Remembering Srebrenica has launched brand new online education resources for teachers to use during the unprecedented coronavirus school shutdown.
With teachers across the country in need of quality online resources to fill entire timetables with remote learning, Remembering Srebrenica has this week added new free-to-use lessons to its website, increasing its educational output to 11 hours.
The charity which raises awareness about the 1995 genocide in Srebrenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and has educated 90,000 schoolchildren about the consequences of hatred going unchallenged in society.
The team at the charity immediately began working on new online lesson plans when countries began to close schools in response to the coronavirus pandemic and completed the new lesson plans in time for Boris Johnson’s historic announcement on Wednesday night.
There are downloadable lesson packs for both Primary and Secondary schools.
Remembering Srebrenica Education Manager Kate Williams said: “The closing of schools is unprecedented in peacetime and we knew there are going to be a lot of teachers and pupils relying on online learning resources like never before.
“2020 is the 25th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide and this is the perfect time for both primary and secondary pupils to learn about the horrors of war and the importance of challenging hate and racism in their communities.”
New lesson packs include Through The Eyes Of Children which focuses on the testimonies of children in Sarajevo, Trnopolje Concentration Camp and Srebrenica. And this can be used alongside resources from the War Childhood Museum Sarajevo.
Another new lesson pack centres around the 25th anniversary theme ‘Every Action Matters’.
Former teacher Kate Williams added: “This year, commemorations will focus on the theme ‘Every Action Matters’ – looking at the actions that were taken, both big and small, by those who survived the Srebrenica genocide. The theme will shine a light on the stories of people in Bosnia and the UK who took action in the face of intolerance and hatred and refused to be bystanders.
“The resource pack contains a series of short discussions which can be taught in form periods/tutor time or uploaded onto remote learning platforms.
“These workshops investigate the Srebrenica genocide, ethnic cleansing and the Bosnian War to give students the chance to engage with a range of topics and increase their understanding across the board. Each discussion contains a short piece of survivor testimony to read.”
The role of UN safe areas is the subject of the third new lesson pack and explores whether the UN safe zones were safe during the war and subsequent genocide.
