Youth for Human Rights is a program run by United for Human Rights, an American non-profit organization managed by Church of Scientology International. Founded in 2001, its mission is "To teach youth around the globe about human rights, thus helping them to become valuable advocates for the promotion of tolerance and peace."
The organization promotes Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard's writings on human rights and the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights by sponsoring essay and art contests and by providing materials for students and teaching guides for schools.
History
Scientologist Mary Shuttleworth founded the program in August 2001 in coordination with the Church of Scientology International's Human Rights Office. Originally incorporated under the name "Youth for Human Rights International" in California in 2005, the name was changed to "United for Human Rights" in 2009 while retaining the brand "Youth for Human Rights". Websites for both United for Human Rights and Youth for Human Rights International list the same Taxpayer Identification Number, California corporation number, and business address.
Their offices are located in Scientology's Guaranty Building in Hollywood, California.
Scientology's website claims that by 2004 it had established activities in more than 26 countries.
Leadership
YHRI's president and founder is Mary Shuttleworth (formerly Mary Untiedt), former president of YHRI's parent organization International Foundation for Human Rights and Tolerance. She also founded the Applied Scholastics schools "Shuttleworth Academy" and "Mary's Schoolhouse." Shuttleworth holds an executive position at TXL Films, the company that created the music video UNITED with YHRI. She is a Scientologist.
According to the Church of Scientology International, the executive director of YHRI is Tim Bowles, former law partner of Bowles & Moxon, serving as general legal counsel for the Church of Scientology. Bowles also acts as an advisor to Scientology's Citizens Commission on Human Rights.
Lynsey Bartilson, who appears on the television series Grounded for Life, is a prominent YHRI spokesperson. She was raised and remains a Scientologist, and her mother Laurie Bartilson was a former law partner at Moxon & Bartilson. In her online biography, she states that she worked as creative director and choreographer for the Scientology Celebrity Center's "Kids on Stage for A Better World."
Programs
YHRI has teamed with TXL Films (founded by Taron Lexton, son of YHRI founder Mary Shuttleworth) to create the award-winning music video, "UNITED." In June 2006, they released 30 public service announcements for TV, illustrating each of the 30 rights in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which were created by the Human Rights Department of the Church of Scientology International for YHRI.
Activities and events
YHRI distributes materials related to its interpretation of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights and YHRI programs, to schoolchildren in a variety of developed nations, such as the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom and the Czech Republic. YHRI is also active in Germany. In Belgium, it handed out a prize, and also held an awards ceremony in Bulgaria for the same prize. YHRI awarded one prize to a Chinese actress, who promoted the group's views on her web site, and another to a young Israeli Scientologist who screened the film, UNITED, and distributed YHRI materials in his school. It held a conference in Zurich. It discussed plans to lecture and distribute its materials to schoolchildren in Ghana and Liberia. It advocated lower school fees in Uganda, and held a peace rally in Nigeria. In South Africa, Mary Shuttleworth's country of origin, it is pushing for a "human rights month." The organization's work is supported by the actor and Scientologist Tom Cruise and cooperates with human rights organizations, such as, allegedly, local chapters of Amnesty International. According to the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, neither Amnesty in Berlin nor Amnesty International headquarters in London had knowledge of any such collaboration and Amnesty International, as of March 2013, has been removed from the list of collaborators on the YHRI website.