New committee to strengthen ties among Human Rights Centre alumni

The Essex Human Rights Centre (HRC) has launched a new committee to boost links with its alumni and increase mentoring opportunities for students.

Committee members were selected following an open call for applications targeting graduates associated with the Human Rights Centre (HRC), including its flagship masters programmes: MA Theory and Practice of Human Rights and LLM International Human Rights Law.

Members come from different regions of the world and include representatives from more than 40 years of the Human Rights Centre.

Despite the challenges, they all remain engaged in the practice of human rights and committed to advancing human rights, locally, regionally and globally.

At the outset, the Alumni Committee will focus on:

• Engaging HRC alumni to share news and to develop communities of practice. The Committee is planning a newsletter which will be released soon.

• Developing a framework to mentor current Essex HRC students as they shift to human rights practice and with related needs, and at a second stage, a peer-to-peer support network.

“The HRC is fortunate to have one of the most diverse and committed communities of graduates who are working in all facets of human rights protection, for civil society, international organisations, governments and academia,” said Professor Carla Ferstman, the HRC’s Director. 

“The LLM programme and HRC Clinic opened the door to my career,” said Jenna Dolecek, LLM in International Human Rights & Humanitarian Law, 2017. 

“Participating in the HRC Alumni Committee is a great way for me to try and give back. I’ve taken what I learned at Essex, put it to use in my career, and am now bringing those insights with in the hope that they benefit others,” she said.

"I believe that now, more than ever, those working in the field of human rights need to foster a sense of community and engage in meaningful reflection and dialogue," said Francesco de Sanctis, LLM International Human Rights Law, 2003.

"Around the globe, human rights defenders operate under growing pressure. Our Alumni Committee hopes to build a network of human rights graduates supporting each other in any way we can, across generations and across borders,” explained Tatjana Perić, Member of the Alumni Committee, MA Theory and Practice of Human Rights, 2005.

To contact the alumni committee, please email: hrcalumni@essex.ac.uk.