FAU's CHHRE Hosts Summer Institute
Florida Atlantic University’s Center for Holocaust and Human Rights Education (CHHRE) recently hosted a three-day Summer Institute titled “The Holocaust in the Western Hemisphere: Before, During and After the War”for educators at the Marleen and Harold Forkas Alumni Center.
The goal of the Summer Institute was to educate teachers, using sound instructional practices, educational strategies, and historical content. It was largely focused around how to teach children not only the history but also the means to make changes, through the lens of the Holocaust. Two students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland also led a discussion, “Social Justice: Create Advocacy for What you Believe In.”
“The Institute was especially relevant to our diverse South Florida community,” said Linda Medvin, director of the CHHRE. “Hearing from Eden Hebron and Sophia D’Elia, two students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas, about advocacy and activism in order to make changes was inspiring.”
The Institute allowed educators to strengthen their knowledge and to develop the skills to move beyond commonly known history to an introduction and understanding of the ramifications of when a democratic society is compromised and how human behavior changes when democratic values are in danger. Educators had the opportunity to learn from Holocaust scholars and from each other.
The CHHRE, an integral unit of FAU’s Peace Justice and Human Rights Initiative, relies on private donations to provide professional development programs for teachers, as well as classroom resources for teachers and students to support Florida’s mandate for required instruction of the Holocaust as well as community programs and exhibits.
For more information on FAU’s CHHRE, visit fau.edu/pjhr/chhre/.
-FAU-
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