like wars, natural disasters, famines or other extreme events can do major harm to individuals and communities long after the immediate danger has passed. In addition, trauma can arise from localized and interpersonal events like rape, assault, abuse or intimate partner violence. For most human rights workers, it’s safe to assume that you will encounter individuals who have survived trauma regardless of your location or organizational mission.

But if you’re not a trained mental health worker, how should you handle these situations?

What does trauma look like?

It’s important to remember that psychological trauma is an individual experience. Survivors of the same event may react in completely different ways. Because of this, it’s important not to compare any one person’s trauma to another’s. The Sidran Institute for Traumatic Stress Education and Advocacy emphasizes that “trauma is defined by the experiences of the survivor.” Someone who was injured in a bombing may have no lingering trauma, but the person who witnessed the scene from a block away may continue to be triggered. The second person is not weak or wrong, they’re simply having their own experience.

As human rights workers, however, it’s important to note the difference between a natural, emotional response to stress and a potentially-harmful symptom of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). A traumatic experience is more likely to lead to PTSD when the individual can’t integrate or make sense of his or her emotional experience, or when the individual continues to feel that there is an impending physical or emotional threat. This can be expressed as a “flashback” when a person’s body is triggered into an emotional response by a sound, touch, smell, or other sensation that reminds them of the original event. Other signs and symptoms include depression, anxiety, memory lapses, trouble sleeping or eating, or suicidal thoughts. Additionally, behavior like aggression, defiance, defensiveness, or even drug and alcohol abuse may actually be a reaction to or attempt to cope with a traumatic experience.

What can you do about it?

Now that you’ve noticed the signs and symptoms of trauma, what should you do about it? If at all possible, your first step should be to bring your questions and concerns to a mental health professional in your organization or area. There are a variety of culturally specific approaches to treating trauma and even a seemingly friendly gesture, like asking someone to share their story, could potentially lead to a re-traumatizing flashback. Unless you have the expertise (or are working under the instructions of such a person) you may quickly get in over your head.

There are, however, plenty of ways for you to respect and care for the traumatized individuals you encounter in your human rights work. Here are several helpful practices that you can implement regardless of your position or mental health training.

Respect personal space

Physical touch can be a trigger for many individuals, especially those who have been traumatized by physical or sexual violence. Be careful not to touch someone if they’re not expecting it, especially if you’re not in their direct line of sight. This is especially important if you are working in a cultural context that is not your own. Be sure to defer to the local customs regarding bodily contact. Is a hug a standard greeting or something reserved for close friends and family members? What are the norms regarding physical touch between members of the opposite sex? If you’re not sure, you should take your cues from local residents or long-time aid workers in the region.

Establish clear and respectful rules and policies

Living with trauma means living with uncertainty. You can help by providing a stable, consistent, and safe environment. Whether you are offering direct service, coalition building, or doing advocacy work make sure people can depend on you to follow through on your commitments and clearly communicate your process. Trauma survivors often have lived through an experience that was senseless or outside of their control. If a new policy is impacting their daily lives take the time to explain what is happening and why. And if at all possible, incorporate the reasonable requests of community members. This allows everyone, including trauma survivors, the chance to have positive influence in the world around them.

Reframe deficits into strengths

Language like “victims of trauma” reinforces the traumatic event and erases the agency of the individual. Instead, try using terms like “trauma survivor” that focus on the person and their strengths. You may not have the power to cure someone’s depression, for example, but you can praise them for taking small, positive steps like eating a healthy meal. Even if the individual is making slow progress find a way to emphasize what they’re doing right.

Take care of yourself!

You can’t help others unless you’re also taking care of yourself. Terms like compassion stress, compassion fatigue, and vicarious traumatization have been used to describe how those who work with traumatized individuals are also at risk for emotional distress. A survey by the Center for Human Rights and Global Justice found that that almost 40% of human rights workers had PTSD or significant symptoms and 15% reported depression. Sources of trauma can include hearing stories through interviews, visiting sites of violence, or witnessing violence or deprivation of basic needs. Human rights work can also itself be dangerous, with 20% of survey respondent reporting an incident of beating or detention in relation to their work.

The most important way to help trauma survivors is to stay safe and reach out for mental and emotional support when you need it. If you don’t have access to a mental health professional, build in time for accountability check-ins with some friends or co-workers. Take the time to listen to each other’s needs and struggles. If you get into this habit on a regular basis then you’ll have a built-in support network when things get hard.

