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The
Genocide Education Project Reaches Out To California Students
And Teachers
SAN FRANCISCO, CA -
The
Genocide Education Project concluded a series of workshops over
the last three months targeting junior high and high school
students and teachers throughout California. Developed by a team
of educators, Sara Cohan, Armen Sedrakian, and Hasmig Tatiossian,
the interactive workshops provided a vehicle for students and
teachers to learn about the Armenian Genocide in more depth, and
also how it relates to current human rights issues.
At John
Muir Middle School in Burbank, Hasmig Tatiossian, Southern
California Regional Assistant Coordinator for The Genocide
Education Project, conducted workshops throughout April for over
600 students, engaging them in discussions about the problem of
genocide. She presented a comparative perspective to the
Armenian Genocide, and together with the students, explored
actions they can take in response to modern-day genocides.
John Muir
social sciences teacher, Glenn Jaffe, was very satisfied with
the workshop for his students, saying the "same presentation
should be done yearly at Muir." Mim Oettinger, Assistant
Principal of Instruction at Muir, found most beneficial ‘the
fact that other genocides, both past and current, were discussed
and students were informed that they were responsible to take
action to prevent genocides.’
In San
Francisco, The Genocide Education Project presented two
workshops to high school students at the Holocaust Center of
Northern California, during its "Day of Learning" program on
April 30th. Hasmig Tatiossian conducted one of the
first workshops focused on the Armenian Genocide and the Rape of
Nanking which was part of the "Generation to Generation" theme.
The second workshop, conducted by Armen Sedrakian, focused on armed resistance during the
Armenian Genocide with a particular focus on Musa Dagh.
In Fresno
on May 13th, The Genocide Education Project held a joint seminar
on genocide for more than 100 high school students, with Dr.
Matthew A. Jendian, Professor of Sociology at Fresno State
University. The three-hour seminar included discussions about
the Armenian, Cambodian, Rwandan and Darfurian genocides. It
also contained crucial lessons regarding the responsibility of
individuals when genocide occurs. The seminar was organized by
the Fresno Chapter of the Armenian National Committee and funded
by the Bertha and John Garabedian Foundation.
Earlier
this spring, The Genocide Education Project conducted several
successful workshops in San Diego, Los Angeles and Glendale,
California targeting educators. Positive feedback included
comments like those of teacher Karen Bennett, "Please keep up
the work you are doing! This information needs to be kept alive
in our schools!!" and teacher/curriculum coach Nancy Witt, "A
very worthwhile day – I have already thought of a way to
incorporate this in class."
"Genocide
education is imperative, especially at a time when such a crime
is not just a historical reality, but is part of our
contemporary reality as seen in Darfur," said Raffi Momjian, the
Executive Director of the organization. "The opportunity to
work directly with students and teachers over the last few
months was truly rewarding, as their passion for the subject was
palpable in all the workshops."
The Genocide Education
Project is a nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization that assists educators in
teaching about human rights and genocide, particularly the
Armenian Genocide, by developing and distributing instructional
materials, providing access to teaching resources and organizing
educational workshops. |
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