Wassmuth Center for Human Rights

What happens when children and their grownups stay curious together? Find out in Compassion Crew!

This fun, free program brings preschoolers together with their caregivers for a joyful hour of sharing and discovery. In addition to story time, we play, sing, move, and create. Won’t you join the circle?

What is Compassion Crew?

This fun, free program brings preschoolers together with their grown-ups for an hour of connection, curiosity, and kindness. In addition to story time, we play, sing, move, and create.

Won’t you join the circle?

🌟Fellow Friday 🌟

Kimberlee Ross has served as a School Counselor in the Boise School District since 2012. She has worked in various capacities in the district since 2002, giving her a deep understanding of how each role plays an integral part in making a successful school.

All three of her children graduated from Boise School District, deepening her commitment to give back to the district that provided amazing opportunities to her children.

A Boise State alumna, Kimberlee holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing and Finance and a Master of Arts in Counseling. Prior to working for the Boise School District, she had a sports photography business and worked for Albertsons in their marketing department, among other positions. Her education and work experience have greatly broadened her worldview.

Her passion for supporting ALL students starts with meeting them where they are and continuously improving her knowledge and skills to help them meet their goals. Sharing this knowledge with students and their families and helping them navigate challenges towards their goals with firm, supportive guidance is her mainstay. Understanding the whole child and their own lived experience helps her guide them to feel heard, understood, and listened to.

As a Wassmuth Human Rights Education Fellow, Kimberlee 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.

Thursdays are for conversations!

This past Thursday, community members joined together to learn, share perspectives, and lean into their curiosity, using structured conversation to build understanding.

Will you join us next month?

In October, our topic will be: Beyond First Impressions

It’s easy to make assumptions about people in our community based on what we see, hear, or believe. How do these assumptions shape who we choose to engage with? Come ready to explore what influences our first impressions, consider perspectives beyond our own, and discover how staying curious can create opportunities for greater understanding.

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

Thursday, October 22
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.

The Idaho Anne Frank Human Rights Memorial has quotes scattered throughout the Memorial, intentionally designed to take visitors on a journey through history. The words of presidents and philosophers, poets and activists, children and everyday people are engraved side by side, creating a conversation across generations.
Creating this conversation took time and effort from a dedicated group of individuals who spent countless hours reviewing thousands of potential quotes. Over the course of two years, the committee carefully considered the words, the voices, and the messages they wanted visitors to encounter throughout the Memorial.
The result is 62 carefully selected quotes, including 14 quotes from Anne Frank. Half of the quotes are from women and children, intentionally highlighting voices and perspectives throughout history.
The quotes speak to awareness, action, or both. They encourage us to recognize injustice, reflect on the experiences of others, and consider what it means to stand up for human rights.
Even the design surrounding the Quote Circle carries meaning. The water represents a universal purifier, as well as the tears of all those who have been denied their human rights.
Every part of this space was thoughtfully considered. From the voices selected, to the words engraved, to the water surrounding them.
Today, the Quote Circle remains a place to pause, read, reflect, and listen to voices from across generations.
Which quote speaks to you the most?
Is there a quote you find yourself coming back to?
What words have made you stop and reflect when visiting the Memorial?

This Fall our Wassmuth Youth Leaders have been looking at models in our community that are creating long term change. With the lens of “designing for belonging” we went out into the field to explore Interfaith Sanctuary Shelter Home and the Boise Bicycle Project. These two organizations are leading the charge on how you create sustainable change in people’s lives that also honor the dignity of each person.

At Interfaith Sanctuary Shelter Home we learned about how they meet every resident who walks through their doors where they are at; Interfaith provides housing, healthcare, recovery support, workforce training, and family services to its residents. “Being able to make art, to work together on a jigsaw puzzle, to make music – it helps unhoused people move from the streets to reclaiming what it means to be human. From mere survival to seeing that they are creative beings. It often gives them what they need to take their next step of joining a group or starting recovery.” - Nathan, during one of the small group tours at ISF, explaining why so much space is dedicated to the art and “soft skills”

At Boise Bicycle Project their programs do not only give bikes to people, they teach people the life long skill of also being able to maintain and care for their bike. BBP is truly out and about town, traveling to parts of our community where people need access to consistent and reliable transportation. They bring joy to hundreds of children each year by providing their first bike and teaching them how to ride. The Boise bike project shows us that it isn’t simply about the bike itself, but it's the skills, confidence, and education that they are providing our community members that is truly making a long term impact.

The Wassmuth Youth Leaders, know that they are stronger when they can build something together, and working with these organizations provides that partnership. This is just the beginning of the impact that this group of high schoolers from all over the Treasure Valley will create. We cannot wait to share their journey with you throughout the school year.

Join us for a free Educator Open House on September 24th from 4:00-7:00 PM at The WaterShed!

We are excited to be partnering with other Boise Museum Association organizations this year to bring a comprehensive overview of educational opportunities throughout the Treasure Valley.

Enjoy exploring The WaterShed, learn more about field trips and resources from many Boise Museum Association institutions, enjoy complimentary refreshments, and enter to win raffle prizes!

Professional development credit is available through event attendance and completion of follow-up activities.

👉 This is a free event, but registration is required: https://tinyurl.com/BMAOpenHouse

Thoughtful conversations and meaningful connections were shared by all who joined us to discuss our September Hope and Humanity Book Club pick. Our discussion of The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali kept us looking into the relationships we all share between our families, our government, and our own expectations and goals. This book brought up so many topics to discuss in terms of politics, women’s rights, feminist movements, and education. There were so many themes in this book relating to human rights issues that it was easy to dive deeply into conversation about Iran and the parallels that we see in our own and other countries as well. Even though this book made us look at some hard truths, it reminded us of why fighting for the things we care so deeply about and the freedom to choose who and what we want to be, is something that we all value and continue to strive for.

Our selection for October is 'Paper Girl' written by Beth Macy.

Beth Macy grew up in Urbana, Ohio, in the 1970s and ’80s, a town of thriving schools and close-knit community, even as her own family faced poverty and personal hardships. Decades later, returning after her mother’s death, Macy finds a town transformed—economic decline, rising distrust, and a fraying sense of connection have reshaped the place she once knew. Through intimate stories of neighbors, classmates, and old friends, she traces the forces that have changed Urbana over forty years, exploring how family, community, and memory shape the lives we lead. In Paper Girl, Macy reflects with courage, humor, and empathy on the complexities of small-town life, revealing both its losses and enduring sparks of hope.

Join us as we discuss this beautiful story together on Tuesday, October 27 from 12:00-1:30 PM or 6:30-8:00 PM. Register here to join us. https://www.wassmuthcenter.org/human-rights-book-clubs/

October Book Club Selection: Everything We Never Had by Randy Ribay
 
This month’s selection offers the entwined stories of four generations of Filipino American boys – Francisco, Emil, Chris, and Enzo Maghabol – as each forges his own path while facing familial and societal expectations. From immigrating and organizing for labor rights to surviving the global pandemic, their stories carry us along from 1930 to the present. As they grapple with identity and father-son relationships, the four boys share a legacy of their flaws, virtues, and values. How can Enzo find a way to connect across the generations? How can any of us?

Generations for Justice is a free, friendly gathering designed for teensand adults of all ages. Stay curious, read a great book, and join the conversation!

Join us Tuesday, October 13 from 6:30 - 8:00 PM. Register at wassmuthcenter.org/human-rights-book-clubs/