Episode 50: Equitas, Part One

Dr. Candace H. Blake-Amarante is the Knowledge Manager at Equitas, where she creates and shares knowledge on human rights education. An author, she focuses on children's rights and incorporates the voices of children with chronic illnesses in her works, including The Dream Machine and You, Me and Victor Hugo! She holds a Ph.D. in political science from Columbia University. 

Jean-Sébastien Vallée is the Director of Education and Communications at Equitas, with 20 years of experience in education and human rights. He has developed educational tools and facilitated training programs worldwide. Formerly a human rights educator at the Québec Human Rights Commission, he holds a Master's in Second-Language Education from McGill University.

Candace and Jean-Sébastien were drawn to human rights through their professional experiences—Candace via her doctoral research and storytelling, and Jean-Sébastien through his work in language education. Their current roles at Equitas emphasize practical, collaborative approaches, including creating dialogue spaces and survivor-centered initiatives. They address challenges in engaging public institutions, supporting Indigenous rights, and implementing the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's recommendations. Equitas is actively working to decolonize its policies by incorporating non-Western perspectives, challenging mainstream narratives, and fostering equitable knowledge-sharing through projects like "Power of Equality."

Topics Discussed:

• Origins of Interest in Human Rights: Candace's passion grew through research and storytelling; Jean-Sébastien was driven by supporting marginalized communities.
• Influence of Prior Work: Candace uses storytelling to make human rights accessible; Jean-Sébastien applies his language education experience to HRE.
• Equitas' Strategies: Works globally with local partners, facilitates dialogue, and creates survivor-centered approaches.
• Challenges in Implementation: Preparing participants for sharing experiences, engaging institutions like law enforcement, and supporting gender-based violence survivors.
• Indigenous Rights & Reconciliation: Recognizing Indigenous land and advancing Truth and Reconciliation Commission recommendations.
• Decolonizing Equitas' Work: Collaborating globally to reshape education programs, confront biases, and integrate non-Western perspectives.

Full topic listing available for PDF download HERE.

Listen on our HREUSA podcast website HERE. 

Introduction and Closing Music Credit: “Awakening-Spring” by Ketsa, from the Album Night Vision. Available at the Free Music Archive: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa/night-vision/awakening-spring/

This music is used in accordance with this Creative Commons License: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. Information about that license is available here https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

Human Rights Education Now! is produced and distributed in accordance with Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 DEED, Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International. Information about this license is available here: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/