Today, Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center (FSWC) Educator Elena was at a private school in Toronto to work with Grade 6 students on the topic of Digital Hate (cyberbullying and hate crimes in the age of the internet). Elena was blown away by how engaged and attentive they were throughout the entire workshop. 

Elena started by introducing FSWC and the work of Simon Wiesenthal through the context of the Holocaust. She didn’t spend a lot of time on the subject but pointed out that the Nazis were extremely skilled at using the media technology of the day to promote hateful propaganda. Elena also showed students a brief clip of the Nazi propaganda film, The Triumph of the Will to illustrate the utility of film and other media forms during that time period.  

From there Elena focused on the explosion of technology in recent years and the evolution of hate speech and crimes in the age of the internet. Elena showed students some examples of hate crimes in Canada from the past decade including antisemitic graffiti and other vandalism using hate speech. She talked briefly about the fact that the internet is essential to the continued existence of a lot of hate groups and recruitment of new members. 

The last major focal point of the workshop was bullying in the digital age and the ways that cyberbullying can affect young people.

Tour for Humanity continued its western Ontario tour at a Catholic school in Tecumseh, just outside of Windsor. FSWC Educator Daniella was very warmly welcomed by the school, they even included us in their signage in front of the school. There were 6 classes on the bus, different combinations of Grades 5-8 students. The Grades 5 and 6 classes were part of Simon’s Story program and the Grades 7 and 8 classes took part in the Canadian Experience workshop.The two Grade 5 classes were particularly enthusiastic and asked a lot of questions. Daniella was pleasantly surprised by the level of knowledge the students had about the Holocaust, especially given their age. They connected with the material really well, and were able to relate to Simon Wiesenthal and his story. Tour for Humanity was also joined by MP Cheryl Hardcastle for parts of each Grade 5 workshop (her schedule unfortunately didn’t allow her to stay for a full workshop) but Daniella introduced her to each workshop and asked if she wanted to say a few words. She was very impressed by the bus and even told the classes that it was so important for them to be learning on Tour for Humanity because all Canadians needed to stand up for their rights and freedoms.