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GenEd
Delivers Armenian Genocide Presentation to Global Leadership
Students
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Over 500 Ambassador
School students attend
Armenian Genocide assembly
GenEd's Suzanne
Douzmanian delivers Armenian
Genocide presentation |
Los Angeles, CA – Five hundred
middle and high school students at the Ambassador School of
Global Leadership learned about the Armenian Genocide last week
at a special assembly program and discussion presented by The
Genocide Education Project (GenEd), in partnership with the AGBU
Young Professionals of Los Angeles (YPLA).
Suzanne Douzmanian, GenEd's
Southern California Regional Coordinator led the discussion,
which examined the political and historical context of the
Armenian Genocide, as part of the continuum of genocides of the
20th century. She also incorporated an examination of the
historical journey of her own grandparents, survivors of the
Armenian Genocide, into the presentation.
For many of the students, this was
the first they had heard of the Armenian Genocide. Although
state law requires that the Armenian Genocide be taught in
California schools, many schools still do not include this
history in their curriculum.
"This was an eye-opening assembly
for my students. Since we are part of the International Studies
Schools Network, the presentation was especially relevant to our
global leadership theme. I would definitely ask them to come
back every year." The International Studies Schools Association
(ISSA) is a national network of schools dedicated to improving
students' understanding of the world.
School counselor Nicole Nigosian
spearheaded the event to coincide with the 96th anniversary of
the Armenian Genocide. "My grandparents were Armenian Genocide
survivors, so organizing this presentation really meant a lot to
me. I was happy to be able to share a part of my cultural and
family history with my students. In fact, I feel that this is
one of best things I could have done as a personal contribution
toward awareness and remembrance," said Nigosian.
"The role of GenEd, as the conduit
for educating teachers and students on the historical facts of
the Armenian Genocide is an important one," said AGBU YPLA Chair
Yeghig Keshishian. "We value the incredible work of this
organization and its behind-the-scenes approach to bridging the
educational gap on a topic that has long gone untaught in our
school curriculum."
The Genocide Education Project is
a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing instructional
resources and teacher training about human rights and genocide,
with a particular focus on the Armenian Genocide. For more
information on the Genocide Education Project, please visit
www.genocideeducation.org.
YPLA is the Los Angeles Chapter of
the AGBU Young Professionals--a growing network of individuals,
between the ages of 22 and 40, who individually and collectively
mirror the AGBU's mission to preserve and promote Armenian
identity and heritage by adding dimensions to the lives of young
professional Armenians through educational, cultural, social and
humanitarian programs. For more information on how to get
involved with YPLA, please contact:
agbu.ypla@gmail.com
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