Social Justice Through the Lens of the Holocaust
recipients: Pam Bodnar, Marsh Junior High, Chico USD; Gail Desler, Technology Services, Elk Grove USD
date: 2018

Pam Bodnar and Gail Desler attended the California League of Schools (CLS) Conference, where they co-presented a 1-hour workshop: Social Justice Through the Lens of the Holocaust. The conference celebrates the best in California education and showcases breakthrough presentations on best practices and programs in the classroom. Pam and Gali’s workshop focused on ways to connect students to social justice practices, introducing and highlighting TOLI’s “significant impact in the field of Holocaust and social justice education to a broad audience.” Techniques on how to create safe spaces in the classroom to deal with sensitive topics were shared, and the workshop also addressed the negative impact of bystanders as well as the “power of ‘upstanders’ to change the future.” The duo’s commitment to promoting student voices and activism can further be seen on the Time of Remembrance (TOR) website, an oral histories project that documents stories from WWII and the Vietnam War.