Wassmuth Center for Human Rights

09/04/2026

Seats are going fast for Change Your World! Only 26 seats remain. Don’t miss this powerful night of inspiration, hope, and community. Whether you plan to join us as a guest or table host, now’s the time to act!
 
This year’s theme, Under the Same Sky, invites us to gaze towards the stars that unite us and light the way towards a better world. As we gather to celebrate 30 years of the Wassmuth Center for Human Rights, we remember our shared humanity and the impact we can make when we reach for a new horizon in unison. Together, we can build a world where connection, joy, and justice are not distant ideals, but daily realities. From meaningful moments to lively auctions, it promises to be an evening you won’t want to miss.
 
🌟 Snag your ticket or support this impactful evening from afar via the link in our bio!
 
Saturday, October 10, 2026
5:00 - 8:30 PM
The Pioneer Room at JUMP

Photos by picturetakerdude 🌟

09/04/2026

🌟Fellow Friday 🌟

Meet Andrea Kelleher, a dedicated teacher at Lake Hazel Elementary with over 15 years of experience in education. A proud Boise State University alumna, Andrea earned both her BA in Elementary Education and MA in Literacy and Writing in Education from Boise State, where she developed a deep passion for supporting student literacy development.

Throughout her career, Andrea has worked with diverse learner populations in different states, including adult English language learners in Hawaii, while supporting her husband’s military career. Her multifaceted background and commitment to inclusive education have shaped her approach to helping all students thrive. Andrea is known for creating and fostering a classroom filled with joy—a welcoming space where every student knows they belong and are valued. As a lifelong learner and advocate for strong literacy instruction, Andrea brings both expertise and enthusiasm to her classroom.

Outside the classroom, Andrea is an active outdoor enthusiast who loves running (including participating in the 2024 NYC Marathon with Team TCS Teachers), paddleboarding, snowshoeing, and many other outdoor activities. She values time spent with her family and dogs, finding balance between her professional dedication and personal ambitions.

As a Wassmuth Human Rights Education Fellow, Andrea is part of a vibrant community of educators dedicated to placing human rights at the center of their work. Together, Fellows are reimagining education as a powerful force for justice and joy.

09/04/2026

Wednesday evening at our September Speakers at the Center event Shannon McGuire and the documentary POTATO allowed us to ask ourselves and each other how we connect as Idahoans. In fact, there was one line that really stood out, “Culture is not built by declaring it so.” POTATO showed us that culture is built through time, relationships, and the people and experiences that make it so. The evening gave us hope and laughter about what is possible when we truly engage thoughtfully with one another.

After the viewing, Shannon asked us to connect with each other by telling our “Idaho stories”. This was the whole point of this documentary. Idaho is more than the headlines we read. Idaho is the people, the incredible landscapes, our access to the outdoors, and the diversity that each and every one of us bring to our communities that we are a part of. And when we are able to take that commonality and use it to connect with one another, we succeed in doing what POTATO has asked of us. We create the People, Opportunity, Tradition, Adventure, Tenacity, and Open-Heartedness that POTATO stands for.

We feel so honored to be able to share such amazing speakers with you and our October speaker will be another event that you will not want to miss. Join us as we learn together and work towards creating truly inclusive communities for our future.

Register here to join us: https://www.wassmuthcenter.org/speakers-at-the-center/

Speakers at the Center is made possible with the generous support of Marlene Southard.

09/04/2026

A hot air balloon just landed at the Wassmuth Center.

No warning. No plan. Just wind, physics, and a pilot’s steady judgment bringing it gently to rest at the Idaho Anne Frank Human Rights Memorial. Within minutes, a crowd of neighbors gathered. Cameras came out. Kids pointed. Everyone stood there grinning up at this enormous balloon that had just seemingly appeared out of nowhere. For a moment, we all stood shoulder to shoulder, delighted by the same unlikely thing.

Grateful for the joy that sneaks up on you on an ordinary day, for strangers who stop what they’re doing to share it, and for a place that always seems to attract a little wonder when you least expect it.

