The Human Rights Center encourages residents of the Upper Midwest—including students, teachers, lawyers, health professionals, community leaders and others—to undertake practical experience in human rights organizations. The Fellowship Program is designed to promote human rights by providing practical training in the varied aspects of human rights work worldwide. The fellowship placement should provide both training for the individual and assistance to the organization.

The University of Minnesota Human Rights Center Fellowship Program also fosters links between communities in the Upper Midwest and human rights organizations around the world. Participants return with a deeper commitment to a lifetime of work in human rights and contribute to bringing human rights concerns home to communities in the Upper Midwest. The human rights movement itself can benefit greatly from collaboration among individuals from different social, political, economic, and cultural backgrounds.