Tour for Humanity was at a public school in Forest Hill today. The principal of this school had Tour for Humanity visit at her previous school and she wanted the students at her new school to have the experience as well. Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center (FSWC) Educator Elena taught 6 workshops to students between Grades 5 and 8 and they all went very well. A lot of students were a bit silly when coming on the bus but as soon as Elena began they quickly tuned in to the seriousness of the subject.  

For many students, the Holocaust was a subject they had discussed at home because several had grandparents and great-grandparents who had survived the Holocaust. We heard about Polish resistance fighters, one daring escape from a labour camp, and a grandfather born in someone's attic in 1943. The knowledge of human rights was not limited to the Holocaust. It was clear to Elena that many kids have talked about racism and other human rights issues in Canadian history as well. Although most students hadn't seen the photos of Thomas Moore's 'before and after' residential school photos, many of them immediately knew what they were looking at. One Grade 7 student noticed that "they wanted him to look violent because he's holding a gun."

The highlight of the day for Elena was at the very end when she was packing up and a very small girl and her grandmother (who were there to pick up her older brother) asked to come inside and have a look. As they walked around the young girl instantly recognized most of the heroes on the wall (Martin Luther King Jr., Anne Frank and "Ghambi"). She proudly told Elena that she has books on each of them as well as about Malala and Rosa Parks. Elena told the young girl she should come teach with her once she gets to kindergarten!