​Welcome back to school! 

The Corning Centre would like to congratulate all parents, teachers and students on the start of a new academic year — a new year full of new opportunities to make a difference! This month, we return to the school communities where we look to learn, grow and leave a positive impact on our lives and those of others. It is important to remember that our individual actions and choices dictate the directions our communities take. The Corning Centre encourages students to be positive forces this academic year and ever after.  Together, we can maintain safe learning and teaching environments for all.

In the coming weeks, we will be announcing several projects set to take place over the course of 2014/2015. As always, educators can book free classroom visits and access our expertise and resources by contacting us through the Book-a-Visit link.

I​n 2015, people around the world will be commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. This event, which took place between 1915 and 1923, is considered one of the first modern genocides in human history, becoming an example for others that followed. It was initiated by the extreme wing of the Committee of Union and Progress, the party leading the Ottoman Empire during the First World War. 

Although it occurred almost 100 years ago, the consequences of this crime continue to have a direct impact on people around the world. This is especially so in light of its continued denial by the Republic of Turkey and the social amnesia that state reinforces. Questions of justice, denial, and memory will be informing many of the Corning Centre’s activities in the coming year, two of which we are excited to introduce now.

The first is an essay, creative writing and visual arts contest open to all high school students in Ontario. Its theme will be genocide and human rights generally, and details will be made available in the coming weeks.

The second is a project titled “100 Voices,” which will be run in partnership with senior students and teachers at ARS Armenian Private School in Toronto. It will explore themes of memory, amnesia, survival and justice through and with 100 students of Armenian descent. Videos, photographs and transcripts coming out of the project will be made available online along with lessons for teachers to use in their classrooms.

Be sure to stay tuned for further details on these projects, and remember to click here to book a classroom visit

The Corning Centre has rung in the new year with its first major monetary gift. At the end of December, the organization received a cheque for $1,300 from the Armenian Nurses of Ontario, a division of the Armenian Canadian Medical Association. The generous donation was made in commemoration of the centre’s namesake, Sara Corning, a Nova Scotian nurse best known for saving 5,000 Armenian and Greek orphans during the Great Fire of Smyrna in 1922. She served as a relief worker in the Ottoman Empire and the Republic of Turkey during 1919-1922 and 1927-1930.

The funds were received with excitement and will be invested into growing the variety of topics covered in the centre’s work and developing new educational resources.

July 1, 2014, marks Canada’s 147th birthday and the 91st anniversary of the arrival of the first 46 Armenian genocide orphans at Georgetown, Ontario. A group of 50 were collected from the London, UK-based Armenian Refugees (Lord Mayor’s) Fund Orphanage in Corfu, Greece, and traveled via Marseilles to Cherbourg, France. Four were held back for several weeks, with the rest continuing on to Quebec City. Taking a train through Quebec and Ontario, they finally arrived at Georgetown on what was then called Dominion Day. The project was a milestone in the history of a country that has prided itself for its humanitarian record.

As summer school classes begin on July 2, we encourage teachers to take some time to discuss this history with their students. Topics such as immigration, humanitarianism, human rights, and genocide are relevant to many courses and are curricular expectations in many Canadian, World Studies, and Humanities courses. Questions educators may wish to explore can include, How do we accept new immigrants in our classroom? What are our attitudes towards those in need? How might these boys have felt as they arrived in a country they knew nothing about?

Please take a moment to visit our page dedicated to the 90th anniversary of these boys’ arrival. You can also access two documentaries in our Media Resources section and a new text resource in our Reference section. The latter was published by the Ontario Heritage Trust on the occasion of the unveiling of a commemorative plaque at Cedarvale Community Centre, the name by which the Armenian Boys’ Farm Home is known today. This document provides an informative overview of the history and is perfect to use as a class reading. 

The Sara Corning Centre for Genocide Education has visited over 800 students through its guest lecture services throughout the 2013-2014 academic year. By inviting the Corning Centre to their classrooms, teachers in various school boards have created a unique opportunity for their students to receive information on topics such as the legacy of genocide, genocide denial, eyewitness testimony and Canada and the Armenian Genocide. The visits have been highly interactive and allowed students the opportunity to ask questions as they navigate the complexities surrounding genocide, human rights and world politics. 

The Corning Centre is dedicated to promoting human rights, anti-racism and genocide education in Canada. Our presentations inspire students to become active voices in promoting diversity and respect for all. We encourage teachers to contact us and book a classroom visit for the 2014-2015 academic year, or even for their summer school classes, and to stay tuned for upcoming events and classroom resources! Happy Canada Day!