Freshmen in Megan Lutz’s English class presented their research on genocide at the May 6 Human Rights Summit at the Facing History New Tech School in the Old Brooklyn neighborhood of Cleveland.
The student presentations focused on one of seven genocide events that took place from 1908-present: Bosnia, Cambodia, Rwanda, Darfur, Armenia, Al-Anfal (Iraq), and Pygmy (Rwanda).
The background for the culminating project included viewing the Being Young and Making an Impact TED talk, reading Night, the story of a Holocaust survivor and a visit to the Maltz Museum of Jewish History to see the exhibits and to hear a Holocaust survivor talk about his experience.
“When we began this project, the students were surprised to learn that genocides are happening today,” said Ms. Lutz. “That is when they decided that their goal was to educate others about genocides.”
“One of my goals was to have students learn about the politics of genocide and to discover how regular citizens can stand up to the forces of genocide,” continued Ms. Lutz.
There were 85 freshmen in her English classes and 25 volunteered to conduct more research about genocide and create information posters for display at the Human Rights Summit.
The summit included students from three other schools and keynote Charles Holt a Broadway and television actor, whose presentation Finding Your Voice, encouraged students to stand up for what they believe in and get involved in their communities.