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On April 6, FRHRC sponsored a guest speaker on rural Zambia. Joy Christina De'Matteo presented slides and information regarding the construction of a school in a rural village and discussed many problems affecting the population of Zambia.

FRHRC's Martin Luther King Art and Essay Contest attracted over 170 entries from across the reservation. All entries were displayed at an open house held at the Salish and Kootenai College, and individual entries were prominently featured in local newspapers. Individual winners received U.S. Savings Bonds up to $100. All students received handsome certificates of participation, and prizes were given for entire class entries.

Youth With a Voice, a local teen group involved in human rights issues and the promotion of a lifestyle free of drugs and alcohol, is organizing a leadership camp to plan activities for the upcoming year. The camp will be held in May.

FRHRC will hold its third annual youth leadership camp on July 30-August 3. It will take place at Blue Bay Campground on Flathead Lake. This year's camp will be split into a high school section for the first three days, and a middle school component for the final two days. For more information call (406) 676-8444.

FRHRC's Annual Cultural Fair has been moved to the Fall. Look for the fair in late October.

HHRTF held a one-day conference in late March titled "Human Rights and Their Historical Perspective." The keynote speaker was Dr. Paul Lauren, a Mansfield Professor at the University of Montana and author of The Evolution of International Human Rights. Lauren placed human rights in a historical context and demonstrated how far we've come in a short period of time. Other speakers included: Carroll College's Dr. Phil Wittman and Dr. John Hart. Wittman discussed the relationship between human rights and individualism. Hart talked about the history of property rights. Karl Olson of PRIDE discussed the controversies surrounding gay marriage. About 35 people attended the event.

HHRTF continues to hit the airwaves with its "The Human Rights Hour." The show can be heard in the Helena area at 88.5 FM every Tuesday night from 5:00-6:00 p.m.

GHRTF has taken up health care as a human right. In November 2000, GHRTF sponsored a speech by Mary Noel, supervisor of the Children's Health Insurance Plan (CHIP). She spoke on CHIP's history and gave data on past and current utilization of the program. At the same event, Leslie Richards, from the Gallatin City-County Health Department, spoke on the county's efforts to enroll eligible children in CHIP. There were samples of the application forms and information fliers available from the department.

Keeping with the health care theme, the group hosted Karen Palmer, an independent consultant in public health who specializes in health policy/planning, in April. She divides her time between the United States and Canada researching comparative health policies. She spoke on the myths and facts concerning publicly-funded health care. She also addressed the fact that America is the only industrialized nation without some form of guaranteed health care. About 30 people attended Palmer's presentation.