Update: As of 01-11-2020, Humanity House will be permanently closed.
Aside from their exhibitions and projects, the Humanity House also offers workshops and programs for students and groups, in a mission to “embed world citizenship in Dutch education.” The three programs include personal talks by refugees, lectures on humanitarian law, and smaller exhibitions within the House (Humanity House). Further, they have been hosting events, debates, and lectures since their conception, particularly known for their “Hague Talks” series (Hague Talks, 2019). Hague Talks is a series of forums, panels, and discussions hosted at the Humanity House by the Hague Talks organization, representing, “creative minds, peace inventors, and game changers in the field of peace and justice,” in “a forum for discussion and a starting point for concrete action (Hague Talks, 2019).” Combining its network of over 160 Hague-based international organizations and knowledge institutions, they host events such as “Refugee Night,” “Imagine the World We Want,” and “How Can Media Contribute to Human Rights?”
The other events and talks have topics which range from The Rise of the Anti-Migration front in Europe (Humanity House Debate) to How Does the Hague Welcome Newcomers? (Just Peace Discussion). They are more specific to the Hague and also to the resources and influential persons connected to the Humanity House itself.
While these are great attractions, they unfortunately are restricted to (1) those who are located in The Hague and (2) those who are able to afford these programs. However, the Humanity House makes these resources and others accessible online.
Their website provides online records of and responses to different talks and debates conducted within their space (Humanity House, 2019). Each Hague Talks event has a live stream and most of their talks, panels, and discussions otherwise have either a recording uploaded, transcript available, or contact persons’ information online. In this way, they seek to proliferate their knowledge in a way accessible to most (Humanity House, 2019). Online, they also virtually provide personal narratives, articles, and informative analyses using the same statistics provided by the government. They combine these with the minds and testimonies of Dutch immigrants themselves (Humanity House, 2019). These blog posts span over forty topics and categories (shown below), as well as focuses in on five main subjects: women’s rights, refugees, LGBTQ, peace, and human rights (Humanity House Blog, 2019). This blog is where the writings and articles of those who work with the House can be found, as well as the information on and resources from their 8 “in-house” asylum residents. Here, the information from the final room of the permanent exhibition is collected and presented to the visitor. Altogether, this blog serves as an incredible academic resource that is available to those who are unable to visit the physical space and experience their more interactive educational methods.
In terms of educating the general public on the experiences of asylum seekers in the Netherlands, the House provides an excellent first step towards inclusive and collaborative educational spaces. They do this while balancing the ethical considerations and burdens of education from asylum seekers themselves.
References:
“Humanity House: Blog”. 2019. Humanity House. https://humanityhouse.org/en/blog.
“Humanity House: Home”. 2019. Humanity House. https://humanityhouse.org/en/. “Hague Talks: Setting Peace and Justice in Motion”. 2019. Hague Talks. https://haguetalks.com/
