Local community leaders are inviting 6th and 7th grade students in Muskegon County who are eager to build bridges across diverse populations to apply for “The Journey.”
Applications for the community-based education program are due by March 4, and are available at www.socialstudies.muskegonisd.org.
Sponsored by the Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Muskegon Community College, the purpose of The Journey is to bring a diverse group of students into a community of learning and reflection based on the Holocaust as a symbol of the injustices done to humanity. It offers young people an opportunity to meet others of the same age who share the same values in addressing violence and bigotry and promoting a good sense of civic mindedness. Students selected for the program will meet regularly throughout the 2013-2014 school year.
The program begins with a team-building event at Camp Pendalouan and continues from September through June with meetings twice a month to study the events and issues surrounding the Holocaust. The students will investigate their own and others’ religious and ethnic backgrounds; learn about prejudice, racism, and intolerance throughout history; learn to address those issues; and identify how these lessons are relevant in their lives today. Students will develop the skills and confidence to speak out for what is morally right on a personal, community, and world level.
The Journey culminates with an excursion to Washington D.C., which will include visits to the United States Memorial Holocaust Museum and to the National Museum of the American Indian. The students will also meet with Congressional leaders to share their perspective on national and international issues.
Organizers include Rabbi Alan Alpert of Temple B’nai Israel; Pastor Chris Anderson, Mercy Health Partners chaplain; and David Klemm of the Muskegon Area Intermediate School District. Further information is available by calling the Center for Holocaust and Genocide Study at (231) 722-2702.