Youth FAQ

Questions

• What can young people do to mark HMD?
• I run a youth group – how do we get involved in Holocaust Memorial Day?
• I don’t belong to a youth group, can I get involved?
• I’m an event organiser – how can I make sure that the messages of Holocaust Memorial Day are promoted throughout the year, and not just on the day?
• What should I do if I’d like to invite a speaker to my youth event?
• Are you running any workshops for young people?
• I’m 13 years old, can I get involved?
• I don’t have a social media account, how do I get involved?

Answers

What can young people do to mark HMD?

You can organise your own HMD activity, to encourage your school, university or your local community to learn from genocide – for a better future. There is information to support young people with organising their own HMD activities here. When organising your activity, you may wish to consider if there are other groups you could work with, such as a faith group, community group or a youth group.

Explore our free online resources, including activity ideas, case studies and life stories of individuals affected by the Holocaust and more recent genocides to help you plan your event. Our collection of HMD Together resources are designed to enable you to mark HMD together online, but can also be used for in-person events and activities.

You may also want to consider applying for our Youth Programme to learn about HMD, get support in organising an HMD activity, gain events skills and interact with many other like-minded young people.

To keep up to date with news and announcements, please sign up to our newsletter here or email [email protected].

I run a youth group – how do we get involved in Holocaust Memorial Day?

There are lots of ways your youth group can mark HMD. We provide guidance and information on doing this in the youth group organisers section of our website. You could also encourage the group to take part in our arts competition if we are running one and apply for our Youth Programme.

If you have any questions, please email [email protected] and we can suggest resources and ideas to enable your youth group to mark HMD.

I don’t belong to a youth group, can I get involved?

Absolutely, Holocaust Memorial Day is for everyone. Have a look at our information for individual youth organisers and explore ways that you can mark HMD. You might want to think about who you could work with to put on an event – your university, a community group, a faith group. There are also activities you can organise in your own home or online, with family or friends, such as learning a song or a recipe. Please do not hesitate to contact us on [email protected] if you would like more advice.

You may also want to consider applying for our Youth Programme.

I’m an event organiser – how can I make sure that the messages of Holocaust Memorial Day are promoted throughout the year, and not just on the day?

Looking out for any upcoming HMD youth arts competitions or hosting one of our digital exhibitions is a great place to start.

Use our theme for HMD to start planning your event for January – it can be at your university, school or a local community. You could even use images taken for the competition as part of your event. You might also like to set up a regular group, such as a book or film club, or a monthly talk at your college or university.

The impact of your HMD activity will last for longer than HMD itself – your activity may lead to other activities, it may inspire different behaviours or attitudes, and it can have a lasting impact on participants. Encourage people to think of actions and ongoing changes they will make as a result of attending your activity.

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, to hear about other related days, anniversaries and events throughout the year.

What should I do if I’d like to invite a speaker to my youth event?

We currently work with the HMDT Youth Forum, a group of experienced youth volunteers, who are available to speak at events, covering a range of topics and geographical areas. We also provide information here on a number of organisations that can help you to book a survivor or speaker at your event. We have many films of survivors which can be used alongside or in place of an in-person speaker. Please contact us on [email protected] if you would like more details.

Are you running any workshops for young people?

There are no plans for workshops at the moment but there are lots of resources and ideas available on our website that will help you plan an activity for Holocaust Memorial Day. Please explore our online resources, which include activity ideas, local activity case studies and personal life stories of individuals affected by the Holocaust and genocide. Please email [email protected] if you have any questions about getting involved.

I’m 13 years old, can I get involved?

Absolutely, Holocaust Memorial Day is for everyone. Have a look at our online resources to explore ways that you can mark HMD. You might want to think about who you could work with to put on an event – your youth club, a community group, a faith group. There are also activities you can organise in your own home, with family or friends, such as learning a song or cooking a recipe. Please do not hesitate to contact us on [email protected] if you would like more advice.

I don’t have a social media account, how do I get involved?

There are lots of ways to mark Holocaust Memorial Day, ranging from displaying our posters, screening a film, learning a dance or organising or attending a ceremony. Please have a look at our online resources for more ideas and email [email protected] if you want any more advice.