A cadre of young Bermudian students will venture to Switzerland next year to lend their skills to an international human rights research project.

The initiative, launched by the Human Rights Education Network, is designed to help the students gain a wider perspective on human rights principles and equip them with the practical tools to help them to have an impact locally.

Françoise Palau-Wolffe, the executive director of the HuRen, said: “Our mission is to empower young people who want to make a difference.

“These four are stepping into global spaces with knowledge, confidence and a commitment to justice.”

Zarah Siddiqi, Zayne Sinclair, Christopher Jackson and Gabriel Smith will welcome students from Geneva to the island in February before they, in turn, travel to the Swiss city next October.

The initiative stemmed from a partnership between the HuRen, which launched this year in Bermuda, and the Geneva Graduate Institute’s Applied Research Projects division.

The Bermudian students were nominated by Mirrors, Bermuda Is Love and the National Youth Policy Working Group before they completed interviews with the HuRen.

All four completed a new human rights course developed by the network and delivered through the Bermuda College, which helped to build awareness and advocacy skills among young leaders.

A college spokesman said: “The Geneva-Bermuda baseline research forms part of HuRen’s wider human rights educational programmes designed to connect local lived experience with global standards and strengthen Bermuda’s long-term rights protections for future generations.”

The 12-hour course, offered through the college’s Athora Division of Professional and Career Education, combined global frameworks, Bermuda-specific examples and live sessions with the Human Rights Commission and Gender Affairs Council to build understanding of rights in everyday life.

Tawana Flood, the director of Apace, said that she was pleased to see the programme already opening international doors, describing the students’ selection for the Geneva collaboration as evidence of Bermuda’s growing pool of human rights talent.

Students praised the programme’s accessibility and impact, offering a new lens through which to look at the issues facing the community and a framework to tackle them.

Ms Siddiqi said that the course made human rights “real and meaningful”, linking Bermuda’s experiences to global movements for dignity, equality and justice.

Mr Sinclair added that the programme helped him to turn frustration into focused purpose, and offered tools to create “real, lasting impact” with a base in the needs of people and the community.

The HuRen Human Rights Course will be offered by the college again in its upcoming Apace spring term for those aged 17-plus who wish to strengthen and defend human rights.

• For more information about course registration, e-mail apace@college.bm or education@hurenbermuda.org