Initially I became aware of the Holocaust Educational Trust when a Holocaust survivor, Mala Tribrich, came to speak at my school two years ago.
Still I can vividly remember being confounded by her immense bravery and courage in being able to share her story. Listening to her story brought a human element to the darkest period in human history and made me realise how vital it is to educate people about the Holocaust.
Every year in May pupils at my school complete a week of work experience to get a real feel for what workplaces/industries they could endeavour to work in. Considering I’ve always had an interest in History and Politics (which I want to study at University) and am concerned with the rise of antisemitism and Holocaust denial, I immediately wanted to undertake my work experience with the Trust.
For the first part of my week I worked with the Ambassador Programme team who organise events for Ambassadors, notably the Ambassador Conference that happens every year. During my time with the team I helped with some logistical elements of organising trips for Ambassadors and helped finalise a programme for this year’s Ambassadors Conference. Personally, I found it particularly inspiring working with this team as it is simply amazing to see the work of so many people my age working to inform and educate people about the Holocaust based on their experiences of going to Auschwitz. Furthermore, you truly get a sense of how nationwide the Trust’s work is by seeing the breadth of the Regional Ambassadors and their work.
In the latter part of the week I went to the Public Affairs team where I got the opportunity to do a broad array of task such as preparing meeting briefings for the Chief Executive and conducting research into the interests of MPs and Lords to help identify which politicians may want to attend future events organised by the Trust. This part of the organisation is certainly fast-moving and dynamic which has undoubtedly given me a great insight into the what it is like to work is such an important organization.
Working with these two teams and speaking to numerous people across the organisation such as the education team, the Chief of Staff and the team who runLessons from Auschwitz, gave me such a detailed and important understanding as to how a charity of this scale runs and operates. The experience has left me in awe at how dedicated people in the Holocaust Educational Trust are to preserving the memory of those who died in the Holocaust and seeking to show its modern relevance. Overall, this has been a memorable experience of working with such a vital and purposeful organization and it is one I’m utterly grateful to have had the opportunity to do and I’d highly recommend it.
James Hoggett