On the first day of the program, the Summer Institute was thrilled to be in the audience to hear Elie Wiesel at the Chautauqua Institute. Here, two of our students Adri and Emily present sunflowers to Mr. Wiesel after his speech. The students were especially struck by his message: “Think higher and feel deeper.'
This year's class included over fifty students and eight teachers from the Buffalo area. More information at http://www.summerinstituteofbuffalo.org
A second Summer Institute was also started for students in Southwestern New York, led by by Chautauqua Lake High School teachers Leigh-Anne Hendrick, Emily Testa, and Mike Rohlin. They are pictured here with former Sudanese Lost Boy Dominic Diing and their students at the Jackson Center where there program was held. More at http://buffaloforafrica.org/summerinstitute/info-chautauqua.php
Our thanks go out to our many sponsors who made the Institute possible through in-kind donations, speakers, and sharing their facilities.
Some of our students pose with Professor Leila Nadya Sadat, who is particularly well-known for her expertise on the International Criminal Court, and was a delegate to the 1998 diplomatic conference in Rome at which the Court was established. She is currently the head of the Harris World Law Institute in Saint Louis; http://law.wustl.edu/faculty_profiles/indexfaculty.asp?id=390
Learning from the past to change the future.
Many of the students have now spent two years in our program, and have gone on to college to pursue majors of international law, human rights, journalism, and world affairs.
Greg Peterson spoke to our students on the life of Nuremberg prosecutor and Western New Yorker Judge Robert H. Jackson. Mr. Peterson is chairman of the Jackson Center in Jamestown, NY. http://www.roberthjackson.org/
Dachau Liberators Charles Zappo and Miron Wasik share a handshake after their presentations at the Summer Institute. It was their second year speaking there.
Auschwitz survivor Joe Diamond speaks at the Institute. Mr. Diamond was taken to Auschwitz with his family in late 1944, whereupon his mother, younger brother, and several other family members were killed. He is chair of the Speakers Bureau of the Holocaust Resource Center of Buffalo: http://www.holocaustcenterbuff.com/
Mr. Diamond also spoke at the Chautauqua Lake Summer Institute in Jamestown, NY--a five day program serving southwestern New York modeled after the Buffalo Summer Institute. Long term, it is hoped that each state around the country will hopefully have a similar program.
Chautauqua Summer Institute Co-Chair Emily Testa gives a Summer Institute poster to Dominic Diing - Lost Boy From Sudan, and founder of Care and Aid. More on his inspirational life is available at http://n.b5z.net/i/u/6139860/i/Founder_s_Biography01.pdf
A part of both programs were interactive activities and time for students to process the speakers and material. Our thanks goes out to Hamburg Central School District and Dr. Mark J. Crawford, Superintendent for being such a gracious hosts. http://www.hamburgschools.org/hamburg/site/default.asp
Several students pose with Dr. Allida Black, head of the Eleanor Roosevelt Papers Project. Dr. Black is perhaps the world's expert on Mrs. Roosevelt, and her contribution to human rights. It was Allida's words three years ago that became the inspiration for the Summer Institute being started: "The world is changed one student at a time." http://www.gwu.edu/~erpapers/
We were pleased to share the company and friendship of Mr. Lee Cutler, Secretary-Treasurer of NYSUT--the New York State Union of Teachers. Mr. Cutler is also chair of their Social Justice/Human Rights committee, and is very supportive of the educational mission of the Institute. http://www.nysut.org/cps/rde/xchg/nysut/hs.xsl/about_108.htm
Carl Wilkens was the only American to stay behind during the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, and is credited for saving countless lives there. He is pictured above with one of our students, and spoke of their potential to change the world. Carl is currently pedaling across America with his wife Theresa to raise awareness about the genocide in Darfur. Information on how you can help their efforts is available at http://worldoutsidemyshoes.org/
Greg Wichlasz is the President of the Hamburg School Board. He recently traveled to Rwanda with Carl Wilkens and several members of the Summer Institute staff, as well as Dr. Crawford, the Hamburg Superintendent. He spoke with the students about his experiences in Rwanda last July, the pictures of which are available at http://picasaweb.google.com/andrewbtr1/RwandaPictures#
Joe Karb and Brooke Grant are two Social Studies Teachers at Springville Middle School in Springville, New York. Brooke is doing her PhD. work on the role of social studies education in civic participation, and spoke with our teacher cohort on their importance as role models. Joe shared his experiences teaching about genocide to the teachers as well, summarized in a recent article of his that was published through Buffalo State at https://journal.buffalostate.edu/index.php/soe/article/view/86
Mr. Gerard Pascua (pictured on the right), is a retired State Department employee living in Western New York. He spoke with our students about his experiences working with human rights overseas, and what steps the students might take in college to prepare for a career doing the same.
Kelly Zawodzinski and Rebecca Nahrebeski are both 8th Grade Social Studies Teachers at Hamburg Middle School who led a session for teachers at the Summer Institute on connecting the Holocaust to the day-to-day lives of students. Their program is especially concerned with how teachers can help their students prevent bullying over the internet.
The Summer Institute was thrilled to spend a day at the International Institute of Buffalo, pictured above. http://www.iibuff.org/
There Mr. Hichem Kefi provided a lecture on the federal asylum process for refugees interested in entering the United States.
