“I really like it. I like how all of the activists are young, so it’s easy to relate to them.” –High School Student

“Be the Change: Upstanders for Human Rights” — A Multimedia Website for Students (www.facinghistory.org/BeTheChange) Official Launch Date: October 9, 2007! Facing History and Ourselves is an educational non-profit organization that engages students throughout the world in an examination of racism, prejudice, and antisemitism in order to promote the development of a more humane and informed citizenry. Be the Change: Upstanders for Human Rights (www.facinghistory.org/BeTheChange) is Facing History’s newest interactive website. Developed specifically for thirteen to eighteen-year-olds, and created with the help of student interviewers, the site profiles the stories, influences and motivations of five Reebok Human Rights Award winners:

• Vanita Gupta: Dedicated to fighting racism, NAACP lawyer Vanita Gupta helped thirty-five African Americans falsely accused of drug-related crimes in Tulia, Texas. • Martin O’Brien: Committed to the practice of non-violence since the age of twelve, peace activist Martin O’Brien worked to advance human rights in Northern Ireland. • Ernest Guevarra: Concerned about helping those most in need, Dr. Ernest Guevarra promoted healthcare and human rights in battle-torn areas of the Philippines. • Arn Chorn Pond: Devoted to peace and human rights education, genocide survivor Arn Chorn Pond helped young immigrant gang members in Lowell, Massachusetts. • Yinka Jegede-Ekpe: Diagnosed with HIV at age nineteen, AIDS activist Yinka Jegede-Ekpe bravely stepped forward to fight for the rights of Nigerian women infected with HIV/AIDS.

In learning about the stories of these five extraordinary men and women, students connect with a growing global network of their peers all over the world who care about creating a more just world. Young people interact with the site and each other by posting their thoughts about participation and human rights.

In our “Student Spotlights” section, kids can also read about—or even nominate—other middle and high schoolers their own age who have chosen to participate for positive change. “Be the Change” also offers lists of resources and organizations to help students think more critically about the roles they might play in the world, their responsibilities and obligations towards their communities, and the choices they will make in their own lives.

While the site is designed for any young person to explore on his own, teachers may want to use the site in their classrooms, and the teacher resources area offers a variety of helpful ideas and activities.

“The site is OUTSTANDING! So interesting and so inspiring. [The award winners] come from surprisingly normal circumstances, but they all know how to make decisions and how to put others before themselves.” –Middle School Student

“I enjoyed hearing [the award winners] influences because it shows that they were not just like superheroes at birth, but normal people who only wanted to help make change.” –High School Student

For more information, go to the website, http://www.facinghistory.org/BeTheChange, or e-mail John Englander at John_Englander@facing.org.