Commitment to Holocaust education
Courage to Care uses inspiring stories of survival from the Holocaust to illustrate the importance of being an 'upstander' when confronted by discrimination.
Courage to Care has launched a major new exhibition at Wollongong Art Gallery, which will include an extensive school workshop program to be attended by almost 2,000 high school students from the Illawarra area.
The exhibition was officially opened by the mayor of Wollongong Gordon Bradbery last week.
Courage to Care was invited to Wollongong as part of the community response to the recent revelation that Wollongong Art Gallery benefactor Bob Sredersas was considered a Nazi Collaborator.
“Last year, we made a commitment to our community that we would look for opportunities to provide ways to learn more about the Holocaust of World War II,” Wollongong City Council director community services Kerry Hunt said.
“Earlier this year, we had a free presentation from Emeritus Professor Konrad Kwiet, whose research confirmed Sredersas as a Nazi collaborator, at the gallery. This is the next step in this learning opportunity, and is once again open to our whole community.”
Courage to Care uses inspiring stories of survival from the Holocaust to illustrate the importance of being an ‘upstander’ when confronted by discrimination.
“It’s the lived experiences of people – their very personal stories – that bring this exhibition to life,” said Bradbery.
“There is no substitute for storytelling to really understand how a person lived, what happened to them and the outcome. And there are some really compelling stories in this exhibition that will stay in people’s minds, long after they’ve walked out of the gallery’s doors.”
Courage to Care CEO Ed St John said they were pleased to bring their travelling exhibition to Wollongong and provide the opportunity for the community to explore the space.
“Courage to Care NSW travels all over NSW, Queensland and the ACT, conducting anti-discrimination programs that spread a message of empathy and compassion,” St John said.
“Our volunteers go into schools where there is very limited understanding of the Holocaust or of antisemitism. Many students have never met a Jewish person, so our program offers a unique opportunity to break down stereotypes and prejudices, leaving students with a positive message that we can all be part of the solution.”
Chair of Courage to Care NSW Kathy Sharp added, “Courage to Care wants students and adults alike to leave this exhibition thinking about how we can make a difference, even in some small way, in our own lives today: at school, at home, at work or in our wider community.”
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