USC Shoah Foundation and Discovery Education Empower Students to Build Empathy Through the Power of Story
Silver Spring, Md. (Thursday, January 28, 2021) – The third annual Stronger Than Hate Challenge is now open and offers students the opportunity to win $10,000 in prizing. Students aged 13-18 are encouraged to submit a project demonstrating how a community can be stronger than hate. Full rules and submission details are available here.
The Stronger Than Hate Challenge demonstrates the power of learning from the past and using your own voice to counter hate. The Challenge is presented by the USC Shoah Foundation Institute for Visual History and Education and Discovery Education – the global leader in standards-aligned digital curriculum resources, engaging content, and professional learning for K-12 classrooms.
“The Stronger Than Hate Challenge empowers youth voices by connecting students with the impact of testimony in overcoming hate,” said Lesly Culp, USC Shoah Foundation’s Head of Programs for Education. “In continued partnership with Discovery Education, we are helping inspire new ideas and spark student imagination to foster a more just and equitable society.”
Previous finalists and winners submitted projects on a range of relevant and impactful topics that addressed hate in their communities. The 2020 winner – Emma F. from San Clemente High School located in San Clemente, CA – created an artistic multi-media project addressing racism in the United States with a hand-drawn digital mural of George Floyd with the words “you can’t conquer hate with hatred.”
The Stronger Than Hate Challenge builds upon Teaching with Testimony – a USC Shoah Foundation and Discovery Education no-cost and standards-aligned educational initiative – which empowers students to create a better future by listening to and learning from the powerful testimony of survivors and witnesses of genocide.
“The resources from Teaching with Testimony, including the Stronger Than Hate Challenge, exemplify the impact of connecting students to social and emotional learning as a catalyst for change,” said Lori McFarling, President of Corporate & Community Partnerships at Discovery Education. “We commend USC Shoah Foundation for their continued leadership in fostering inclusivity and are proud to join forces in igniting student curiosity through the power of testimony.”
Learn more about the Challenge and the partnership at TeachingwithTestimony.com/challenge and within the Teaching Tolerance channel on Discovery Education’s flexible K-12 learning platform.
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About USC Shoah Foundation
USC Shoah Foundation – The Institute for Visual History and Education develops empathy, understanding and respect through testimony, using its Visual History Archive of more than 55,000 video testimonies, award-winning IWitness education program, and the Center for Advanced Genocide Research. USC Shoah Foundation’s interactive programming, research and materials are accessed in museums and universities, cited by government leaders and NGOs, and taught in classrooms around the world. Now in its third decade, USC Shoah Foundation reaches millions of people on six continents from its home at the Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences at the University of Southern California.
About Discovery Education
Discovery Education is the global leader in standards-aligned digital curriculum resources, engaging content, and professional learning for K-12 classrooms. Through its award-winning digital textbooks, multimedia resources, and the largest professional learning network of its kind, Discovery Education is transforming teaching and learning, creating immersive STEM experiences, and improving academic achievement around the globe. Discovery Education currently serves approximately 4.5 million educators and 45 million students worldwide, and its resources are accessed in over 140 countries and territories. Inspired by the global media company Discovery, Inc., Discovery Education partners with districts, states, and like-minded organizations to empower teachers with customized solutions that support the success of all learners. Explore the future of education at www.discoveryeducation.com.
Contacts
Ron Demeter | USC Shoah Foundation | uscsfpress@usc.edu
Grace Maliska | Discovery Education | gmaliska@discoveryed.com