Saskatoon students learn about genocide through travelling education program

Students at Bishop James Mahoney School in Saskatoon were given a profound educational experience as they boarded the Tour for Humanity's mobile education centre to learn about the concept and history of genocide.

Daniella Lurion, Director of Tour for Humanity, emphasized the importance of this learning experience.

"It's important for us to learn about the past or we will continue to repeat it again and again," she said. "Some of the students here have acknowledged that they didn't know all the history, whether it's the Holocaust or our history here in Canada."

The program covered a comprehensive history of genocides including the Holocaust, Holodomor, Armenian, Bosnian, and Rwandan genocides.

"Discrimination exists across time and space. Simon Wiesenthal, our namesake, was very clear that the Holocaust was not just a Jewish story; it was a human story," said Lurion.

For many students, this was their first exposure to the concept of genocide. This early introduction aligns with the curriculum they will encounter in the following year. Leanne Hamm, a history teacher at the school, explained.

"In History 10, we talk about nationalism, colonialism, and imperialism that sets up how some of these segregations of society can take place. History 10 obviously covers World War One, World War Two, and we do cover the Holocaust in our curriculum there," said Hamm

The Tour for Humanity is organized by the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Centre for Holocaust Studies. This initiative travels across Canada with the mission of educating young minds about the pains of history to prevent future atrocities.