09/04/2026

We are excited to celebrate our H-RISE Youth Leadership Program and also announce a new opportunity for adults to travel the world to deepen their understanding of human rights. Check out this interview with KTVB on Idaho Today, and visit our website to learn more: www.wassmuthcenter.org/h-roots

https://youtu.be/VznxZs5cSS8?si=lRpYYoOSuvk0oHSL

H-ROOTS is bringing human rights education to adults for the first ...

09/03/2026

Our September book club selection is 'The Lion Women of Tehran" by Marjan Kamali.

In 1950s Tehran, seven-year-old Ellie’s comfortable life is upended by her father’s death, forcing her and her mother into a small downtown home. Lonely and adrift, she finds a kindred spirit in Homa, a brave and irrepressible girl who becomes her first true friend. Together, they navigate the streets and markets of Tehran, share dreams of becoming “lion women,” and learn to claim agency and courage in a world that often limits girls’ voices and choices. When Ellie returns to a life of privilege, their paths diverge, yet Homa’s sudden reappearance years later confronts both with the inequalities and injustices shaping their society. Against the backdrop of political upheaval, they must face betrayal, moral compromise, and the struggle to protect dignity and freedom—revealing how friendship and resilience can become acts of resistance.

Come share your thoughts and questions over coffee and tea. Whether this is your first time joining us or you’ve been attending from the beginning, you’ll find good company and a conversation worth having.

Join us as we discuss this beautiful story together on Tuesday, September 22 from 12:00-1:30 PM or 6:30-8:00 PM. Register here: https://www.wassmuthcenter.org/human-rights-book-clubs/

09/03/2026

Will you join us for a conversation this month?

In September, our topic for Conversations at the Center will be: Dignity and Reproductive Health

Reproductive health decisions can bring together questions of privacy, bodily autonomy, health, family, faith, morality, and government. How can we engage across our differences while honoring the dignity of every person? Come ready to explore the values and questions around this issue and listen for the humanity in perspectives that may differ from your own.

Come to connect, learn, and create through shared conversation.

Thursday, September 17
6:30 - 8:00 PM
Wassmuth Center for Human Rights; Philip E. Batt Education Building

Free & open to all (ages 14+ suggested).
Register Today: wassmuthcenter.org/conversations-at-the-center

This program is supported in part by a grant from the Idaho Humanities Council. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of the Idaho Humanities Council.

09/02/2026

Calling all educators!

RIPL Collective (Recharging and Inspiring Possibilities in Learning) is an educator-led professional learning community where educators come together each month to deepen their practice, share ideas, and learn from one another.

In September, we’re exploring Design for Belonging, one of the Wassmuth Center’s Powerful Practices.

At RIPL, you can expect to:
➡️ Connect with fellow educators in meaningful conversation
➡️ Explore a practice you can apply in your own learning community
➡️ Engage in hands-on, collaborative learning
➡️ Leave with fresh ideas, practical tools, and renewed inspiration

All educators from preschool through university and beyond are warmly invited to join us.

Credit is available to those who attend regularly and show transfer of learning.

Our next gathering is happening soon:
⭐ Tuesday, September 15
⭐ 4:30 to 6:00 PM
⭐ Wassmuth Center for Human Rights | Philip E. Batt Education Building

👉 Learn more and register: wassmuthcenter.org/ripl-collective

09/02/2026

September Book Club Election:
The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera
 
How do we carry the human story forward in challenging times? Winner of the Newbery Medal, our September selection responds with an allegory of the times we live in - a brilliant journey through choices that can illuminate or erase human dignity. When a comet veers off course, Petra and her family are chosen to help ensure the human race. After hundreds of years, Petra wakes to a new planet — and the discovery that she is the only person who remembers Earth. Petra alone now carries the stories of our shared past, and with them, any hope for our future. 

Generations for Justice is a gathering for all ages of readers. Invite your neighbor, nephew, or new friend and join the conversation! 

Learn more .org/human-rights-book-clubs/

09/01/2026

A new season of stories and sharing starts September 8!
 
Through engaging stories, crafts, music and movement, our crew celebrates the things that make us happy humans: Relationships, creativity, nature, stories, and play! 
 
Won’t you join the circle? Compassion Crew is a fun, free program that brings preschoolers together with their grown-ups for an hour of connection and kindness. We’ll be waiting to welcome you!