The Genocide Education Project
51 Commonwealth Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94118
(415) 264-4203
[email protected]
www.GenocideEd ucation.com
Contact: Sara Cohan ([email protected])
GENOCIDE EDUCATION POPULAR TOPIC AT NCSS 2007 ANNUAL CONFERENCE
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San Diego, CA, December 22, 2007 – The Genocide Education Project
presented a workshop for social studies educators and distributed lesson
plans and genocide studies curriculum at the December 3-5 annual
conference of the National Council for Social Studies Annual Conference
(NCSS), in San Diego, CA. The conference was attended by more than four
thousand teachers and education professionals from around the country.
`Every year, this conference is a valuable opportunity for The Genocide
Education Project to make vital, face-to-face connections with teachers
from the broadest range of school districts." said Raffi Momjian,
Executive Director of The Genocide Education Project. "We discuss the
importance of teaching about the Armenian Genocide in the context of
world history, and we directly provide the instructional materials to
teach the subject effectively.’
The conference organizers devoted significant time to the subject of
genocide, hosting eight different workshops on various genocide-related
themes, several including the Armenian Genocide. The Genocide Education
Project presented a packed audience of teachers its newly-launched
"online classroom" called Genocide and the Human Voice: Nicole’s
Journey. Momjian, Education Director, Sara Cohan, and UC Berkeley
student volunteer, Shant Hagopian, administered a booth where The
Genocide Education Project’s materials, including brochures, CD-ROMs,
and lesson plans on the Armenian Genocide were distributed without
charge to educators.
Cohan noted the increased interest within the educational community in
teaching more about the problem of genocide. `One reason for the growing
attention to genocide education is the ongoing genocide in Sudan against
the people of Darfur. The genocide began in 2003, has taken at least
400,000 lives and displaced 2.3 million people. Educators are leaving
behind the mantra `Never Again’ and embracing the realization that
genocide happens too often. We need to teach young people about patterns
of genocide and how they happen, if we want the genocide in Darfur to be
the last genocide of the 21st century.’
In its October 24th issue, the prominent education publication,
Education Week, reported on the upward trend of genocide education. The
article, `Genocide Claiming a Larger Place in Middle and High School
Lessons,’ which discussed the work of The Genocide Education Project,
began by citing the passage of the Armenian Genocide resolution in the
House Committee on Foreign Affairs. The media coverage of the resolution
this fall brought the issue of Armenian Genocide recognition and the
problem of genocide denial into the spotlight, and teachers took notice.
Education Week also highlighted the work of 8th grade history teacher,
Ronald Levitsky, who teaches various cases of genocide to his 8th
graders in Illinois and was the 2006 recipient of The Genocide Education
Project’s Aharonian award. The Aharonian Award recognizes teachers who
creatively and effectively incorporate the Armenian Genocide into their
curriculum.
The Genocide Education Project is a nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3)
organization that assists educators in teaching about human rights and
genocide, particularly the Armenian Genocide, by developing and
distributing instructional materials, providing access to teaching
resources and organizing educational workshops.
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[Picture Caption] Educators at The Genocide Education Project’s NCSS
2007 Booth