Today, Tour for Humanity was in Barrie at a Catholic elementary school. Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center (FSWC) Educator Elena was welcomed very warmly upon arrival by the principal who expressed how excited they were to be hosting Tour for Humanity. He also sat in on one of the workshops in the afternoon. 

Elena taught 6 workshops throughout the day to students in Grades 5-8. The Grade 5 students participated in Simon's Story while the other 5 groups all participated in the Canadian Experience workshop.  It was another very successful day with students expressing their amazement as soon as they entered Tour for Humanity. A lot of students in Grade 7 had recently read The Diary of Anne Frank so there were lots of questions about her life and fate after her family's arrest and deportation to Auschwitz. 

As is often the case, there were a few standout kids throughout the day with extensive knowledge about World War II. One young man had given a speech to his class about Adolf Hitler just a week or two prior to our visit so he had lots of colourful anecdotes to share. Elena was also encouraged to see that he corrected classmates who questioned whether Hitler died at the end of the war or not. He knew all about the use of cyanide capsules in this period and knew that many top Nazi officials at least considered ending their lives as the war drew to a close. A bit morbid but glad he was able to use this knowledge to help refute one of the most persistent conspiracy theories surrounding Hitler's death.

A lot of the students in Grades 5-6 had also read a book that fictionalises a first-person account of the residential school system entitled, "When I was 8." A lot of the students had also talked about the story of Chanie Wenjack, a student who ran away in 1966 and tragically died of hunger and exposure while trying to make the 600 km journey home. Elena also told the students about the fate of Thomas Moore Keesick, the boy captured in the infamous "before and after" shot used to advertise and promote the residential school system. She also talked a lot about why the Canadian government thought it was OK to remove Indigenous children from their families and the lasting impact that this forced assimilation had on students and their families.