Posted on July 21, 2011 by Phillip Lee

Two weeks ago I went on a visit to Auschwitz together with students from The Sandhurst School, The Brakenhale School and Wellington College. The trip was organised by the Holocaust Educational Trust, and is part of their Lessons from Auscwitz (LFA) project. This is a Government-funded project which aims to educate students about the Holocaust, reflect about its relevance in society today and to examine what unchecked prejudice and discrimination can lead to.

The Lessons from Auscwitz project consist of a four-part course which is open to two student representatives from a post-16 school or college. The course includes a one-day visit to Poland, where local experts guide students through the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum.  I took part in this visit along with the groups of students from the three schools in my constituency.  I was deeply moved by what we saw in Auschwitz (would you like to expand on this? A little bit about what you saw etc…) At Auschwitz trained Educators from the Holocaust Education Trust led group discussions where we spoke about what we had seen and reflected on what lessons could and must be learned for future generations.

Following the visit, the students at Sandhurst School, Brakenhale School and Wellington College will take part in a follow-up seminar, where they will have the opportunity to discuss their experience at Auschwitz. Finally, having completed all the steps of the programme, the students will act as ‘Ambassadors’ for the programme and are then encouraged to share what they have learned with their peers at their college or school, as well as in the local community. I believe this is a positive and systematic approach to educate young people about the lessons of the Holocaust.

The work that the Holocaust Education Trust undertakes to educate students about both the Holocaust and its contemporary lessons has impressed me. By having students visit and understand the horrors that took place during World War II, encouraging work is done to ensure that future generations will never again allow racism or discrimination to go unchallenged.