After completing the Lessons from Auschwitz project, Kiera McQuaid, of Banbridge Academy, was keen to get more involved in the important work of the Holocaust Educational Trust.  She attended AmCon 2022 online and heard more about contemporary antisemitism and the relevance of the Trust’s work today, which she found interesting and engaging. When the opportunity to apply to be a Regional Ambassador arose, she knew it was the next step up in my journey with the Trust and would enable her to raise awareness of the Holocaust and its contemporary relevance on an even greater scale. Kiera was delighted to be selected as the Regional Ambassador for Northern Ireland in March.

On 22nd March, Kiera attended the first Regional Ambassador training day in London where she met many other young people from across the UK who were also passionate about raising awareness of the Holocaust and its relevance. At this event they heard from a Regional Ambassador alumnus who told them about projects he had organised, gave them some advice for running their own projects and shared stories of the experiences he had had with the Trust. The most poignant part of the day was hearing from Vera Schaufeld MBE, who came to Britain on the Kindertransport. Her experiences of feeling ‘othered’ by her teacher before leaving and her difficulties, like an initial language barrier, are just as relevant in our treatment of refugees and other displaced people today. Most importantly, Vera’s inspiring story was one of hope and courage, because she went on to be a teacher after leaving school and specialised in teaching other teachers how to help child refugees settle in to school. She emphasised the importance of education for children but said that it wasn’t enough to teach young people history, we must teach empathy and understanding.

Kiera said that “Hearing Vera’s testimony will stay with me forever.” A wonderful experience for a young adult and Banbridge Academy are very proud of her achievements.