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USC Shoah Foundation and Discovery Education Invite Students to Promote Empathy, Understanding, and Respect Through the ‘Stronger Than Hate Challenge’

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Launch of the 2020 ‘Stronger Than Hate Challenge’ Honors International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Encouraging a Student-Led Social Movement to Counter Hate Through the Power of Story

Silver Spring, Md. (Monday, January 27, 2020) – In observance of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, USC Shoah Foundation—The Institute for Visual History and Education (USC Shoah Foundation), and Discovery Education, the global leader in standards-aligned digital curriculum resources, engaging content, and professional learning for K-12 classrooms, announced today the second annual Stronger Than Hate Challenge.

The Stronger Than Hate Challenge builds upon a USC Shoah Foundation and Discovery Education no-cost and standards-aligned educational program, Teaching with Testimony, which empowers students to create a better future by listening to and learning from the powerful testimony of survivors and witnesses of genocide.

Winners are eligible to receive up to $10,000 in prizes, including a trip to USC Shoah Foundation’s Global Headquarters in Los Angeles, California to learn directly from expert storytellers. See official rules for more details.

“The Stronger Than Hate Challenge advances USC Shoah Foundation’s mission to develop empathy and respect through testimony by offering students a creative and educational outlet to share stories from their communities,” said Dr. Claudia Wiedeman, USC Shoah Foundation Director of Education. “At conclusion of last year’s Challenge, we were incredibly impressed by the quality of work so many students presented. We look forward to the new ideas and imaginative ways more students will express themselves to counter antisemitism and other forms of hatred.”

“Participation in the Challenge raises student voices in order to make positive changes for humanity,” said Lori McFarling, President of Corporate Education Partnerships at Discovery Education. “We’re grateful for the partnership with USC Shoah Foundation to foster the use of testimony amongst students in establishing respect, love, and kindness. With the support of educators, the classroom provides a unique environment for students engaging with the Challenge to examine past stories of those who survived injustice.”

Submission rules for the 2020 Stronger Than Hate Challenge:

  • Enter online at teachingwithtestimony.com/challenge.
  • Open to students ages 13+ in the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada.
  • Students may work individually or in groups of 2-4 to submit projects in the form of a video, poem, song, blog or other media that demonstrate the power of storytelling to connect people and overcome hate.
  • Take action through self-directed learning, a classroom experience, or with families at home.
  • Open January 27, 2020 through June 2, 2020.

Learn more about the Challenge and the partnership at TeachingwithTestimony.com/challenge and within Discovery Education Experience.

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About USC Shoah Foundation

USC Shoah Foundation – The Institute for Visual History and Education develops empathy, understanding and respect through testimony, using its Visual History Archive of more than 55,000 video testimonies, award-winning IWitness education program, and the Center for Advanced Genocide Research. USC Shoah Foundation’s interactive programming, research and materials are accessed in museums and universities, cited by government leaders and NGOs, and taught in classrooms around the world. Now in its third decade, USC Shoah Foundation reaches millions of people on six continents from its home at the Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences at the University of Southern California.

 

About Discovery Education

Discovery Education is the global leader in standards-aligned digital curriculum resources, engaging content, and professional learning for K-12 classrooms. Through its award-winning digital textbooks, multimedia resources, and the largest professional learning network of its kind, Discovery Education is transforming teaching and learning, creating immersive STEM experiences, and improving academic achievement around the globe. Discovery Education’s services are available in approximately half of U.S. classrooms and primary schools in the U.K. and reach over 5 million educators and 51 million students in more than 90 countries. Inspired by the global media company Discovery, Inc., Discovery Education partners with districts, states, and like-minded organizations to empower teachers with customized solutions that support the success of all learners. Explore the future of education at DiscoveryEducation.com.

 

Contacts

Ron Demeter, USC Shoah Foundation, uscsfpress@usc.edu

Grace Maliska, Discovery Education, gmaliska@discoveryed.com