TWO profoundly deaf students have been invited to become ambassadors for the Holocaust Educational Trust after impressing the national charity with a presentation about Auschwitz.
Denis Juttner and Adarsha Sunwar, both 18, are Royal School for the Deaf Derby pupils and visited the concentration camp in Poland as part of their studies.
Following the visit, they gave a presentation in British Sign Language to students in year nine at the Ashbourne Road school, before being invited to London to talk about their experience to civil servants at the Department of Work and Pensions.
Staff from the Holocaust Educational Trust were so impressed with their outstanding commitment to ensuring that the holocaust is never forgotten they have now asked them to become regional ambassadors.
The position means they will be encouraged to share further learning and awareness amongst the deaf community to help them realise the importance of remembering those who were murdered and honouring those who survived.
Denis said: “Our visit to Auschwitz was an experience I will never forget and upon our return to school will felt that it was fitting that we should share what we had learnt.
“So, Adarsha and I decided that we would prepare a PowerPoint presentation to teach some of the Year 9 students. They took in what we had to say and asked some very good questions – for some it was the first time they had heard of the holocaust.”
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Before and after the visit to Auschwitz, Denis and Adarsha attended workshops run by the Holocaust Educational Trust where they met two holocaust survivors, Zigi Shipper and Steven Frank.
It was listening to their stirring speeches, about always remembering but learning not to hate, that inspired the teenagers to share what they had learned.
Post 16 Lead at the school, Heather Marshall, visited Auschwitz with the students and helped them to practise for their London presentation.
She said: “The visit to Auschwitz was absolutely exhausting especially for the students who had to watch the interpreter as well as look around and take everything in.
“But they were understandably moved by the experience and planned, prepared and gathered the materials for their presentation themselves. Giving a talk in London was incredibly daunting for them and I was so proud of how well they did.
“Their confidence has really grown as a result of the experience and the whole school is delighted for them.”
ENDS
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