About
Facing History & Ourselves uses lessons of history to challenge teachers and their students to stand up to bigotry and hate. Learn more about our Canada-specific programs and offerings.
Facing History and Ourselves
Stolen Lives: The Indigenous Peoples of Canada and the Indian Residential Schools
Explore our online resource on the Indian Residential Schools and their long-lasting effects on Canada’s Indigenous Peoples.
Stolen Lives: The Indigenous Peoples of Canada and the Indian Residential Schools
Explore our online resource on the Indian Residential Schools and their long-lasting effects on Canada’s Indigenous Peoples.
Transforming Classrooms
Since 1981, Facing History’s Toronto-based entity has equipped middle and high school educators in Canada with first-rate professional development that integrates the study of history and literature with ethical decision making.
As communities across Canada become increasingly diverse, we provide educators with tools to promote empathy and respect, and to create inclusive and equitable classroom environments that encourage conversations around race, justice, and identity
Reconciling Canada’s Past & Present
In response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission calls to action, Facing History has been preparing educators to examine the Indian Residential Schools and their lasting effects on Indigenous Peoples of Canada. Since 2015, our resource Stolen Lives: The Indigenous Peoples of Canada and the Indian Residential Schools has helped students learn and engage honestly with this painful era in Canadian history, while helping educators decolonize schools across Canada.
Our Board of Directors
Rachel Schwartz, Chair
Betty Ann Taylor, Secretary
Marel Gonzales, Treasurer
Anne-Marie Fitzgerald, Director
Margaret Wells, Director
Madeleine Levy, Director
Ronald Hoffman, Director
Amos Key Jr., Director
Nate Leipciger, Director
Jeff Rayman, Director
Max B. Rubin, Director
Lesley Shore, Director
Jared Trotman , Director
Michael Uster, Director
Sharon Weintraub, Director
99% of teachers surveyed would recommend Facing History professional to their colleagues.
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Restoring the Balance: A Short History of Gendered Colonization in Canada
On-Demand
Virtual
Explore the gendered nature of colonization and genocide in Canada, with particular reference to the histories of Indigenous women, girls, Two-Spirited and transgender people. Drawing on the testimonies shared during the National Inquiry into Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls, as well as traditional stories from Metis, Inuit and First Nations communities, Dr. Karine Duhamel explains the varied traditional roles of women in community, the particular gendered effects of so-called “blind” policies historically, and contemporary impacts on the safety and security of Indigenous individuals and families today.
Teaching about Contemporary Antisemitism in Canada
On-Demand
Virtual
Learn about the increasing number of hate crimes fueled by antisemitism in recent years in Canada, as well as examples of individuals, groups, and civic leaders standing up and speaking out against hate. Jeff McGuire, Executive Director of the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police will speak about the rising rates of Antisemitic hate crimes in Ontario and the ways that police units across Ontario are responding. We will also explore the role of upstanders, and provide models for addressing hatred and intolerance for all of us to follow.
None is Too Many: Antisemitism in Canada's Past
On-Demand
Virtual
Explore Canada’s restrictive immigration policies that led to the refusal to accept Jewish refugees from Europe during the years 1933–1948. Joined by Dr. Harold Troper, Jewish Canadian historian and author of None is Too Many: Canada And The Jews Of Europe 1933-1948, we will study how antisemitism contributed to these policies and helped define Canada’s universe of obligation. We will specifically examine how Canada turned away the MS St Louis, a ship carrying 937 Jewish refugees attempting to escape Nazi Germany.
Facing History Foundations: Discussing Identity in the Classroom
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Virtual
Learn ways to support students in discussions about identity and to invite their identities into classrooms.
The National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls
On-Demand
Virtual
Delve into the testimonies and experiences of those who were part of the National Inquiry in Canada, both in the past and in the present, while maintaining the importance of intersectional and Indigenous-led storytelling in documenting genocide.
Teaching the History and Legacies of Canada’s Residential Schools
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Virtual
In this interactive, facilitated online course, participants join a virtual community to explore the history and legacies of Canada’s Residential Schools, using primary source texts, survivors’ personal testimonies and live online learning classes that will equip educators to better understand the devastating history and the long-lasting impact of the Indian Residential School system, as well as Indigenous communities’ historic and contemporary fight for a promised education.
Teaching the History and Legacies of Canada’s Residential Schools
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Virtual
In this facilitated online course, we will explore the history and legacies of Canada’s Residential Schools using primary source texts, survivors’ personal testimonies and live online learning classes that will equip educators to better understand the devastating history and the long-lasting impact of the Residential School system, and how to teach about it.
Mini Course: Teaching Holocaust and Human Behaviour (Canada)
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Virtual
This online course offers an approach, strategies and resources for teaching about the Holocaust today.
Facing History Foundations: Examining Moral Universe and Choices
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Virtual
Join us for an interactive workshop designed to help you foster critical social analysis and moral consideration in a study of difficult histories.
Facing History Foundations: Moving Safely In and Safely Out of Difficult Histories
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Virtual
How do we prepare classroom spaces for courageous and difficult content such as survivor testimony?
Mini Course: Teaching Holocaust and Human Behaviour (Canada)
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Virtual
In today’s global climate, the urgency of sustaining democratic societies that are pluralistic, open, and resilient to violence is more pressing than ever. Studying the Holocaust allows students to wrestle with profound moral questions raised by this history while fostering their skills in ethical and moral reasoning, critical analysis, empathy, and civic engagement - all of which are critical habits of mind for sustaining democracy.
