Open House Asks ‘Which Human Right Is Most Important To You?


December 4, 2014

Brandon, MB – The City of Brandon’s Community Development Department invites all members of the public to celebrate Human Rights Day at a come-and-go open house on December 10th.

Human Rights Day was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in 1950 to draw attention to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as the common standard of achievement for all people of all nations. In recognition of the fundamental role human rights play in society, an open house will be hosted in the Cultural Resource Centre at the A.R. McDiarmid Civic Complex on Wednesday, December 10th, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

“As Canadians, we sometimes take human rights for granted and forget that many in our world are not as fortunate as we are,” noted Rachelle Levesque, City of Brandon Community Development Programmer. “Our goal for the open house is to remind people that human rights should be afforded to all people, and that all people are deserving of dignity, equality and peace.”

A “post-it note” activity will allow those in attendance to have their say on what human right is most important to them and why. Selections from a photo documentary created by Brandon newcomers, entitled “Seeing With the Eyes of Another”, will also be on display, as will a thought-provoking tapestry on loan from the Manitoba Human Rights Commission. In addition, a video will be projected onto the window near the building’s east-facing entrance to help people locate the open house, and Fair Trade snacks will be provided courtesy of the Marquis Project.

Artwork created by students from Linden Lanes and Earl Oxford Schools will also be on display. Students from those two schools were lucky to take a trip to the Canadian Museum of Human Rights in Winnipeg on Wednesday, Dec.3rd.

“The City of Brandon is grateful for support and partnership from various local organizations and businesses,” added Levesque. “These partnerships allowed us to add extra value to this project and offer a great opportunity for some of our youth in Brandon to learn from and contribute to the project.”

Copies of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights will be available for pick up at the open house, or can be viewed on the United Nations website here.