Holocaust Educators Network of Michigan

The 2023-24 Holocaust Educator Network of Michigan School Year Seminar will bring teachers from across the state together to study the Holocaust, genocide, and human rights topics from the perspective of classroom teachers and teacher leaders; we will witness and study together, and then collaborate to take teaching ideas back to classrooms, school districts, college campuses, and writing project sites all over Michigan. 

The program will meet three times during the 2023-24 school year. The fall and spring programs will be held at historic and/or human rights locations in Michigan, and the winter program will be held via Zoom. The dates and locations of the program are as follows:

     -Saturday, October 14, 2023 in Kalamazoo (8 AM - 4 PM)
     -Wednesday, February 21, 2024 via Zoom (6 PM - 7:30 PM)
     -Saturday, April 20, 2024 in Monroe (8 AM - 4 PM)

The seminar will then conclude with two days in June, 2024 (Dates TBD) at the Zekelman Holocaust Center in Farmington Hills including the opportunity to view and learn in the renovated permanent exhibit space.

The seminar will ask teachers to think about historic and contemporary events and issues through the lens of local places and will learn about local programs and initiatives taking on the legacy of injustice in the lived experience of Michigan citizens. Teachers will be asked to think and work with their students on informed action projects that grow out of a study of historic and contemporary injustice and trauma. Because the goal of the project extends beyond the seminar to the creation of a vibrant state-wide network of Holocaust educators, participants are able come to the seminar as individuals, or as part of a school, district, or project team, and are invited to stay connected after the seminar ends, joining a network of more than 200 Michigan teachers who have participated in HEN of Michigan programs.
 
There are twenty-five spots available for the 2023-24 seminar, and the application is competitive. First priority will be given to those teachers who can demonstrate interest, commitment, and/or experience in Holocaust and social justice education. Participants will be immersed in seminal Holocaust Education experiences, including survivor testimony, consideration of historical, Third Reich era, and contemporary Judaism, expert guest lectures, visits to museums and presentations from museum educators, and visits to significant historical social justice locations in Michigan. Participants will be given support to return to their local classrooms, schools, and communities to provide Holocaust education, which they then contribute back to the members of a growing state-wide network. All participants will receive a $50 daily stipend for attendance at scheduled events to help cover travel costs to remote locations. Additionally, participants are eligible for up to $1000 in grant funding to use in their schools and communities upon completion of the seminar.