Elise Garvey serves as Program Assistant to the Trafficking Victim Services Program of the International Institute of Buffalo. She spoke to our students about her experiences there, and her role as Director of the Human Trafficking Project, http://traffickingproject.blogspot.com/2008/03/who-is-htp.html. She is joined by Hamburg Social Studies teacher Jim Gang, who led a session for teachers on human rights abuses in Nanking during World War Two.
Mr. Shane Zanetti, history teacher at Campbell-Savona high school, made a presentation on teaching and learning about Darfur. Learn more about his students' "Tents for Darfur" Project at http://www.the-leader.com/news/x1197765681/Students-donate-tent-to-Darfur
Mr. C.W. Estoff of Erie Community College poses with two of our students. Mr. Estoff is special assistant to ECC President Jack Quinn, who graciously invited the Institute to use the college's downtown facilities. http://www.ecc.edu/
One of the high points of the Institute was hearing Darfurian refugee Awadiya Yahia. She spoke of her experiences and the ongoing struggles of her family and friends who have been victims of genocide and human rights violations in Sudan.
To get some idea of the world food crisis, the students shown here were involved in a "hunger banquet", one that provided only a few of them a typical western meal--with the majority getting only rice and beans.
Mr. Eli Rosenbaum spoke to the students at the Robert H. Jackson Center in Jamestown. Eli works for the U.S. Department of Justice, and is known as America's chief Nazi hunter. Learn more about Mr. Rosenbaum in the New York Times just three weeks after this picture was taken at http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/27/us/27nazi.html
Former Chief Prosecutor in Sierra Leone David Crane once again spoke to our students about the history of Sierra Leone and his role there as Chief Tribunal investigating human rights abuses, which was the world's first war crimes trial after Nuremberg. He is pictured with several students from Springville High School who recently dedicated a schoolbuilding effort in Sierra Leone in his honor. More on his impressive career at http://www.law.syr.edu/faculty/facultymember.aspx?fac=152
Here Professor Crane has lunch with some of the students, sharing his experiences as the founder of Impunity Watch, an online human rights agency dedicated to exposing human rights violations in real time. http://www.impunitywatch.net/
At the Jackson Center, Israeli Judge Gabriel Bach describes his experiences as the Assistant Prosecutor in the 1962 trial of Adolph Eichmann, one of the architects of the Holocaust.
Mr. Bach with one of our students Molly.
Here Mr. Bach is pictured in the foreground at the Eichmann Trial. (Eichmann is in the background of the picture, seated between two guards.)
Mr. Greg Peterson of the Jackson Center with several students. Mr. Peterson's support and friendship has been a crucial part of the Institute's growth.
Professor John Q. Barrett sports a Summer Institute tee shirt while standing in front of the International Criminal Court at the Hague, Netherlands. Professor Barrett is a worldwide expert on Judge Jackson, and spoke with our students on Jackson's educational influences while growing up in Western New York. To receive his excellent weekly posts on the life of Judge Jackson, please go to barrettj@stjohns.edu.
Ms. Preethi Govindaraj, pictured left, poses with two Summer Institute students after her wonderful presentation on the life of Mohandas Gandhi. Along with her sister Deepa, Preethi created Minerva, a global literacy training program which focuses on the six major world religions as a template to convey the importance of tolerance and diversity. More at http://buffalo.bizjournals.com/buffalo/stories/2008/06/23/smallb2.html
Several students listen to one of the speakers. The theme of this Fall's Saturday refresher will be the Genocide in Cambodia.
Second year Summer Institute student Emma Reed poses in front of a car magnet promoting her foundation started to help orphans in Ghana. More on how you can help her great work is available at http://emmahelpsghanaorphans.blogspot.com/
Amy Forristal and Jason from Free the Children in Toronto spoke to the students about their power to change the world. More on this Nobel prize nominated group at www.freethechildren.com Free the Children has built over 600 schools in developing nations worldwide.
Amy's shirt says it all.
Buffalo for Africa President Christina Sullivan poses with Treasurer Patty Evans after the two spoke at the Summer Institute. Both Christina and Patty have been instrumental in establishing a large women's conference in the Western New York area, with details to be found at the Buffalo for Africa website: http://www.buffaloforafrica.org
East Aurora Student Kayla points to a map of Uganda as part of her presentation on child soldiers. Kayla has attended the Summer Institute for two years and is interested in pursuing a career in Social Studies Education.
Fun on the bus on the way to Chautauqua.
Making connections to the world.
Due to the kindness of the Jackson Center, the students were invited to the Third Annual Humanitarian Law Dialogs Conference at the Chautauqua Institute. There, several of the world's current and former genocide tribunals spoke on the role of women in international law. More information at http://www.roberthjackson.org/events/3rdannualdialogs/
Former Sierra Leone Prosecutor and friend of the Summer Institute David Crane poses with Sarah Owen, the winner of the Second Annual Impunity Watch essay contest for Summer Institute students. Her essay is posted on the Impunity Watch site at http://www.impunitywatch.com/special_features/2009/08/iw-essay-contest-winner.html
Nuremberg Prosecutor William Caming with several students. Mr. Caming told the students how proud he was of them, then humbly apologized that "we left so many problems to all of you." Soon after saying this though, one of the students responded in a warm and loving tone, that he left them "in good hands'.
The staff of both the Buffalo and Chautauqua Summer Institutes pose with Greg Peterson, Eli Rosenbaum, Mark Crawford, David Crane, and John Barrett.
