Four first year History students from Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College (QE), Darlington, have taken part in Lessons from Auschwitz Online, an interactive digital project organised by the Holocaust Educational Trust. Matthew Dove, Tiegan Flynn, Alex Paine and Lisa Reed engaged in a combination of live and self-guided learning in three online events which included seminars and a virtual exploration of Auschwitz-Birkenau. They also heard directly from Holocaust survivors who shared their stories during a live survivor testimony and Q&A session. Following the project, the students discussed their experiences during the Holocaust Memorial Day ceremony held at QE and led by Reverend Rick Simpson, Archdeacon of Auckland, before delivering a presentation at the College’s History Club.
Reflecting on the project, Alex comments: ‘Lessons from Auschwitz Online was a profound experience and really helped me to understand the Holocaust on a human level. I would highly recommend it to any student’. Tiegan adds: ‘From taking part in the project, you gain an insight into the stories behind the statistics. What I’ve taken away most from the experience is having the privilege of hearing the stories of those affected by the Holocaust and being trusted with the responsibility, as the last generation to hear first-hand testimonies, to make sure these names and stories are never lost in time’.
