Upstanders and Education
The mission of the WE ARE HERE! Foundation project is to promote Human Rights and Social Justice through the principle of choosing to be an Upstander. Our focus is on education, language, literature, music, film, the arts, and other cultural forms.
The WE ARE HERE! Foundation is pleased to announce the following new education initiatives.
1. IN MY POCKET Project on the Kindertransport and displaced people, suitable for 9 to 11 year olds
Project Significance
Today, there are millions of refugees and displaced people, many of whom are children. This project highlights their difficulties when leaving their country of origin and settling in a new country. They would experience language, identity and belonging issues, the changing of family roles and cultural differences. As an example, there are currently two million refugees from the Ukraine in Poland alone.
From the historical perspective of the In My Pocket project, its message is as relevant as ever before. This project originates from the important period of history when 10,000 children were forced to leave Germany and relocated to the United Kingdom. It is told from the perspective of a young person.
The book In My Pocket by Dorrith Sim tells how, as a seven-year-old Jewish girl, Dorrith had to flee Germany all alone. The separation from her parents was final. But while Dorrith’s story is sad, first and foremost, it is the story of her rescue and her coming to terms with her new life in a different country.
At the same time, it enables a new perspective on the current situation of refugees. It’s important to note there are over 100 different nationalities in Western Australia, and this project translates across all communities. It provides a clear link to what young people from diverse backgrounds could see and face about their ethnicities.
WA MUSEUM In My Pocket
Dr Bill Allen, Professor Lynne Cohen, Eli & Jill Rabinowitz