- Corning Centre

Published on: October 11, 2013

Giving Voice to the Voiceless: The Armenian Genocide

Raffi Sarkissian, Corning Centre founder and director, will be presenting at the 2013 Neuberger Holocaust Education Week. The event will take place on Tuesday, November 5, at 1:30 PM in Holy Trinity Armenian Church’s Magaros Artinian Hall (920 Progress Avenue, Toronto). The event is co-presented by the Institute for Global Citizenship and Equity and The School of Advancement at Centennial College.

The excerpt from the event booklet reads, “The Armenian Genocide of 1915, during which approximately 1.5 million people lost their lives, was another human tragedy of the last century. Keynote speaker Raffi Sarkissian will focus on the role of education and highlights the struggle to give voice to the voiceless—generations lost in the Armenian Genocide—and how this could be applied to the Holocaust as more survivors age. Selected materials from Centennial Library’s special collections will be on display, including items from the John and Molly Pollock Holocaust Collection.

“Raffi Sarkissian is an educator, human rights advocate, public speaker and poet. He is Vice Principal of the A.R.S. Armenian Private School and the founder and director of the Sara Coming Centre for Genocide Education. He holds a B.A. Hons. in History, an M.Ed. from York University and a B.Ed. from Trent University. Raffi is a descendant of survivors of the Armenian Genocide.”

The HEW 2013 event booklet can be found here.

Published on: July 1, 2013

46 Armenian Orphans Arrived in Georgetown on Canada Day 90 Years Ago

July 1, 2013, marks Canada’s 146th birthday and the 90th 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 this anniversary. 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.

To book a classroom visit for your summer school students, click here.

Published on: June 30, 2013

Director of Research Presents at International Genocide Conference

On June 20, 2013, Daniel Ohanian, Director of Research at the Sara Corning Centre for Genocide Education, presented a paper on Canadian humanitarianism and immigration policy within the context of the Armenian Genocide during the tenth biennial conference of the International Association for Genocide Scholars (IAGS). The conference, titled The Aftermath of Genocide: Victims and Perpetrators, Representations and Interpretations, was held at the University of Siena in Florence, Italy. It brought together over 250 scholars to present as part of 85 panels over four days.

Ohanian’s presentation, called “Georgetown, Ontario: A Nexus of Interests and a Home for Armenian Genocide Orphans in Canada”, sought to account for why the Canadian government, which had restricted “Asiatic” immigration since the 1880s and routinely turned away refugees, opened its doors to orphaned genocide survivors in 1923; and why Canadian individuals supported this endeavour, considering that the Armenians were a group with whom they had had no direct experience and who lived some 10,000 km away. Ultimately, between 1923 and 1930, 160 boys, girls, and women were granted express permission to immigrate to Canada under the auspices of the Armenian Relief Association and United Church of Canada. In sum, he argued that humanitarian empathy, nation building, British imperial identity, church interests, and a sense of Christian duty stirred sufficient interest among disparate segments of Canadian society to allow for the bringing down of immigration barriers set up against individuals like these child survivors.

The paper was paired with one by Asya Darbinyan, Deputy Director of the Armenian Genocide Museum & Institute in Yerevan, Armenia, titled “Representation and Responsibility: American Publicity and Armenian Orphans”.

Ohanian’s participation at the conference demonstrates the Corning Centre’s commitment to supporting ongoing research into genocide and human rights, especially where they intersect with Canadian history and policy making. For the conference’s full program, click here.

Published on: June 17, 2013

Corning Centre Visited over 600 Students during 2012–2013

The Sara Corning Centre for Genocide Education has visited over 600 students through its guest lecture services throughout the 2012–2013 academic year. By inviting the Corning Centre to their classrooms, teachers in various school boards created the 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 2013-2014 academic year or even for their summer school classes and please stay tuned for upcoming events and classroom resources.

In the meantime, if you would like to follow us please sign up to our newsletter, like our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/corningcentre) and follow us on Twitter (www.twitter.com/corningcentre).

Published on: April 23, 2013

April 24 Is Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day

Dear students, educators and supporters,

We encourage all Canadians to take time on Wednesday, April 24, to reflect on the Genocide of the Armenians. Set aside time in your classes to discuss this watershed event and the adverse effects of discrimination and intolerance in society. Create an opportunity for your students to join others around the world in remembering our collective past and learning from the experiences we have struggled through as members of the human family.

We encourage you to visit www.twentyvoices.com or www.theforgotten.org to watch survivor testimonies; read a poem dedicated to the victims in class, such as one by Canadian academic and poet Alan Whitehorn’s (link); or watch a documentary, such as Suzanne Khardalian’s Grandma’s Tattoos (link). Give them voice. Share their stories.

With warm regards,

Raffi Sarkissian, OCT, MEd

Founder and Chair

Sara Corning Centre for Genocide Education

Published on: April 16, 2013

New Exhibit to Celebrate 90 Years since Arrival of Georgetown Armenian Boys

The Sara Corning Centre for Genocide Education will be presenting an exhibit titled 90 Years: Arrival of the Georgetown Armenian Boys, dedicated to the 90th anniversary of the arrival of the Georgetown Armenian Boys to Canada. The exhibit will be on display at the annual Armenian Genocide commemoration in Toronto, set to take place on Sunday, April 21, 2013, at 3:00 PM at the Armenian Community Centre Banquet Hall (45 Hallcrown Place, Toronto, ON M2J 4Y4).

The Centre’s Director of Research, Daniel Ohanian, continues to conduct research on Armenian Genocide orphans in Canada. “There is an abundance of primary and secondary sources that continue to shed light on the story of the boys, girls and women who were saved from refugee camps and orphanages by being brought to Canada. Their lives are a testament to the ability of human beings to cope with tragedy and to persevere despite overwhelming loss.”

Raffi Sarkissian, Founder and Chair, believes commemoration is among the best means of public education. “We encourage the public to visit the exhibit, commemorate the Armenian Genocide and celebrate Canada’s positive contributions to humanity in the years preceding, during and after 1915. Collectively remembering the Armenian Genocide as Canadians sends a strong message of solidarity in defending human rights and justice internationally.”

To read more about the Georgetown Armenian Boys, click here.

For additional information, to book a classroom visit, or to request an interview, write to us through our Contact Us page.

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