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Looking back to last August, the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center education department really didn't know what to expect with the coming school year . . .

Would teachers book workshops?

Would students turn up for any booked sessions?

Would they participate?

They sure did!

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29,550 Students Educated Across 7 Provinces

FSWC educators taught 394 different workshops to 29,550 elementary and high school students across seven different provinces: British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia! This translates into more than 700 hours of virtual teaching about topics such as the history and lessons of the Holocaust, human rights issues in Canada and around the world, dangers of online hate and much more.

The FSWC educators adapted to a number of different platforms to ensure that they were able to reach students in the most effective manner. They also put tremendous effort into creating meaningful virtual experiences that engaged students, assisted teachers in presenting impactful content and inspired everyone to stand up against hate and create positive change in their communities.

FSWC's incredible team of Holocaust survivors also adapted to a variety of different platforms to ensure that their experiences continued to be shared with 87 different classes this school year.

FSWC would like to highlight Algoma District School Board in northern Ontario for partnering with FSWC to ensure that every single Grade 10 student, along with most of the Grade 11 and 12 students, witnessed survivor testimony this year.

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50,000+ Inspired by FSWC Education Events

In addition to student workshops transitioning to the virtual world, so too did FSWC education events. Freedom Day, International Holocaust Remembrance Day and Speaker's Idol all moved to the online space and found viewing audiences that exceeded 50,000 viewers when combining both live and recorded views.

Partnerships were a focus of the FSWC education department this year. We partnered with a number of different organizations on a variety of programs, including a bi-weekly In Conversation with a Survivor speaker series in partnership with the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights and a cross-Canada commemoration of the Holocaust in partnership with UJA, Canadian Society for Yad Vashem, Azrieli Foundation, Facing History & Ourselves, March of the Living Canada, and Jewish Federations across Canada.

Click here to see a full list of this year's partnerships

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Training Educators to Address Hate and Intolerance

FSWC launched a brand new training program for teachers this year. Working with the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles, a pilot group of educators from a selection of Toronto-area private schools participated over five months in an interactive, impactful program that provided them with tools and training to address hate and intolerance in their classrooms. The success of the program has led to a series of summer training sessions for teachers.

Plans for the 2021-2022 school year are already underway! The FSWC education department is working to create a hybrid approach to all programming to ensure that we continue to build our reach across Canada, while maintaining personal, impactful learning experiences!

Thank YOU for making this all possible! Your generous support is the reason we are able to continue carrying on Simon Wiesenthal's messages of tolerance, justice and human rights through powerful educational programming.

Stay in Touch

Feel free to reach out to us any time at education@fswc.ca

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