Gerontological education: a pathway towards advancing the rights of older people

ABSTRACT

Following the UN Human Rights Declaration in 1948, much effort has been undertaken to formalize the rights of older people. This article aims to highlight the role of education in advancing the rights of older people. Raising awareness and sharing knowledge about the rights of older people through rights-based education can empower students, when entering their field of work, to be advocates for rights within their employment settings and local communities. The effectiveness of a rights-based educational training for organizations working with refugees in Jordan, which took place in Amman in January 2020, is analyzed using the participant-focused Transformative Human Rights Education (THRED) as a framing structure. Our analysis found that training participants became active in promoting the rights of older people in their workplaces. The rights of older people need to be more than a conversation, and transformational change that promotes rights can occur when people feel empowered to undertake action-oriented advocacy. The case study analysis provides an example of how influential participant-centered pedagogy, such as THRED, can be to help students in gerontology programs become active agents in promoting rights of older people in their workplaces, communities, and ultimately influencing the international dialogue.

KEYWORDS:

• Human rights
• pedagogy
• curriculum
• THRED
• rights advocacy

Disclosure statement

In accordance with Taylor & Francis policy and my ethical obligation as a researcher, I am reporting that Dr Stoeckel and Dr Fitzgerald worked as consultants for and received payment from the organization that sponsored the training program referred to in this manuscript.

Additional information

Funding

This work was not supported by grant funding.