Student Programs

Witness to History: Introduction to Testimony is a 45-minute workshop offered in classrooms and through our Mobile Museums of Tolerance. The program invites students in grades 9-12 to explore historical testimony as a tool for deepening understanding of The Holocaust and the Genocide Against the Tutsi in Rwanda. The workshop develops social awareness, critical dialogue, and ethical storytelling skills through active listening and personal connection with their own identities.

Students view video-based firsthand accounts from survivors, reflecting on the profound impact of survivor testimony while the uniqueness of each historical experience while avoiding comparisons. Through a story-sharing activity, learners practice ethical storytelling by sharing their own personal narratives and listening to peers. By engaging with these testimonies, students deepen their understanding of history, develop empathy, and are empowered to contribute their own voices to the ongoing human story.

This 45-minute explores the experiences of youth-led advocates through poetry, tracing its roots from the era of enslavement through the 1960s, and examining its continued relevance today. Designed for 8th-12th grade learners, the program is offered in classrooms and through our Mobile Museums of Tolerance. Learners analyze the evolution of resistance poetry—from George Moses Horton in 1829 to the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in the 1960s—to explore how Black Americans have used poetry to assert rights, challenge injustice, and advocate for change. Through close reading, inquiry, and discussion, learners examine person-first narratives of resistance while deepening their understanding of civil rights and lived experiences across time. As a culminating activity, learners create original blackout poems from historical texts, reflecting on the enduring power and relevance of historical voices.

“We The People of Illinois: Tapestry” is an interactive program designed for learners in grades 8–12, facilitated by an educator on the Mobile Museum of Tolerance. Through the analysis of historical images, first-hand testimony fragments, and primary sources, learners uncover Illinois histories in conversation with broader U.S. narratives—centering diverse communities, and the ongoing struggle to secure civil and human rights.

Throughout the program, learners examine how dominant historical narratives are often shaped by those in power, and uncover stories that have been minimized, obscured, or excluded. Learners engage in close analysis of language, distinguishing between euphemistic terms that have historically obscured violations of civil and human rights and more precise language that enables acknowledgment, accountability, and movement toward justice and healing.