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programmes

legal education

	Launched in 1986, Street Law (South Africa) has spread throughout South Africa and was historically housed at all university law faculties in South Africa. Whilst it remains a prominent human rights and legal education programme for all South Africans and retains its national links, the Street Law programme now only functions in KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape. Aimed primarily at the youth, Street Law is designed to introduce the law and human rights to people of all levels of education, providing a practical understanding of the law, the legal system and the constitution to all learners. Street Law also contributes towards the consolidation of a democratic society through the cultivation of a culture of rights and responsibilities as well as promote respect for the Rule of Law.
objectives Street Law is designed to introduce the law and human rights to people of all levels of education, providing a practical understanding of the law, the legal system and the constitution to all learners	to make people aware of their legal rights and how they can use the legal system to protect them; to make people understand their constitutional rights and how they can access the various institutions created under the constitution to assert their rights; to help people to tolerate opposing points of view; to encourage people to use alternative ways of resolving conflict; and to improve our understanding of the principles and processes of democracy.
achieving our objectives	Over the years, Street Law Co-ordinators have undertaken a range of activities. These include teacher training; school activities; voter education; public events celebrating human rights; art competitions; and workshops with various community groups, such as prisoners, the police, street children and the disabled. "Edutainment" has always been at the centre of Street Law's teaching approach. This provides a lasting impression of how the law and human rights works in real life and allows learners to apply human rights principles to their particular circumstances. This form of education also allows Street Law to make the necessary link-ups with predominant themes in present day South Africa, such as race, religion, crime, nation-building and culture. An example of such edutainment ventures was the Space Colony Conferences which were started in 1989. Here, high school pupils from the Street Law programmes throughout the country met and were divided into five imaginary countries. Each group was required to ensure that present and future geographical interests were protected in the formulation of a constitution for a jointly held "Space Colony". Through these activities, pupils were taught the importance of negotiations, compromise, democracy and citizen participation. This event became known as theNational Youth Parliament in 1995 and is still organised by the National Street Law Programme.
educator's seminars	In the past, provincial co-ordinators have run educator seminars for those already running DFA/Street Law programmes at their schools. Educators have been introduced to various issues during the year-long programme such as Active Citizen Participation, Constitutional Democracy, Creating an Environment Conducive for learning and teaching as well as Equality. Hand outs are given and each seminar comprises of a section on educational materials and their inclusion in lesson plans.
curriculum development	Street Law is taught as a course for Law, Education and Social Work students at the universities where the programme is housed. The students' natural energy and enthusiasm are harnessed to build a dynamic and vibrant human rights education programme. These students then take Street Law into schools as part of the curriculum, with the result that thousands of schools and learners are reached every year. These learners are exposed to the constitution, the bill of rights, school governance, as well as issues such as criminal law, family law and consumer law that may be of interest to them. The Street Law programme has been supported by materials that provide an insight into legal issues in such a way that can be easily understood as well as utilised. These materials cover Introduction to South African law and the legal system; Criminal Law and Juvenile Justice; Consumer Law; Family Law; and Welfare and Housing Law (including Socio-economic rights); and Labour Law. These materials are being updated and reproduced in conjunction with Juta and will be in line with current legislation and social issues.
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