April 24, 2015, will mark the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. In commemoration of this important event, the Corning Centre and Facing History and Ourselves organized a joint workshop to prepare educators for bringing this history into their classrooms. 

Special guest Marsha Skrypuch gave a presentation on her research and the background to her newest novel, Dance of the Banished, which is set during the Armenian Genocide but shown from the perspective of Zeynep, an Alevi Kurdish witness and rescuer. Marsha also discussed how she became interested in the topic of the Armenian Genocide and the extensive research she has conducted over the years in preparation for writing the several books she has published on this topic. She is well known for her books that show the effects of twentieth-century war and genocide from the perspective of young people. Her nineteen books have garnered more than sixty awards and honours. She has written four young adult novels set during the Armenian Genocide and two books that approach the topic for younger children.

Educators were able to discover new, interdisciplinary teaching strategies and classroom activities that reinforce historical and literacy skills. The Corning Centre focused on examining various sources on the topic of Canada and the Armenian Genocide by applying the historical thinking concepts. Educators received free copies of two new publications by the centre, “Canada and the Armenian Genocide” and “Historical Thinking Concepts: The Georgetown Armenian Boys; A Collection of Sources.” The former will be available at select events commemorating the 100th anniversary of this genocide and will be made available as a digital download in the near future.  Facing History’s  book Crimes against Humanity and Civilization: The Genocide of the Armenians, a leading and unique resource on the Armenian Genocide for classrooms, was also provided to those present.

​Grade 7 students at TDSB’s Forest Hill Public School learned about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights ahead of a school visit by the Corning Centre on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

The teaching staff, who had organized the visit, had done an incredible job in teaching the students about human rights, which formed a strong basis for understanding the history and current implications of the Armenian Genocide. Student knowledge of our collective human rights and global citizenship today, paves the way for a brighter and promising future for our world.

During the visit, the Forest Hill Public School students shared with us their exceptional reflections on the Universal Declaration of Human rights, excerpts of which, we would like to share with our educators and friends ahead of the centenary of the Armenian Genocide.

The most important court, the one of public opinion, is sometimes less fair. The judges are people just like you and me, and they can be extremely biased and nonsensical (Take the anti-vaxxers as an example). Public opinion is the context in which I have experienced the most extreme cases of the rights being upheld, and also the most extreme cases of the rights being completely ignored. Some may say that public opinion is not subject to the same standards as the justice system or the government, but I disagree. As Eleanor Roosevelt famously said, “Where after all do universal human rights begin? … Yet they are the world of the individual person.” And the individual person is a small but crucial part of public opinion. That person has the power to sway others’ opinions, and to change the world. Public opinion must be subject to the same laws and rules over human rights. The government is the one catering to the public, and if the public is not being fair and jumping to conclusions, then why should the government be fair and honest?

In the democratic government system, the people running for office at any level must get the support of the people. Doing so by marginalizing groups or individuals is most definitely not the right way to go ethically, but it worked for people like Adolf Hitler, who came into power by blaming the Jews for Germany’s economic woes. This and the following war were one of the main reasons that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was created. Although it is not entirely successful, and will probably will never be, the declaration aimed to stop atrocities like the Holocaust from happening again. Hitler did not allow the Jews to defend themselves, and broke their right to be innocent until proven guilty (Leading to the formation of the UN). It is crucial for the leadership of any country to follow this human right when in power. It is the public’s role in a democratic system to remain involved in the government system, in order to keep the government from abusing their power. If everyone in the democratic system does their part to keep human rights from being broken, the world will prosper.

— Grade 7, Forest Hill Public School, We Are All Innocent Until Proven Guilty

I live in Canada. I am a citizen; I have all my human rights and freedoms. I was told to choose one time when one right was followed and I couldn’t. I thought it ridiculous to consider the idea of choosing but I also found it true that I couldn’t think of an instance because I’ve taken all these rights and freedoms for granted my whole life. So here is my answer; every day all the time I see my human rights and the rights of those who I know being followed and respected.

It always shocks me when I read about people’s rights being violated or ignored. Last year I read in the newspaper about a journalist being detained in Egypt because he was a journalist. No fair trial; right  #10, assumed guilty though there was no proof or real conviction; 11, denied the right to move; 13, denied basic rights because he was from somewhere else; 28 and 2.

I’d like to take you somewhere, here’s the scene; a streetcar, full but only a few people are standing. There are adults and high school students everywhere. Two late high school boys are harassing a girl; calling her names, threatening to touch her. They are loud, anyone could hear them, and they are in between the girl and the driver. You would expect people to come forward to intervene but no one does. People look away because that’s what humans do. We look away because it’s easy.

— Grade 7,  Forest Hill Public School, Human Rights Assignment

In my eyes, one of the most important human rights is the right to education. A right that we take for granted here in Canada almost every day. But education is not only learning your multiplication tables or learning who won the 1940 presidential election. Sure education is part of that but what education really is, is a gate to freedom.  The freedom to then after school do what you want with your life. These are the places and times I’ve seen this right being followed and not.   

I see this right being followed almost every single day I go to school. Every day I see everyone in class learning about math and science, all the things that will allow us to make a better future for all of us. We may not all love school, admittedly it can be boring at times, and it is not always appreciated but everyone can probably agree that deep down we love some parts of school. Education is also important because it helps us learn social skill and how to interact with one another, a skill we use in our day to day life. When I see this human right being followed I feel an overwhelming sense of freedom that I know have a foundation to build my future, that I know can do what I want with my life. I also feel lucky knowing that a lot of other kids like me do not have an opportunity to get education like I do. So I decided to do something about that problem

The time I did not see this right being followed was this summer. My family wanted to do something different for the summer trip. We decided to visit Guatemala and we were going to help a school while we were there. In our time in Guatemala we visited many villages. Most of the children could not go to school past grade 5 because the government could not afford to pay for schooling. This is why I decided to take action by holding a fundraiser to help a school in Solola called El Triunfo. I visited this school, and every one of the students considers themselves the luckiest in the world. They understood that they were fortunate and I was glad I could help them. At first I felt good for helping them but then I felt that we in Canada were not doing enough to help so now I will hold more annual fundraisers. This is the only way that other children , most like you and I will get a better future.

— Grade 7, Forest Hill Public School, Human Rights Reflection

In Canada, you’re easily allowed to move around the country. You can even go out of the country and into the states, then come back again (if you’re a citizen). Unfortunately this doesn’t apply/work with to every other country or every other government. In fact in many countries, including mine (Iran), you can’t leave with as much ease. Nor, can you come back home smoothly. You might have to join an army or, you left illegally and you are just not allowed to come home. It’s a very sad thought when you remember that there are places in the world where people, where families have to escape their own country in order to be safe, in order to live. It’s a great risk too. You’re risking the chance to never see any friends, or family again. Risking the lives of your children, parents, or anyone you care about. 

To feel free is something that we here in Canada take for granted. And sometimes, we forget that there are people in the world who aren’t free to leave. It’s like you are trapped in a prison, that you’re not suppose to be in. Luckily, I myself haven’t personally experienced this withdrawal of freedom, but all the time you hear of families trying to escape, to leave, a country. And, you get a bitter feeling when you know that they shouldn’t have to do that. It shouldn’t be necessary to endanger your life for something that you should already have.

This, isn’t something that you could cure so easily. But there is hope, there people out there, who spend time trying fix this problem. From helping out those who have escaped to trying to changing that law against freedom. Because anyone who is human deserves that right no matter who they are.

— Grade 7, Forest Hill Public School, Freedom of Movement

​(photographs by Ishkhan Ghazarian)

On the evening of March 20, 2015, the colloquium titled “Conference on Genocide: Prevention to Justice” took place at the University of Toronto, St. George campus, with over 400 in attendance.

