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Genocide
Education Popular Topic at NCSS 2007 Annual Conference
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Educators at The
Genocide Education Project's NCSS 2007 Booth |
SAN DIEGO, CA - The Genocide
Education Project presented a workshop for social studies
educators and distributed lesson plans and genocide studies
curriculum at the December 3-5 annual conference of the National
Council for Social Studies Annual Conference (NCSS), in San
Diego, CA. The conference was attended by more than four
thousand teachers and education professionals from around the
country.
"Every year, this conference is a valuable opportunity for The
Genocide Education Project to make vital, face-to-face
connections with teachers from the broadest range of school
districts." said Raffi Momjian, Executive Director of The
Genocide Education Project. "We discuss the importance of
teaching about the Armenian Genocide in the context of world
history, and we directly provide the instructional materials to
teach the subject effectively."
The conference organizers devoted significant time to the
subject of genocide, hosting eight different workshops on
various genocide-related themes, several including the Armenian
Genocide. The Genocide Education Project presented a packed
audience of teachers its newly-launched "online classroom"
called Genocide and the Human Voice: Nicole's Journey.
Momjian, Education Director, Sara Cohan, and UC Berkeley student
volunteer, Shant Hagopian, administered a booth where The
Genocide Education Project's materials, including brochures,
CD-ROMs, and lesson plans on the Armenian Genocide were
distributed without charge to educators.
Cohan noted the increased interest within the educational
community in teaching more about the problem of genocide. "One
reason for the growing attention to genocide education is the
ongoing genocide in Sudan against the people of Darfur. The
genocide began in 2003, has taken at least 400,000 lives and
displaced 2.3 million people. Educators are leaving behind the
mantra "Never Again" and embracing the realization that genocide
happens too often. We need to teach young people about patterns
of genocide and how they happen, if we want the genocide in
Darfur to be the last genocide of the 21st century."
In its October 24th issue, the prominent education publication,
Education Week, reported on the upward trend of genocide
education. The article, "Genocide Claiming a Larger Place in
Middle and High School Lessons," which discussed the work of The
Genocide Education Project, began by citing the passage of the
Armenian Genocide resolution in the House Committee on Foreign
Affairs. The media coverage of the resolution this fall brought
the issue of Armenian Genocide recognition and the problem of
genocide denial into the spotlight, and teachers took notice.
Education Week also highlighted the work of 8th grade history
teacher, Ronald Levitsky, who teaches various cases of genocide
to his 8th graders in Illinois and was the 2006 recipient of The
Genocide Education Project's Aharonian award. The Aharonian
Award recognizes teachers who creatively and effectively
incorporate the Armenian Genocide into their curriculum.
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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