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While the media and popular culture may portray refugee camps mainly as places of desperation, human rights workers know that they are complex communities teeming with economic, social, and artistic life. Social-justice oriented theater professionals have found refugee camps to be a vital and vibrant place to practice their craft. Theater workshops are welcome breaks from the monotony of camp life and can be a much-needed opportunity for storytelling, cultural expression, and personal reflection. This work has increased in recent decades, with established refugee theater projects in France, Germany, Greece, Kenya, and Palestine just to name a few.

But like any human rights or social justice work, refugee theater projects must be culturally sensitive and ethically-responsible. Much of the current work owes a debt to the scholarship of Dwight Conquergood, a professor of Performance Studies and theater professional. His influential essay “Health Theatre in a Hmong Refugee Camp” detailed theatrical strategies and cross-cultural best practices that have been used to teach generations of theater and human rights professionals.

The essay is based on his work in 1985 at Refugee Camp Ban Vinai, Thailand. The camp was home to over 45,000 Hmong and other highland refugees who had fled Communist rule in neighboring Laos. Interestingly, Conquergood did not enter the camp as part of a theater program. At the time, the political situation in Thailand was considered unstable and the camps were closed to outside researchers. Conquergood was instead hired by the International Rescue Committee as part of their environmental health education program. He served as an ethnographic consultant and was tasked with developing programs to improve health and hygiene at the camp.

Rather than seeing the refugee camp as a place of lack or absence, Conquergood recognized that performance was already happening all around, including storytelling, folk singing, drumming, incense burning, lamentations for the dead, and shamanic practices. Refugee camps are rich with performance because displaced peoples must work hard to preserve their culture and way of life. Performance is a way to reconstitute their communities and add stability to the uncertainty of their daily lives. Performance is also a flexible medium and stories, songs, and dances can easily be altered to incorporate new material and reflect new surroundings. In short, performance is the perfect way to integrate an old way of life with a new reality.

Conquergood’s goal was to design health programming that was based around native beliefs and values that communicated to the residents in culturally appropriate ways. To do this, he drew on Hmong folklore, proverbs, stories, and songs to produce street performances using large puppets and animal sculptures. This imagery was already familiar to the camp residents and helped communicate his message. For example, a performance designed to increase awareness of rabies vaccines for camp dogs used a performer dressed as a chicken to deliver the informative message. While this might have seemed strange to Western camp workers, it made perfect sense to the residents. In Hmong culture, chickens are associated with powers of divination because they are the first to know when the sun comes up in the morning. Having a chicken character spread the message about rabies vaccines was both entertaining and persuasive.

However, any performance approach in which local knowledge is used by outsiders runs the risk of appropriate that local culture or using it as a tool for domination. Conquergood did not want to use community traditions to simply make residents submit unthinkingly to the demands of the camp administration. Instead he wanted his performances to be methods for developing “critical awareness.” In other words, he wanted to show the refugees new ways of thinking about their surroundings that would, in turn, help them choose to transform their behaviors. When trash became a problem in the camp, Conquergood and his performers built a giant puppet that they called Mother Clean who sang songs about health and sanitation. In their mountain homeland, the Hmong were accustomed to throwing their food waste out into nature where it would quickly become fertilizer or animal feed. But now that they were living in an incredibly dense refugee camp, these traditional practices were no longer sanitary. Rather than denigrating the refugees as dirty, the playful Mother Clean helped them think about their surroundings in a new way so they could independently choose a healthier lifestyle.

For these theater approaches to be effective, Conquergood was committed to what he called a “dialogical exchange,” an orientation of give-and-take in which every participant has something to teach as well as something to learn. Conquergood modeled this practice in his daily life as well as in his theater work. He respected the traditional Hmong healers and used their folk remedies for things like stomach ailments and small lacerations. But when he got more severely ill with Dengue fever, however, he sought treatment in a hospital in Singapore. After he returned to the camp, Conquergood found that the refugees, who were normally skeptical of Western medicine, exhibited great interest in his hospital treatment. Because Conquergood respected their traditions and techniques they were more willing to learn about his.

Toward the end of his essay Conquergood identifies some of the limits of his work in the Camp Ban Vinai. While he had great success with his performances for the refugees, he began to realize that the health professionals and human rights workers needed a similar kind of “consciousness-raising.” The camp workers wanted the Hmong to conform to their Western standards of cleanliness and order but were not interested in understanding the Hmong way of life. As a result, the Hmong were hesitant to seek out help or support from any of the camp aid workers. While human rights training has certainly evolved since Conquergood did his work in the 1980’s, it’s important to remember that it is not only refugees that can benefit from camp theater programs. These performances can build a bridge of understanding not only amongst the refugees themselves but also across cultures. More than entertainment or escape, theater can build community, foster understanding, and bring about real change.

