MORE THAN 30 children from Pershore High School took part in Wychavon District Council’s annual Holocaust Memorial Day service, writes Olivia Jackson
The event, on January 18, featured speaker Amra Mujkanovic from the charity ‘Remembering Srebrenica’.
As the daughter of Bosnian refugees Amra came from a family where three generations before her survived concentration camps.
‘The power of words’ was the theme for this year’s HMD and students were given the chance to create artwork of their choice to present their own emotional interpretations. They described the event as ‘interesting’ and informative’.
Amra, who spoke about the struggles she faced as a Bosnian Muslim fitting into a new life in Scotland, said: “The short excerpts read by the students, as well as the pieces of artwork shown on the day, were incredibly inspirational to hear and see.
“Having so many young people actively engage in some of the darkest moments in history shows that they are paving the way for a brighter future.
“I am especially grateful to everyone for listening and allowing me to share my family’s story and the work of Remembering Srebrenica, and for commemorating these atrocities and making sure no victims, of any genocide, are forgotten about.”
Ed Turfrey, from Pershore High School, said: “Our students were honoured to attend this year’s Holocaust Memorial Day event.
“The testimony of a family’s experiences from the Bosnian war was not only informative, but deeply moving – all of the students involved benefited from attending this thought-provoking event.
“Their recitals of their own written work, made in response to the Holocaust were a credit to both them and the English department.”
Wychavon District Council leader, Coun Linda Robinson said: “It was an incredible and valuable privilege for all involved.”
And she added the students were a credit to their school.
Visit www.hmd.org.uk for more on Holocaust Memorial Day and go to www.srebrenica.org.uk for more on Remembering Srebrenica.
