THE Holocaust Educational Trust's Lessons from Auschwitz Project (LFA) is a four-part educational programme for over-16 students and teachers which includes a visit to the former Nazi concentration and death camp, Auschwitz-Birkenau.
Since 2005, Treasury funding for the project meant that it expanded to reach thousands of young people in every part of the UK – in Scotland alone 800 students and teachers have benefited from it.
However, from 2009 this funding is set to end in
Scotland.
As a history teacher who has taken part in the project, I have witnessed an experience I can only describe as life changing in terms of the impact that it has had upon our young people.
I believe it is vital that young people learn about the Holocaust not only for its own sake but also as a lesson, a warning for the present and for the future.
Study of the Holocaust allows exploration of contemporary issues, relevant to a modern Scotland, such as diversity, social responsibility, human rights and justice.
By considering these issues, there is a real opportunity to empower young people to contribute actively and positively in their communities and fight for a future free from racism, prejudice and intolerance.
This is a conviction that goes right to the heart of project – the idea that every young person that participates in the project becomes a witness to the past and an ambassador for sharing its fundamental lessons. All student participants are required to pass on what they have learned to their school and wider communities through follow-up work, ensuring that as many people as possible benefit from their experience.
Students have gone on to organise local bullying awareness projects in their schools, spoken to their younger peers about the dangers of racism, or used their free time to campaign against the far right who have posed a threat in their local communities.
To quote a student from the recent Edinburgh-based trip, Auschwitz is a place born out of intolerance and dehumanisation. It serves as a warning to everyone: those who lash out against difference forget that we are all the same. It shows you where discrimination can lead and the importance of challenging it.
It shows that everyone has a part to play in stopping discrimination, whether it is racism, ageism or sexism. I think that is the real lesson of Auschwitz.
It is sad to think that problems with funding may prevent young Scots from taking part in the Lessons from Auschwitz Project – as it is those individuals that will shape our future.
Martin Bryden was principal teacher of history at Craigmount High School, Edinburgh. He retired in August 2008. He has now trained with HET as an LFA educator and took part in the recent project based in Edinburgh.
The full article contains 478 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
