UHRC TO HOST GENOCIDE EDUCATION WORKSHOP THURSDAY

Asbarez
Jan 26th, 2010

GLENDALE, CA-The United Human Rights Council on Thursday, January
28, will host a Genocide Education Workshop with the Armenian Youth
Federation and the ARF Shant Student Association focusing on effective
methods for implementing Armenian Genocide education in public schools.

The workshop will be conducted by Sara Cohan, the Educational Director
of the San Francisco-based Genocide Education Project. It will be held
at Sardarabad Bookstore at 1111 South Glendale Avenue in Glendale,
CA and will begin at 7:15pm.

"This is a great opportunity for students and activists to learn
effective ways to educate others about genocide at their local
campuses," said UHRC Chairperson Sanan Shirinian. "There is no better
place to teach about the horrors of genocide than on campus, where
you have an educated, captivated and motivated audience ready to
absorb truth and take action."

Cohan will be discussing the implementation of Armenian Genocide
education in public schools and will give a brief overview of trends
in genocide education, highlighting the strides made in implementing
the history of the Armenian Genocide into secondary level curricula
as well as hurdles still left to overcome. She will also explore ways
to be more involved in promoting the history of the Armenian Genocide
in U.S. schools.

The Genocide Education Project is a non-profit organization assisting
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.

"What the Project does is that we create materials and resources for
teachers to use in the classroom to teach about the Armenian Genocide
and other human rights violations. And we also create seminars and
provide individual support and information for teachers," Cohan said.

"We have a variety of materials that tap into different types
of learning styles and abilities, and we have a curriculum that’s
available online for free," Cohan said, adding that the organization’s
curriculum has a series of lesson plans based on a one-day, two-day,
or ten-day programs that include studying maps, hearing survivor
testimony, a mock trial, and various other interactive components.

She said the workshop will be looking at different ways to bring
genocide education into schools and how kids on campuses can
participate in the project. In addition to introducing workshop
attendees to the organization’s tools and methods, the workshop will
also serve as a forum for discussion about individual school cases
and current and foreseeable community projects.