SAN FRANCISCO—South Bay Area Armenian-Americans learned about the efforts of The Genocide Education Project recently at a community reception in Cupertino, California.
The Genocide Education Project Director Raffi Momjian and board member, Roxanne Makasdjian, briefed community members after services at St. Andrew Armenian church on May 1st. Makasdjian reviewed the history, structure, and mission of the organization. “We want every student in the U.S. to graduate high school with a basic knowledge of the Armenian Genocide and its place in world history,” she said.
Genocide Education Project is a nonprofit, tax-exempt, educational organization assisting educators in teaching about human rights and genocide, particularly the Armenian Genocide. The organization develops and distributes instructional materials, providing access to resources and conducting educational workshops.
Momjian described the variety of teaching materials, lesson plans, teacher-training workshops and other services provided by The Genocide Education Project. “The impact of this work is far-reaching,” said Momjian. “Every teacher who uses the GenEd resources typically reaches more than 60 students each year.”
KZV Armenian School students prepare to educate
Students preparing to graduate from KZV Armenian School in San Francisco recently learned how to help bring the lessons of the Armenian Genocide into the high schools they’ll be attending after graduating from KZV. At the invitation of KZV Principal, Grace Andonian, Genocide Education Project board member, Roxanne Makasdjian, visited KZV’s 7th & 8th grade students on May 26. Leading a discussion about the need for high schools to include Armenian Genocide curriculum, Makasdjian explained the genesis and mission of the organization, and she led students through a tour of educational materials available on the organization’s online resource library for teachers at www.TeachGenocide.com.
“You may end up being the only person in your next school who has learned about Armenians and the Armenian Genocide,” said Makasdjian. “You will be well-placed to familiarize the school’s administration and history teachers about the value and importance of teaching this subject.”
“The students were truly engaged in the presentation,” said Andonian. “It’s an essential part of the graduating students’ curriculum, and I have confidence that they’ll serve as good ambassadors for the Armenian community in their next schools.”
Community members provide support
Financial support is key to the success and expansion of The Genocide Education Project. GenEd’s board is seeking to establish a base of support to underwrite the ongoing expenses of the organization, as well as funding to broaden the reach of its teacher-training workshops. Bay Area Armenian-American community leaders, including Zareh Samurkashian, Jirair Sarkissian, and Edward Misserlian, have committed to ongoing financial support for GenEd. “GenEd is doing the kind of work that will have a lasting effect on the Armenian Cause,” said Samurkashian. “It’s important that these efforts expand as quickly and broadly as possible, and I urge others to step forward to see that more teachers, more schools, and more states incorporate the Armenian Genocide into their coursework.”
The Genocide Education Project is a nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization that assists educators in teaching about human rights and genocide, particularly the Armenian Genocide, by developing and distributing instructional materials, providing access to teaching resources and organizing educational workshops.
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Great article… touched me when I read Roxanne Makasdjian addressed the following to KZV Armenian School graduates:
“You may end up being the only person in your next school who has learned about Armenians and the Armenian Genocide. You will be well-placed to familiarize the school’s administration and history teachers about the value and importance of teaching this subject {Armenian Genocide).”
Great way for our youth to pursue/spread knowledge of the horrors of the crime of Genocides –
Impress, too, the need for the civilized world to join together to eliminate the crime of Genocides – forever!