On 28^th October, School Captain Eryn Lawrie (6L) and Justin Hogg (6M) joined 200 young people from central Scotland in a History lesson they will never forget.  The senior school pupils have returned from an emotional pilgrimage to the infamous Nazi death camps in Auschwitz, Poland as part of the Lessons from Auschwitz project led by the Holocaust Educational Trust.

Reflecting on her visit, Eryn commented “my trip to Auschwitz has been an unforgettable experience for me. As we walked around the camps, we were continuously reminded that the shoes, glasses and suitcases that we saw piled high, all belonged to an individual human being who had been stripped from their identity and had been deemed worthless. I believe it is extremely important that we never forget the horrifying and unimaginable torture these people endured. ‘Seeing is not like hearing’ is a very true statement. Being able to see and walk around the camps has changed the way I see the Holocaust. We need to ensure that this inhumane and hateful act is always commemorated so that it may never be repeated. I am extremely grateful that I was given the opportunity to learn more about the Holocaust so that I will then be able to pass it onto others.”  Justin mirrored the views of Eryn and remarked “I feel honored and privileged that I had the chance to not only represent my school but to witness first-hand the horrors of the Holocaust.  My involvement in this project has had a lasting impression on me and I will take seriously my responsibility and moral obligation to share this knowledge and experience with others as a Lessons from Auschwitz Ambassador”.

All of the young people who took part in the Lessons from Auschwitz programme arrived with a textbook understanding of the Holocaust and what happened in the camps.  Eryn and Justin will now work in school as Ambassadors for the Holocaust Educational Trust and will complete a Next Steps Project in which they pass on the lessons they have learned from their involvement in the programme.  The experience is sure to be one lesson from history that Eryn and Justin will never forget.