Every year Ambassadors for the Holocaust Educational Trust organise events all over the UK to mark Holocaust Memorial Day. From assemblies in schools to organising survivor events at universities, Ambassadors organise a wide range of different events, sharing what they have learnt with their communities to ensure that the Holocaust is never forgotten. Below we have highlighted a few Ambassadors and what they chose to do this year to commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day.
Holocaust Memorial Day at Loughborough University by Ambassador Curtis Burbidge:
Holocaust Memorial Day at the university consisted of a range of sessions, led by academics and creators, exploring topics linked with the theme of Holocaust Memorial Day this year, which is ‘One Day’.
We have also arranged a trip to the National Holocaust Centre to help further participants’ understanding of the Holocaust and coordinated with events occurring in the town itself.
Here are my top tips for arranging events at a university:
- Regardless of the size of the event, it is important to form a group who can help you. These can include both students and staff members who may be able to help with presenting sessions etc. It is also important to get together a list of contacts within your institution who may be able to support you with logistics, such as surrounding room bookings, online links, or marketing.
- Make sure to begin preparations early and remember, you are not alone. Don't hesitate to ask for support from peers, those working with you or the Holocaust Educational Trust, who will always be happy to help.
The poster advertising the programme of events
Ambassador Alex Mason spoke to us about commemorating Holocaust Memorial Day in her local community:
On Wednesday 26th January I spoke to local schools in Edinburgh via video chat. As the children were young, I focused on pre-war Jewish life across Europe, the Kindertransport and refugees who came to Britain. I wanted to use photographs and written testimony to humanise those I was talking about.
To follow this, I designed a reflective session based on the theme of ‘One Day’. In this session I asked the students to write ‘One day, I will…’ or ‘One day, I would like…’ followed by a future ambition of theirs. My hope was to drive home the idea that there is a commonality between us all as human beings, including a commonality between themselves and those whose lives we looked at - that we all have hopes and dreams and ambitions for ‘One Day’, and that this is something that inherently links us together.
Speaking to Cuiken Primary School, Primary 7 group
Ambassador Rebecca Goddard spoke at the Department for Education event to mark Holocaust Memorial Day:
At this very special event I gave a speech sharing my reflections on the Lessons from Auschwitz Online Project – hearing from a survivor, the virtual reality of sites at Auschwitz and my Next Steps Project. I also expressed how passionate I am about being an Ambassador for the Trust and why I believe the Lessons from Auschwitz project to be so important.
I am hoping that the attendees were able to see just how valuable the work of the Trust is and see a hopeful future where our generation carries the torch of memory to ensure that ‘One Day’ we live in a society free of hatred and intolerance.
Rebecca speaking at the event