Genocide Education in High Schools

The Zoryan Institute developed and launched its Promoting Equity, Tolerance, Reconciliation and Awareness Through Genocide Education Program in the Spring of 2022. The program, initially funded by the Ontario Ministry of Education provides secondary school students at the grades 10 to 12 levels with a foundational understanding of the numerous, complex, and often emotional issues related to crimes against humanity and genocide. 

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Each presentation delivered through this program opens with an interactive discussion introducing human rights and genocide, and explores select cases of genocide, such as the Armenian Genocide, the Holocaust, the cultural genocide of the Indigenous Peoples of Canada, among others, using a comparative and multidisciplinary approach. The use of first-hand testimonies from those who experienced genocide during the program humanizes the impacts of genocide in a sensitive and age-appropriate manner and allows students to compare and understand commonalities in the processes and experiences of genocide, and better understand the universality of the phenomenon. By raising awareness about about the multifaceted impacts of genocide, including intergenerational trauma, cultural destruction, mass population displacements, etc., and connecting them to students' own experiences and responsibilities as citizens, this presentation helps facilitate tolerance, intellectual dialogue, and respect for human rights and dignity. 

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What students have had to say about the program: