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The Sara Corning Centre for Genocide Education was honoured to participate in a series of events that commemorated the life of its namesake nurse, teacher, and humanitarian. The events took place in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, between September 13 to 15, 2019, and were hosted by the Sara Corning Society.

On September 14, our founder, Raffi Sarkissian, and Director of Education Levon Sarmazian facilitated a presentation at the Tri-County Regional Centre for Education (TCRCE). The presentation informed local educators about the Corning Centre’s work, the importance of genocide education, and connections between Canada and the Armenian Genocide. This was the first in a forthcoming series of engagements by the Corning Centre with genocide education in Nova Scotia. Notable attendees included Dr. Chris Boulter, TCRCE Regional Executive Director, and David Buckland, TCRCE Coordinator of Monitoring and Evaluation & Principal Support. 

The Corning Centre was also honoured take part in the unveiling of a new statue of Sara Corning in front of the Yarmouth County Museum & Archives. Sarkissian delivered a speech on behalf of the centre and thanked the Sara Corning Society for its dedicated work in immortalizing Sara’s memory.

This was a historic and emotional weekend for everyone present. We congratulate the Sara Corning Society for its dedication to propagating Sara’s legacy, and we look forward to continuing our close partnership.

We are pleased to announce our participation in the Sara Corning Society’s Commemoration Weekend, September 13–15, 2019, in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. See the flyer below for the details of this weekend meant to commemorate our centre’s namesake.

The Corning Centre will be hosting a presentation on Saturday, September 14, at 9:00 AM, at the Tri-County Regional Centre for Education (79 Water Street, Yarmouth, Nova Scotia). This event is open to all educators, school community members, and those interested in genocide education and the Corning Centre’s work. Presenting will be the founder of the Corning Centre, Raffi Sarkissian, and the Centre’s director of education, Levon Sarmazian. Their presentation will focus on the process that led to naming the Centre after Sara Corning, their work, as well as Canada’s role in genocide education and prevention.

For more on the Sara Corning Society, their work, and the commemorative weekend, please visit their Facebook page by clicking here.

On March 2, 2019, the Sara Corning Centre for Genocide Education, in partnership with Facing History and Ourselves, organized a free teachers’ conference for Ontario educators called “Teaching the Armenian Genocide in Ontario Classrooms.” The workshop started with a session by Facing History and Ourselves facilitator Ben Gross, who discussed the resources available to teachers through his organization. He then went through several exercises teachers might conduct in their classrooms concerning the Armenian Genocide. The Corning Centre’s Director of Education Levon Sarmazian shared the resources available through the Centre related to the Armenian Genocide, including lesson plans, videos, books, articles, and other publications.

The event’s keynote speaker was Dr. Henry C. Theriault, president of the International Association of Genocide Scholars and professor of philosophy at Worcester State University. Dr. Theriault opened with a round-table discussion about the struggles educators face when teaching about genocide or human rights. The discussion allowed teachers to share their thoughts on how to keep students engaged while teaching about these topics. Dr. Theriault concluded the workshop by providing his own guidelines for teaching the Armenian Genocide and by providing clarifications to enhance the teachers’ understanding of the topic.