‘A journey towards rightsland’: An intervention to foster school inclusion

The diversity of today's schools (i.e., children from different backgrounds) can lead to prejudices, stereotypes, and negative attitudes, which have been associated with discrimination and social exclusion. These phenomena constitute violations of children's rights. The intervention program ‘A journey towards Rightsland’ was developed to promote knowledge of rights associated with inclusion, social skills, and positive social relationships with all students. Ten classes (167 children, aged 8–10) were randomly assigned to an experimental group or a control group. All measures were administered two weeks before and after the intervention program. The mixed-effects models showed significant improvements for the experimental group, which held significantly more positive peer nominations, social skills, ability to collaborate with others, and intention to help classmates whose rights were violated. Wilcoxon tests revealed that children at risk of social exclusion in the experimental group received more positive behaviors from their classmates. The theoretical and practical implications are discussed. • Promoting school inclusion requires attention to social skills and respect for human rights • Integrating Positive Youth Development and Human Rights Education could foster school inclusion in primary schools • Developing participatory rights' knowledge alongside social skills promote rights-respectful and inclusive school contexts