The conference was organized by the Armenian Genocide Centennial Committee of Canada, hosted by the Armenian Students’ Associations of the University of Toronto St. George and Scarborough Campuses and sponsored by the Sara Corning Centre for Genocide Education, the Osgoode International Law Society, Hillel of Greater Toronto, STAND, the Assyrian Chaldean Syriac Student Union, the Sarah and Chaim Neuberger Holocaust Education Centre, Armen Karo Student Association and the Armenian Youth Federation of Canada.

Rosalie Minassian, Chair of the Armenian Students’ Association Scarborough Campus, welcomed guests and introduced conference moderator Rupen Janbazian. “Tonight’s conference is titled ‘Prevention to Justice’ for the sole reason that one is not possible without the other,” explained Janbazian, adding that “in order for future genocides not to occur, it is vital for real justice to prevail.” After his welcoming remarks, Janbazian introduced Tanya Mordkovich of Hillel of Greater Toronto, Sheikh Mirza Ismail of the Yezidi Human Rights Organization-International and Raffi Sarkissian of the Sara Corning Centre for Genocide Education to share their perspectives on how genocide has impacted their lives. The three testimonies carried common themes of loss and survival and underscored the necessity of justice for crimes of the past to prevent their re-occurrence in the future.

Following these testimonies, Janbazian introduced the three guest lecturers, Dr. Fatma Müge Gocek, Dr. Herny Theriault and Dr. Jermaine McCalpin, to present their talks on justice for and prevention of genocides.

The lecturers utilized a comparative approach when discussing the Armenian Genocide by regularly referring to other genocides, such as those of the Jews, Tutsis, Native Canadians and Americans, Bosnians and Darfuris, when discussing the topic of justice and reparation. It was clear from their examples that there are many common themes among all genocides.

Göçek, from the University of Michigan, presented her lecture titled “Denial of Violence: Ottoman Past, Turkish Present and the Collective Violence against the Armenians, 1789-2009.” She provided a historical background of the Armenian Genocide from the late eighteenth century onward. Her extensive research into perpetrator testimonies allowed her to provide an insightful analysis of the moral and psychological conditioning of the Turkish population.

She dedicated a portion of her talk to the effects of genocide denial on perpetrators. “When a perpetrators gets away with a violent crime, the violence becomes normalized; they lose their moral compass and cannot trust humanity,” said Göçek, adding that “the consequences are with us through the generations.”

Theriault, from Worcester State University, presented “The Armenian Genocide, 2016-2025,” which focused on looking forward from the centennial of the Armenian Genocide. Theirault is Chair of the Armenian Genocide Reparations Study Group (AGRSG), which recently completed its final report, “Resolution with Justice—Reparations for the Armenian Genocide,” a wide-ranging analysis of the question of reparations.

Theriault made it clear that recognition of and reparations for genocides are vital for ending the crime once and for all. He pointed out that the victims of the crime are “assuaged and demeaned” every day that justice is not done. He also highlighted the importance and complexity of the issue of reparations: “Harms of the Armenian Genocide are very much present today. They affected the Armenian demographic: assimilation into Muslim families, birth rates, malnutrition, loss of religious and cultural values, lost properties, land, businesses and properties. This mass theft was the basis of the economy of the 1923 Republic.”

McCalpin, from the University of the West Indies and also a member of the AGRSG, presented a lecture titled “Reparations and Genocides.” His talk explored characteristics common to many genocides to highlight the importance of proactive action. He stressed that he did not view denial as the last stage of genocide, as is commonly stated. Rather, he explained that it is important to understand that genocide is a cycle and that denial is the fuel that allows mass atrocities to occur. He concluded by outlining the steps that perpetrators must take to reconcile with their victims and move forward from past crimes.

Attendees were given the opportunity to direct their questions to the lecturers after their presentations.

All three lecturers concluded that the issue of justice and reparations should not be looked at within the context of only a single group. Instead, global-scale reparations covering the past 500 years must be examined to help right the wrongs of history and prevent their re-occurrence in the future. It was pointed out that the collaboration of various ethnic groups is vital in order to move towards a global justice and prevention movement.