Conquergood, Dwight. “Health Theatre in a Hmong Refugee Camp: Performance, Communication, and Culture.” TDR (1988-) 32, no. 3 (1988): 174-208.

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If you’re applying to a fellowship, internship, or even graduate school you may be asked to write a personal statement as part of your application. These statements are the best way to convey your personal story as well as your passion for the work you do. However, they can be the most challenging element of the application to complete. There are an infinite number of ways to approach these essays and deciding on the best strategy is key to your success. These five steps will help narrow your focus and hone your language to make your personal statement truly stand out.

1. Tell a story

Application committee members may be reading dozens or even hundreds of essays, each written by a thoughtful, intelligent professional with a commitment to changing the world. Eventually, generic language about “making a difference” and “fighting for equality” blends together. An easy way to make your statement memorable is to tell a story. If you’ve already done work in the field, try selecting a memorable event or moment that made you feel like your work was having an impact. If you’re more policy-focused or haven’t had much direct-service experience yet, then think about an incident from your own life that reinforced your commitment to human rights. Don’t be afraid to delve into specifics! Use the names (or pseudonyms) of people and places. Describe the scenery or weather to give a sense of time and place. Use action verbs so that the reader can follow along with what is happening. Construct you story around a central conflict or crisis and take the reader through the beginning, middle, and end. And don’t forget to describe your own thoughts and feelings. This way, your readers will stay engaged with your essay while simultaneously learning about your personal and professional development.

2. Keep the job in mind

Prompts for personal statements can often be frustratingly vague, often asking candidates to do little more than state their interest, expertise or goals. In some ways, this is great! You have free reign to share what’s most important to you. But this freedom may also lead to an essay that doesn’t connect to the opportunity you’re applying for. Writing about your life-changing summer volunteering in a refugee camp might not be the most obvious match for an organization focused on building wells. Describing how much you love on-the-ground work with small organizations may not impress the decision-makers for a United Nations internship. In these cases, you may need to do a little more work to connect your passion and experience to the specific opportunity. In addition to telling a compelling story, be sure to explain how the skills and experience you acquired will translate to the fellowship or job opportunity in question. Use the conclusion of your personal statement to make this connection explicit.

3. Be certain (even if you’re not)

For these kinds of short-term positions, you want to make sure to demonstrate how this opportunity will carry you forward towards a long-term career. Some personal statement prompts will even ask you to talk directly about how the fellowship will be useful in achieving your long-term goals. But what should you do if you’re not sure of your ultimate path? The short answer: make a choice. Selection committees will respond better if you demonstrate a clear, achievable goal and show how this fellowship will prepare you for your future work. There’s no need to explain how you’re deciding between several career paths, or are unsure if you want to go to grad school or keep working. Your personal statement should sketch out a clear vision for your future and demonstrate the ways in which this particular opportunity will be integral to your success. Think about it as an exercise in setting goals rather than an irrevocable decision about your future. There’s nothing stopping you from changing your course once the fellowship has concluded.

4. Show some personality

Your personal statement should reflect who you are as a worker, student, or activist. Not only do selection committees want to know you can handle the workload, they also want to trust that you have the temperament to follow through on your commitments. Make sure to use your personal statement to give a sense of who you are as a distinct and interesting person. If you’re stumped as to how to do this, try an easy exercise: Write down three adjectives that you would use to describe yourself in school or the workplace. Alternatively you can also ask a friend or colleague to do it for you. Then, make sure every paragraph of your essay helps to illustrate at least one of those points. If you have decided you are empathetic, persistent, and a creative problem-solver, focus all your details and anecdotes on those three traits. That way you can efficiently and effectively communicate a focused image of who you are.

5. Be specific and show outcomes

As much as possible, avoid generic language and trite descriptions. Every applicant will be passionate and committed to the cause. Your challenge is to find a way to demonstrate how you are uniquely qualified for the opportunity. The easiest way to do this is to provide a detailed picture of your work and volunteer experiences. Describe the situation in which you worked, how you assessed problems, what actions you took to make improvements, and how you measured your results. It’s not enough to say that you helped implement a restorative justice program. Go in-depth about the steps that you took. How did you get stakeholders on board? What logistics did you tackle? How did you set up a training program? It’s also important to show the specific, tangible effects. How many people participated? What was the drop in violent offenses/arrests? How did participants characterize their participation on surveys? Don’t be afraid to claim the positive outcomes of the work you have done.

