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News & Events - News Releases Non-Jewish Business and Community Leaders Launch New Classroom Program to Combat Antisemitism, Racism and Hatred TORONTO, September 19, 2005 – The Founders of FAST (Fighting Antisemitism Together) today launched their first education program before an audience of 200 students and educators at Lord Lansdowne Public School in downtown Toronto. Choose Your Voice, which was developed with the help of the Canadian Jewish Congress and educators, was created to educate students about the dangers of bigotry in all its manifestations. “We hope Choose Your Voice will spark classroom discussion — and maybe even some discussion after class and at home — about how best to respond when children encounter incidents of bigotry and intolerance,” said Elizabeth Comper, FAST’s founder and a former elementary school teacher. “We believe that no Canadian children should ever have to feel afraid to be who they are.” “Choose Your Voice is now available for use in schools,” said Tony Comper, FAST founder and President and Chief Executive Officer, BMO Financial Group. “We are asking parents, teachers — and all those who believe that antisemitism, bigotry and racism have no place in Canada — to take action to ensure that this important resource reaches children in our communities.” “The teacher’s guide was created by an experienced team of teachers for use by teachers. It is tailor-made to be easy for teachers to use while meeting Ontario curriculum requirements for Grades 6, 7 and 8,” stated Elizabeth Comper. Choose Your Voice includes the following teaching aids:
“The accompanying video should reach young hearts and minds,” said Tony Comper. “It is hard not to be moved by the testimonials of survivors of the Holocaust and the Rwandan genocide, and the victims of hatred here at home in Canada, or by the regrets of a former white supremacist.” Choose Your Voice includes four lessons, which provide an opportunity for students to construct a more stereotype-free and bias-free understanding of people’s similarities and differences. Students will learn more about the choices they make and the voices they choose. Each lesson contributes to a better understanding of the ways in which we construct stereotypes and the ways in which prejudice and misunderstanding have contributed to our past and present in Canada. The experience of a range of minority groups including Jews, Muslims, Sikhs, and First Nations peoples is included; the emphasis is on how prejudice works on a systemic level, which is built from the misconceptions, fears, and biases of individuals in our families, schools and communities. “The lesson plans and assessment tools can be readily adapted for students in other grades — and we hope the materials can also be readily adapted to meet the curriculum requirements of Canada’s other provinces,” said Tony Comper. “We need your help to get Choose Your Voice into schools all across Canada, starting right here in Ontario,” said Elizabeth Comper. “Let’s get Choose Your Voice into every school.” Pedagogy
The four lessons,
which can be easily modified for exceptional students and/or adapted
for English-language learners, can be taught as a unit or each lesson
can be taught independently. Depending on the needs of students,
teaching styles and pedagogic preferences, each lesson can be adapted
for a one-lesson session or for an integrated multi-lesson. The lessons
can be taught over a school year, tied to different events such as
Remembrance Day, Human Rights days, Black History Month, and Holocaust
Remembrance Day. Co-ordinates
for the satellite feed Note to
Photo Editors - 30 - Contact: Ralph Marranca, Toronto, (416) 867-3996
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