Mercy Regional College teacher Liam Charles has been awarded a scholarship for the Gandel Holocaust Studies program for Australian educators.
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The program sends secondary school teachers to Israel for a three-week intensive course on how to effectively educate students about the Holocaust.
"Seven decades have now passed since six million Jews were systematically murdered in Europe by the Nazi Party," Mr Charles said.
"As educators, we cannot afford to let our students forget the Shoah.
"This subject touches my family personally because my late-grandfather experienced first-hand the horror of the London Blitz which tore apart his family both physically and emotionally.
"I see it as my duty to keep his and other similar stories alive through my teaching."
Mr Charles will undertake a short online course about the Holocaust before heading to a teacher-training seminar at the Yad Vashem World Holocaust Remembrance Centre, in Jerusalem.
Participants will receive instruction from leading historians, learn different pedagogical approaches to teaching the Holocaust, meet survivors and participate in intensive workshops and discussions.
The final element of this program will involve developing an initiative in the Mercy community related to the Holocaust, a follow-up seminar in Melbourne and the presentation of an education project.
Mr Charles is thrilled to be accepted into the program and is looking forward to learning more about the Holocaust and passing that onto his students.
"As educators I believe we have a responsibility to help our learners become active citizens, not just bystanders in our democracy," he said.
"I have always had a strong sense of social justice and am subsequently passionate about issues such as economic inequality, care for the environment, human dignity and peace."
The Gandel Holocaust Studies program departs Australia for Israel in December.
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