Empowering the next generation: The importance of writing in remembering the past

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. This offers a powerful opportunity to spark classroom conversations about survivor stories to inspire young people to engage with literacy, empathy, and the critical reflection skills that will shape them as compassionate adults.

To support teachers on the subject, we’re hosting a free online event for pupils aged 11 – 14 featuring author Tom Palmer in conversation with Holocaust survivor Alfred Garwood and Antoinette Mutabazi, child survivor of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi. The event is on Monday 27 January 2025 and will sit alongside a five-part bespoke film that explores Tom Palmer’s writing process, using the power of testimony to inspire student’s non-fiction writing.

Why Writing?

High numbers of children and young people are leaving school without the literacy skills they need to thrive and the futures of a generation are being put at risk. This year, both reading and writing enjoyment have hit an all-time low among young people. However, our research shows that writing can be a vital tool for making sense of the world and expressing values.

While children’s enjoyment of writing in their spare time is in sharp decline, more than half of children and young people say they enjoy writing at school – a 22% uplift in just the last year. More specifically, only 1 in 5 pupils aged 11-14 enjoy writing in their free time, but this figure doubles (to 50.8%) when they’re at school.

Our Holocaust Memorial Day event and supporting resources provide pupils with a meaningful opportunity to create their own biographies, letters, or articles inspired by real-life testimonies – reconnecting them with the power of writing. The offer is evidence-based as our research shows that author visits are a significant source of inspiration for young writers.

For Teachers

Last year, 100% of educators who attended our Holocaust Memorial Day event reported feeling more confident when teaching such sensitive, complex subjects after using our resources.

Our Holocaust Memorial Day offer is part of a wider suite of resources that deal with sensitive themes, designed to help teachers guide thoughtful discussions and writing projects. Our resources for Remembrance Day – which culminated in a live assembly earlier this month – empower pupils to explore themes of sacrifice, resilience and reflection through poetry and non-fiction writing, enriching their understanding of historical events and the personal stories behind them. Similarly, our Refugee Week resources provide tools to teach pupils about the experiences of displaced individuals, fostering empathy and awareness while enhancing literacy skills through storytelling, reading, and writing activities. Together, these resources support teachers in nurturing pupils’ engagement with complex global issues while inspiring them to work toward a future where hatred and persecution are challenged.

“We have a high percentage of students that have experienced displacement in our school. There was a real feeling of 'being seen' amongst those children and an empathetic and supportive response from the students that had not been through that experience. Some of our quieter students had a newfound confidence during these lessons. Some even performed the poetry that they had written in response to the theme of home. It was such a worthwhile and enriching event in so many ways and I feel that students and staff greatly benefited from it.” - Teacher's feedback on our Refugee Week resources

This year’s Holocaust Memorial Day resources (coming soon) are designed to be used throughout the week, include lesson plans and teacher guidance, and are shaped around a five-part film with Tom Palmer as he guides pupils through the non-fiction writing process from idea collation, reading testimonies, planning, writing and editing a final product. Pupils will also have the opportunity to submit their work for published on our website because we know that providing an audience for their work gives young people the motivation to write - children who took part in a part in a writing competition last year were twice as likely to enjoy writing (44% vs 22%) and write daily (16% vs 8%) compared to those who didn't.

Finally, 100 participating schools who take part will be gifted 10 relevant books, including titles by Tom Palmer, for their library or dedicated reading space.

Join us in encouraging pupils to engage in non-fiction writing, share survivors’ stories and reflect on life after libreration - with a focus on fostering empathy and understanding. Event details here.