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For human rights workers, social media is an important professional tool. It can be used to spread information, to raise awareness, and to find employment. But it’s also the place where you keep in touch with family, pursue private passions, and share adorable cat videos.

So how do you balance a rich online life with creating an employable, professional human rights profile? And how can you use your social media prowess to land a great job?

Here are some simple dos and don’ts to help you build a strategic and thoughtful social media presence.

Do

• Cast a Wide Net – There are all kinds of social media accounts where you can create connections that lead to jobs. For basic business networking, LinkedIn is the easiest place to start. Once you complete your profile it will even show you relevant job postings. Twitter can be a great place to expand your network of contacts or even find a job. Engage with people who are doing the work you want to do and join in their discussion. Share their posts, respond thoughtfully, and extend your reach with the use of trending hashtags. If you’re adding important information to the conversation people will eventually take notice.
• Engage with Organizations – Beyond connecting with people, there’s a lot you can learn from following, liking, and subscribing to the official pages of organizations themselves. It’s a great way to get a sense of the work they’re doing as well as the language they use to articulate their goals and values. You can also stay up-to-date on new initiatives and even hear about job and volunteer opportunities. When you finally land an interview, you’ll be able to demonstrate that you know the organization and their culture.
• Plan Ahead – A great way to amplify your voice on social media is to engage with campaigns planned around holidays and days of action. Check out resources like the human rights calendar to anticipate when there will be social media buzz around an issue you care about. Then sign up for a social media manager like HootSuite to schedule tweets and posts for important dates. This allows you to be more thoughtful in your posts and eases some of the social media time pressure.
• Divide and Conquer – Experts advise individuals to think about both the content and the audience for their social media posts. It’s perfectly acceptable, and even encouraged, to have different accounts directed to different audiences. You may want to use Facebook to share information about the great work your NGO is doing but keep an Instagram devoted to pictures of your dog. On many platforms, you can even create multiple accounts targeted to different audiences. This way, you can use Twitter to chat with both UN workers AND fellow Star Wars fans without confusing or boring anyone. Just remember, accounts with your name attached will be easy to find by anyone looking for your professional profile.
• Be Personal – Even if you use the divide and conquer strategy don’t be afraid to give each online audience a glimpse of the person behind the screenname. Your human rights twitter followers might not care about the daily minutia of your football team, but feel free to publicly celebrate their big championship win. Jokes, personal observations, and interesting stories help potential employers and coworkers see you as more than just a resume or list of skills. If your personality and passion come through online then they will most certainly translate to the office or the field.

Don’t

• Be a Pest – Social media is a great opportunity to network, but you must follow the social norms. It’s great to send messages to your contacts to let them know you’re job searching. You can also follow up with former bosses, mentors, and close friends who have a vested interest in your professional success. But if you send a Twitter DM to someone you’ve been interacting with and they don’t respond then don’t push it. Maybe they don’t know of any jobs, or maybe they just don’t feel confident in recommending you. Focus on building your profile and highlighting your skills and talents rather than hoping someone will do you a favor.
• Assume Anything Will Stay Private – There is no shortage of stories about people whose bad internet behavior has ruined their lives. In fact, there’s an entire book about this phenomenon. Private accounts are for organizing your audience and interests and should never be assumed to guarantee secrecy or anonymity. Not sure whether your joke or meme could be taken out of context? Play it safe and keep it offline.
• Be a “Hashtag Activist”… – NGO and aid workers can use social media to help raise money and highlight important causes. While these campaigns can be powerful, they are often criticized for being overly simplistic or having little long-term impact. If you’re jumping into the conversation surrounding #bringbackourgirls or #heforshe be sure your posts are centering local voices and showcasing research, historical perspectives, and a nuanced understanding of the situation. That way your future employers will see you as thoughtful and engaged rather than a mindless trend follower.
• … or a “Charity Tourist” – When you’re sharing images of your volunteer or aid work make sure they show you as a conscientious human rights professional and not as a tourist or savior. These posts should highlight the hard work of local resident and community partners not bolster your own ego. Also, be sure to ask permission before sharing images of anyone, especially children. While the law is evolving in this area, The European Court of Human Rights has declared the right for individuals to protect their own image.

It can be difficult to balance the personal and the professional in the social media world. But with a bit of strategizing and organizing it’s easy to build a social media presence that will showcase your talents, passion, and commitment!

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