Facing History Students Return from Rwanda

Last week, 17 high school students and four teachers from Hudson High School and TechBoston Academy in Massachusetts returned from a three-week trip to Rwanda with Facing History and Ourselves. The trip was part of a two-year cultural and educational exchange program funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA).

The students participated in a week-long Holocaust and Human Behavior seminar led by Facing History staff where they immersed themselves in the study of the Holocaust and were able to make connections to their own histories. The seminar focused on the theme of community: what makes a community strong and what are the factors that make a community weak.

While there, the students traveled throughout Rwanda, visiting schools, universities, and national landmarks, taking a safari to explore the local landscape and animal life, and completing community service projects in Christ Roi and Butamwa. The students visited two memorial sites with their Rwandan peers: the Gisozi Genocide Memorial and the Murambi Genocide Memorial.

Students also began working in groups to develop videos that will feature the theme of community and help document their experiences during the exchange. Pearson Foundation staff provided the students with training, support, and equipment in Rwanda as they began to develop their videos.

Through emails and posted on their blog, Facing History heard from the participating students and teachers while they were in Rwanda. We also heard from the parents of Facing History students about the trip's impact, here is an excerpt from one parent's email:

"The ripples from this trip are spreading. A year ago I could not have pointed to Rwanda on the map, and only had vague recollections of the genocide in the 90's. Africa has always seemed so huge and complex that I have not spent much effort in getting to know anything about it. Now I feel that I have traveled there (at least vicariously) and I feel like a door has been opened. I can't wait to hear all about [my son's] visit. I can't thank you and all the Facing History staff enough for this opportunity."