Choosing to Participate
Our approach helps students understand that people make choices and choices make history. Students learn that participating in a democracy involves many small choices and decisions as well as ambitious acts and social movements.
Making a Positive Difference
Facing History believes the paramount purpose of education is to prepare students to become active and thoughtful participants in society who can make a positive difference in the world. Schools are a microcosm of democracy, and students develop and strengthen their “participation muscles”—a combination of civic skills, knowledge, and dispositions—throughout their education.
The concept of choosing to participate grew out of Facing History’s early work with middle school students who learned about the steps that led to the Holocaust, including the failure of democracy, and wanted to know, “How can I make a positive difference so this doesn’t happen again?”
Our approach helps students understand that progress toward a more just, equitable, and inclusive society has never been inevitable; rather, it is the result of the choices large and small by both individuals and groups.
Who Is an Upstander?
Who Is an Upstander?
An upstander is a person who speaks or acts in support of an individual or cause, particularly someone who intervenes on behalf of a person being attacked or bullied. Find out how we help students become upstanders.
People make choices. Choices make history.
What Difference Can a Word Make?
Consider the power that words have to influence people to act on behalf of others.
How to Be an Upstander: How to Find Your Civic Superpower
This piece offers a number of ideas for getting involved in one’s community and beginning to pinpoint areas where we are each best poised to make an impact.
From Reflection to Action
Through a wide range of activities designed to promote historical understanding, critical thinking, civic engagement, and self-reflection, students explore how society influences us and how we can make a lasting impact.
Facing History Encourages Civic Engagement
93% of students participating in a Facing History student leadership group agreed that it is important to get involved in improving their community.
I grew up believing my voice was never meant to be heard. The courage of these survivors made me realize that not using your voice is a choice, standing by is a choice. If we could teach that to every student, just imagine how quickly the world might change.
—
Emily C., Recipient of the 2018 New York Upstander Award
Everyone can choose to participate.
Join Us
Donate now and together we'll build a better world
Make a 100% tax-deductible donation today and you'll help us reach even more teachers and students around the world, giving them the tools to fight back against hatred and bigotry.
You might also be interested in…
Why and How to Teach Brown Girl Dreaming
Facing History offers an overview and guide for Jacqueline Woodson's Brown Girl Dreaming, an ideal book to teach in the middle school classroom.
What I've Learned Along the Way
After 25 years of distinguished service to our organization, Dr. Karen Murphy, Facing History’s Director of International Strategy, will join our partner organization High Resolves as CEO of an initiative called The Human Responsibility Accelerator. In this article, we invited Karen to share a bit of what she has learned in more than two decades at Facing History.
Holocaust Denial: How Teachers Can Turn the Tide
Research released by the Claims Conference found that 49% of U.S. millennials and generation Z have seen Holocaust denial or distortion content online—and that one in five U.S. millennials and generation Z surveyed in New York believe that Jews caused the Holocaust. This toxic combination of ignorance allied with antisemitic hatred continue to permeate global consciousness, and teachers have an important part to play in turning the tide.
7 Classroom Resources on the Holocaust
International Holocaust Remembrance Day is Thursday, January 27th. This is a day when we remember the 6 million Jews murdered in the Holocaust, their loved ones, and the ways in which this incalculable tragedy has transformed our world. It is also a time for educators to ensure their readiness to integrate instruction on the Holocaust into their annual teaching plans.
Contracting and Re-Contracting in the New Year
Elizabeth Carroll, New England Program Director at Facing History, explores the value of contracting and re-contracting in January each year.
Facing History on Martin Luther King Day: A message to our educators
Martin Luther King Day is a moment for reflection and service; for considering the life and legacy of an extraordinary individual; and for recommitting ourselves to the unfinished work he championed. At a time of extraordinary bigotry and violence, Dr. King challenged all Americans to confront our history of racial discrimination, to open our eyes to injustice, and to be intentional about building a better future.
9 Resources for Teaching about MLK's Legacy
Here are 9 Facing History resources that can help you reflect on your own teaching practices, teach the history of the Civil Rights Movement, and explore contemporary issues around racial justice and democracy in the United States.
bell hooks Taught Us to Transgress
Like many people of my generation who cut their teeth on the critical insights of bell hooks, news of her passing in December unleashed a wave of reflection for me about the ways she’s impacted me as a person and public scholar. Beyond the many moments of resonance I experienced while reading her writings over the years, her impact on me is most powerfully encapsulated in an experience I had in 2008 when I met her.
What Does It Mean “To Kill a Mockingbird”?
Facing History shares a list of key components for a reflective classroom and provides educators with a number of resources to guide them in building their own.
January 6th
The January 6th investigation has deepened widespread concerns about rising threats of fascism, racism, white nationalism, and other phenomena that undermine justice for all. But in analyses that focus primarily on the role of white nationalism fomented within media echo chambers, for example, commentators have overlooked what may be a more pervasive parallel phenomenon: the widespread crisis of faith in U.S. media and institutions at large.
COP26, Environmental Justice, and Human Rights
The 26th U.N. Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) that took place in Glasgow, Scotland from October to November 2021 was, in many ways, a historic event. However, even though the COP remains a crucial space for international cooperation in the fight against climate disaster, there is notable consternation over the unique burdens that various policies may place on poorer nations and those most vulnerable to adverse climate events.
Teaching about the January 6 Insurrection and its Impact on U.S. Democracy
The January 6 insurrection remains important to understand and discuss, as well as the larger questions it raises about the state of U.S. democracy. A recent poll found that 52% of young people between 18 and 29 believe that either U.S. democracy is "in trouble" or "failed," while only 7% agree that it is "healthy," further highlighting the need to teach students about democratic institutions.
