BRUSSELS — 29 January 2026 — Human-rights education initiatives supported by the Church of Scientology through United for Human Rights (UHR) and Youth for Human Rights (YHRI) continue to frame the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as a practical civic reference for day-to-day civic life, with a focus on youth, schools and community organisations across Europe.
The approach rests on a simple idea: understanding rights helps strengthen respect for them. Approved by the UN General Assembly on 10 December 1948, the UDHR sets out 30 articles describing fundamental rights and freedoms.
Programme partners highlight a common challenge: many people endorse human rights as a principle but are not familiar with the UDHR’s text and the 30 rights it contains, including topics such as equal treatment, due process and freedom of conscience.
United for Human Rights says it was launched around the 60th anniversary of the UDHR to provide educational tools that broaden awareness and encourage implementation of the Declaration. Youth for Human Rights International, founded in 2001 by educator Dr. Mary Shuttleworth, focuses on teaching young people about the UDHR and encouraging tolerance and peace in everyday settings.
Both initiatives present their work as education and public information, mapping learning modules and media resources to the UDHR’s 30 articles. The organisations are described as nonreligious, while being sponsored and supported by the Church of Scientology, and their resources are used by schools, civic groups and local partners depending on national context.
A recurring feature is a “toolkit” approach: adaptable media resources and structured learning tools designed for classrooms, youth groups and community settings. The package includes “The Story of Human Rights” documentary and a series of PSAs often described as “30 Rights, 30 Ads”. Resources are available across 17 languages to support local delivery and age-appropriate use.
The Church of Scientology links its support for human-rights education to wider prevention- and education-based community initiatives. Church materials reference L. Ron Hubbard’s writings and the Code of a Scientologist as underscoring support for humanitarian work, including human-rights education.
Ivan Arjona-Pelado, Scientology’s representative to the European Union, the OSCE, the Council of Europe and the United Nations, said:
“Human rights grow stronger when people can recognise them, explain them, and apply them in everyday interactions—particularly in schools and neighbourhoods where diversity is a daily reality. Europe’s democratic culture benefits when young people learn the UDHR’s principles early and see respect, equality and non-discrimination as practical responsibilities.”
Into 2026, the emphasis remains on usability: clear language, modular content and training formats that support lesson plans and community discussions without requiring specialist legal knowledge. Common activities include training for educators and youth workers, community workshops and cooperation with civil-society partners in areas such as inclusion, anti-bullying and equal treatment.
The Church of Scientology, its churches, missions, groups and members are present across the European continent. Scientology Europe reports a continent-wide presence through more than 140 churches, missions and affiliated groups in at least 27 European nations, alongside thousands of community-based social betterment and reform initiatives focused on education, news eua prevention and neighbourhood-level support, inspired by the work of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard.
Within Europe’s diverse national frameworks for religion, the Church’s recognitions continue to expand, with administrative and judicial authorities in Spain, Portugal, Sweden, the Netherlands, Italy, Germany Slovakia and others, as well as the European Court of Human Rights, having addressed and acknowledged Scientology communities as protected by the national and international provisions of Freedom of Religion or belief.
Full press release: Human Rights for Youth: Scientology’s Community Focus.