Canada

Facing History and Ourselves has been working in Ontario with middle and high schools teaches and university academics since 1981. Hundreds of teaches have attended Facing History's seminars and workshops in Canada, and we look forward to offering increased seminars, workshops and follow up support in the years to come.
Download our Regional Profile [pdf]

Program Highlights

• From 1984 to 1999 Facing History partnered with the Toronto District School Board (formerly Toronto Board of Education, North York Board of Education, and Etobicoke Board of Education) to deliver two- and three-day workshops and over 50 follow-up sessions to hundreds of classroom teachers

• Across Ontario Facing History has conducted workshops for the Thames Valley District School Board, Kitchener-Waterloo Public and Catholic School Boards, and Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board.

• Facing History has partnered with the British Columbia Teacher's Federation to deliver teacher training to B.C. teachers. Workshops have also been offered to teachers in Winnipeg.

• Facing History has done extensive work with Faculties of Education at York University, University of Toronto, and Althouse College of the University of Western Ontario

• In 2006 Facing History began organizing an annual, a five-day seminar for Ontario teachers. The 2006 seminar was held in Waterloo, and the 2007 seminar was held at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto. Teachers from public, Catholic, and Jewish schools participated in these seminars.

• The Ontario Ministry of Education has accepted a proposal from the Toronto District School Board to design and deliver a locally-developed full course (110 hours) on twentieth-century genocide. The Steering Committee has agreed that the Facing History approach will inform the course, and Facing History resources will be key components of the new course. Twelve schools have indicated that they plan to teach the course in September 2008, and an additional 16 schools plan to implement the course in September 2009. Facing History will provide professional development to the writers of the course profile and the teachers who implement the course.

Recent News and Features

• Facing History and Ourselves Canada partnered with the Miles Nadal Jewish Community Centre, the Polish-Jewish Heritage Foundation and other community organizations to bring Life in a Jar, a play about Polish-Catholic rescuer Irena Sendler to Toronto. Facing History teachers brought their students to 3 sold out student performances.
• Facing History and Ourselves Canada co-sponsored with the Toronto Jewish Film Festival and a workshop and screening of the film, Blessed is the Match: The Life and Death of Hannah Senesh. Teachers watched the film and then we introduced to resources developed by Facing History and Ourselves to accompany the film.
• Teachers will be able to bring their students to a special student screening of the film on May 9, 2008. For more information about the student screening please contact, filmmatters@tjff.org.

Contact

Leora Schaefer
Program Director
Facing History and Ourselves Canada
(416)901-3831