Canadian Civil Liberties Education Trust (CCLET) is a non-profit research and educational organization created by the Canadian Civil Liberties Association.
CCLET’s function is to introduce Canadians to the exploration of civil liberties and to help in the development of democratic habits.
Since the early 1990s, the Canadian Civil Liberties Education Trust (CCLET) has developed a unique approach to teaching civil liberties in the classroom. Through the Civil Liberties in the Schools and the Teaching Civil Liberties Projects, which are funded by the CCLET and the Law Foundation of Ontario (LFO), the organization provides free workshops, seminars, and in-class sessions in schools, educational institutions, and faculties of education, educating citizens about their rights and freedoms. The in-school program helps teachers fulfill curriculum demands in subject areas such as History, Social Studies, Civics, and Law.
The value-balancing approach allows students and teachers to examine and debate legal and ethical dilemmas. Students learn to ask questions that may not have easy answers. They practice examining the purpose, effectiveness, and fairness of limits to their rights and freedoms.
“The comments that some students… made serve to confirm the importance of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association [Education Trust]. The topics and methods of presentation were engaging to the students. For some, it was perhaps the first time that they were encouraged to consider… their decision making in relation to civil liberties. I would be delighted to have this program a part of my course syllabus in the years to come.”
Education Professor
Nipissing University
“Fun, entertaining and informative – students learn a great amount of information on rights and responsibilities in an interactive way – students feel their opinion counts!”
High School Teacher
Thornlea Secondary School
Thornhill, Ontario
CCLET reaches thousands of students each year in highly interactive workshops where students voice a wide variety of viewpoints. Students discuss issues from Supreme Court cases to the morning’s headlines with a civil liberties focus: should a religious teenager be permitted to refuse a blood transfusion? Should police be allowed to use dogs to search schools for drugs? Should a student be suspended for wearing a t-shirt that displays a strong and controversial political slogan?
