Suggestions for Creative and Cross-curricular Activities

These ideas may be adapted for use with all age ranges at primary, secondary and post 16. Teachers are encouraged to develop activities to match the age, aptitude and interests of their particular students.

Stage one: Preparation

Explain

Every year on 27th January we join with millions of other people in the UK and across the world to remember the victims of the Holocaust. We also think about other victims of Nazi persecution and those who have died in subsequent genocides in Cambodia, Bosnia, Rwanda and present day Darfur. Hundreds of events take place around the UK and everyone who takes part makes a promise to learn the lessons of the Holocaust. If this is a real promise then it needs to be more than words. We want to encourage people to learn about the Holocaust, listen to true stories from survivors and then take positive action to create a Legacy of Hope to carry into the future. We want people to commit to challenging unfairness, prejudice and discrimination in their local community, across the UK and around the world. However if we want people to join The Legacy of Hope and make a commitment we need to think about what we are asking them to do and how we may help them.

Explore the concepts; Legacies and Hope

Write “Legacy” as a heading on the board. Ask students where and in what context they have heard or seen the word before. List their ideas. The most likely responses will be linked with legal matters, finance and wills e.g. Great Uncle Harry left a legacy for Dad, I will leave a legacy to an animal charity in my will, but other suggestions may include the creative work left by an artist, writer or musician, something which lives on after their death or the contribution made to human rights or world peace by a political leader or a scholarship for a young student or artist created as a gift many years ago or progress in scientific or medical research which grew from the work of an individual or group.

If you are working with primary students, you may need to introduce the word Legacy for the first time and give them two examples from the above list.

Explore the concept of a legacy as being something which lives on independent of the person who created it. Discuss how a legacy links the past with both the present and future.

Next discuss students’ understanding of Hope. Ask them what fills them with Hope. Is there always room for hope, even in the depths of despair? If you have time, this might be a good place to use one or more of the HMD 2010 case studies. Is there evidence of hope in the story? Then focus on the students themselves and their feelings about the modern world. What do they hope for in the future, for themselves, for their local community, for the world?

Think together…

...about actions and promises. Link the two words, Legacy and Hope together. If we think about legacies we are also thinking about promises and responsibilities – a promise from the person leaving a legacy and the responsibility of the people who receive it. What do students think a Legacy of Hope really means and what should it be? Think about the needs of the world, the UK and the local community. How could we create a Legacy of Hope to encourage people to challenge acts of hatred, discrimination, prejudice and exclusion? Think of a situation or situations in school/college or the local community where unfairness exists. Could we do something practical to challenge it or draw attention to it so that we could actually bring about a more fair and inclusive society? How could we create our own Legacy of Hope for HMD 2010? Primary students might find it easier to think in terms of what is fair, what is unfair and what changes they could help people to make.

Stage Two

Building a Legacy of Hope

Give the group the briefing sheet to help them

• Cross_Curricular (PDF: 111533 KB)

• Our approach to education
• Learn more about HMD
• How to use this website
• Request our Campaign Pack
• Sign up for our newsletter
• Archives