Today, the Zoryan Institute is pleased to be celebrating the International Day of Education by highlighting some of our educational programs that aim to help further collective understanding of the phenomenon of genocide and human rights.

Genocide education is central to the goal of preventing future occurrences of genocide and related forms of mass violence and atrocity crimes. Education is the best tool to bring about tolerance and understanding and is a powerful tool to help create a world with less hate and violence. Some of our educational programming includes:

Genocide and Human Rights University Program

The Genocide and Human Rights University Program (GHRUP) is a two week intensive program hosted at the University of Toronto, aimed to encourage a new generation of scholars to engage in research and publication in the field of Genocide and Human Rights Studies. This is achieved through a comparative and interdisciplinary analysis of cases of genocide, such as the Holocaust, the Cambodian Genocide, and the Rwandan Genocide among others, using the Armenian Genocide as a point of reference. It is also achieved through the study of important themes and concepts.

Registration for the 2023 GHRUP is now open!

Promoting Equity, Tolerance, Reconciliation, and Awareness Through Genocide Education Program 

These 70-minute presentations, taught by graduates of the GHRUP, have provided secondary school students across the Greater Toronto Area with a foundational understanding of the complex and often emotional issues related to genocide and crimes against humanity utilizing firsthand testimonies of those who experienced the Armenian Genocide, the Holocaust, and the residential school system in Canada.

To book a presentation for your classroom, visit our website here!

Educational Clips for High School Classrooms & Training Clips for High School Teachers

The Zoryan Institute has created an online resource database of free teaching materials and short clips covering issues of interest pertaining to genocide and human rights.

These resources, developed in consultation with genocide studies scholars and Ontario high school curriculum specialists, include short video clips on key themes of genocide and human rights,, snippets of Armenian Genocide survivor testimonies, teacher training clips, a sample lesson plan, activity ideas and guides, worksheets, a list of additional sources, & more! They are intended to be utilized by teachers within classrooms or to inform their own teaching, and by students and parents as resources for school assignments and to learn more about these issues.

GSI Educational Supplements

The Zoryan Institute’s GSI Educational Supplements are a new initiative done in partnership with the University of Toronto Press! These Educational Supplements, targeted to high school educators, are published with the aim to help bridge the knowledge gap between academics and the public. Each educational supplement seeks to raise awareness about genocide and other atrocity crimes to today’s youth, and inspire high school students to act as engaged global citizens. Each supplement uses published papers featured in new or past issues of GSI, a lesson plan and worksheet on content from the journal for teachers to use in their classrooms. Our first supplement explores topics related to the Holocaust in anticipation of International Holocaust Remembrance Day on January 27, 2023.

For more information on the Zoryan Institute’s work, please visit here.

In order to continue offering quality educational programming, the Zoryan Institute needs your support! Consider making a donation today by clicking here.