Lessons from Auschwitz Project

From November onwards, we have had the privilege of representing TGGS as Year 12 history students for the Lessons From Auschwitz project organised by the Holocaust Educational Trust. When we signed up in October, we all had a keen interest in history, but this programme has deeply impacted our understanding of the Holocaust and taught us so much about not only the scale of the loss but also the humanity and communities that the Nazis tried to strip away.

Visiting Auschwitz 1 and Birkenau in Poland was in no way easy, but it was so important for us to bear witness to the atrocities committed and what was lost by standing where they happened. It’s one thing to learn about these events in a history lesson, and we all knew the facts and statistics, but seeing it firsthand drove home the reality of the Holocaust, and its continued implications today.

It’s an experience that will never leave us, and we’ve been able to reflect on what we’ve learned and share it with other students, ensuring that this part of history is not forgotten.

 “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” (George Santayana)

Finn, Livi and Isla