HRYO: HUMAN RIGHTS FOR A BETTER FUTURE

When it was created, the Human Rights Youth Organization was a brand-new player in a field still under development. Back then, the public’s attention to human rights wasn’t nearly as focused as it is today: there was no woke mentality in the first decade of the new millennium, and those of us who worked to create a better future for youths all over the world, though not yet accused of riding the human rights bandwagon, were told over and over again that the battle we were fighting was a losing one. Yet Marco Farina, founder and CEO of HRYO, never gave up on his dream to create a not for profit organization that would give youngsters in Palermo equal opportunities to grow up with lawful ideals regardless of socio-economic condition or country of origin.

That’s how HRYO was born in 2009, as a small organization working with local youths and young migrants, actively fighting for human rights within a local network of other worthy associations.
It was only small pebbles at first, but the ripples we made were bigger and bigger. Soon enough, our team was enriched by the arrival of volunteers from all over Europe, and our network spread through Erasmus+ projects that opened our eyes to a whole new world of European and international cooperation.

 
Since its foundation, the Human Rights Youth Organization took part in over 3,000 projects worldwide. From sustainability to non-formal education, disability, and gender equality, we learned and shared our expertise through the exchange of good practices and the dialogue with different partners and volunteers from all walks of life – each one of them carrying something to be treasured, that helped our organization grow in more than just numbers.
And today, this is what we’re trying to accomplish once again with ‘Spread the Game’, through our partnership with AddArt, Fundació Catalunya Voluntària and Celjski Mladinski Center. The exchange of good practices on gamification will give us a new perspective on how this technique and the technology it’s based on have been employed in other countries.

The goal is to contribute to the research on the subject, observing how it can be used to improve the life of people with disability through non-formal education, and – eventually – to share the results with operators in the field. Through the expertise of our own team, and what we have learned from relevant past projects we will be able to bring important tools to the table, to further the research on gamification and help us fulfill our mission: to protect human dignity and ensure equal rights for all.