New survey shows almost 40 percent of Grade 6
students have heard, seen, or witnessed antisemitism
TORONTO, May 6, 2024
/CNW/ - To mark Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day,
Liberation75 announced it is urgently calling for Holocaust and
antisemitism education to be mandatory learning for students in
Grade 6 in every province and territory.
With antisemitism at an all-time high, it is more important now
than ever to educate all Canadians - especially children - about
the history of the Holocaust and the importance of fighting
antisemitism, hate, and discrimination.
A study conducted by Liberation75 at the beginning of 2024 found
that almost 40 percent of the over 9,000 Ontario Grade 6 students
surveyed have unequivocally seen or heard something that they
thought was antisemitic, and almost 50 percent think that when
antisemitism occurs in Ontario,
it's a big problem that needs urgent attention.
Antisemitism is reaching a crisis level in Canada with schools reporting the greatest
number of incidents occurring in Grades 6 to 8.
"The stories of the Holocaust teach kids about what happens when
hate goes unchecked and they don't stand up for each other. It
teaches them to be good citizens. But kids can only learn from the
past if they are taught it," says Marilyn
Sinclair, founder of Holocaust education organization
Liberation75. "Ontario implemented
Holocaust education in Grade 6 last year and it has been a
tremendous success. This tells us that we need mandatory Holocaust
and antisemitism education in Grade 6 in every province and
territory."
A new campaign by Liberation75 – Young Again/Never Again - uses
A.I. technology to bring Holocaust survivors back to their younger
selves to tell the powerful stories of what they lived through. The
video and ad campaign calls on Ministers of Education to make
Holocaust education mandatory in all schools starting in Grade 6
and will be used as a learning tool for teachers. The Holocaust
survivors featured in Young Again/Never Again hope that students
will learn from the mistakes of the past and protect freedom and
democracy for all Canadians.
In September 2023, Ontario was the first in Canada to add Holocaust and antisemitism
education to the Grade 6 curriculum and will add it to the Grade 10
curriculum in 2025. Additionally, Holocaust education will become
mandatory in Grade 7 in New
Brunswick in 2024, and in Grade 10 in British Columbia, Yukon, and Saskatchewan, starting in 2025. In
Nova Scotia, it is already part of
the Grade 8 curriculum. Alberta
and Manitoba have committed to
mandatory Holocaust education but are still determining the
details. Quebec, Newfoundland, Prince
Edward Island, Northwest
Territories, and Nunavut
have yet to make a commitment or announcement.
For more information on Liberation75 visit: liberation75.org
For more information on the campaign visit:
YoungAgainNeverAgain.org
SOURCE Liberation75