b'Lessons from Auschwitz project 2025experience collating our knowledge and feelings on the topic. We were also given details about our Next Steps project which involved creating a medium in which we could present what we had learnt to our wider community. Our Next Steps project involved some presentations to Year 10 GCSE historians, and we believe that we have developed a more Holocaust-aware group of people within our school.The seminars &visit to PolandThis project was an eye-opening experience, with us attending several seminars, and getting the rare opportunity to speak to some survivors of the Holocaust who held eye-witness accounts of the tragedy. We were told about one womans perilous evasion fromFor example, we discussed the reasonsit has been demonstrated through Nazi-occupied Poland and the tensewhy this genocide was not stopped bynumerous catastrophic events similar to confrontations with both friend and foe,the international community. We believethe Holocaust. Many dismiss history as all culminating in her escape to sanctuary,that these presentations helped furtheran archaic subject with little relevance away from her war-torn home town. Alongour communication skills as Holocaustto modern society, but this could not be with this meeting with the survivor, we wereAmbassadors, preparing us to bear thefurther from the truth. Studying events such assigned into break-out rooms where wedtorch to enlighten future generations on theas the Holocaust teaches us about the discuss topics such as pre-war Jewishtragic events of the genocide. human experience of suffering, resilience, life and the preservation of Holocaustand the consequences of intolerance. By sites such as Auschwitz-Birkenau. To trulylearning about these tragedies of pure visualise the information given to us duringReflections human evil, we not only honour the victims the seminars, we were sent on a trip tobut also recognise and combat hatred in Owicim (the location of Auschwitz) inall its forms. History fosters empathy and Poland where we saw buildings such asencourages us to build a more tolerant the Death Gates of Auschwitz II-Birkenauand peaceful society, ensuring that and the Arbeit Macht Frei (Work Setsfuture atrocities like the Holocaust never You Free) sign leading to the entrance ofresurface. As historians and as a wider Auschwitz I. The weather was bitterly coldsociety, we must not let key historical and that truly encapsulated the experienceevents like this fade into the recesses of of Jews held in captivity in the Auschwitzour minds; it is crucial to follow up on the camp. We met people such as Rabbi Shawlessons taken from the Holocaust and who gave us an overview of what it wasactively work to prevent such prejudices like in these camps, and at the end of theParticipating in the Lessons from Auschwitzfrom occurring again. We, as a society, trip there was a ceremony commemoratingproject was a transformative experienceshould aim to create a world where such the lives lost in the Holocaust. that expanded our understanding not onlycrimes are not seen as permissible or of the Holocaust but of the wider impacttolerablea world where hate is stamped Next Steps work in school of key events in history. We are grateful forout at the source, so that atrocities this experience as it has allowed us to seesuch as the Holocaust never happen We would like to think that the follow-upthe long-lasting impact of the Holocaustagain. This project has strengthened our presentations we did with the Year 10and why it holds such a strong sentimentalunderstanding of this horrific event and classes were informative and somewhatvalue in society. One of the most significantreinforced our commitment to opposing interesting. We had many enthusiastsmoments on the trip was when we sawintolerance, helping us contribute to a about the topic at hand, and we werethe belongings of the Jewish people suchsociety free from hatred.engaging with a very lively audience thatas their pots and pans, suitcases, the hair questioned us on some unclear aspectsof the women and girls, prosthetic legs,This image serves to show us as a society, of the Holocaust, which challenged usand shoes. This was particularly significantthat victims are just like usthey feel pity, as we had to really bring out our A-levelto us as it showed how dehumanisingthey feel joy, they feel rage. They should be History analysis and evaluation skillsand atrocious the Nazi actions were;treated with the same courtesy as the rest to answer them to our fullest potential.from all the years of learning about theof us. Not to be demonised because they Nazis in lessons, nothing quite puts it intoare portrayed as monsters, such as in the perspective like this did on how brutal itcase of the Holocaust.was. The belongings allowed us to relateArvind Mann, Year 12 and to somehow connect to the victims asTinron Chan, Year 12they have so much in common with us yet were treated like aliens.History and the HolocaustThis trip has helped us further understand the importance of history, as the time-tested theory that those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat 29'