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HISTORY MEETS HUMANITY STUDENT CONFERENCE

Through our partnership with district school boards across Ontario, ALPHA Education has been organizing and delivering History Meets Humanity (HMH) student conferences to a diverse student population from grades 10 - 12. 

The study of WWII in Asia is transdisciplinary and is connected to current issues in geopolitics, economics, and human rights, but on a micro level, it informs and enables youth in their identities and interaction with others.

2019 HMH Student Conference

HMH 2019 Bayview.jpg
HMH 2019 Weston.jpg

In planning and delivering the conference, we work with teachers to meet the learning goals they have for their students. In addition to a keynote session, the 2019 HMH conference consisted of seven interactive workshops:

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  • Walk Awhile in Our Shoes

  • Trauma and Healing

  • Exploring the Links Between Racism and Sexism

  • Uncovering the How and Why of the Military Sexual Slavery

  • Public Art and Transnational Solidarity, and Shaping History and Beyond

  • Answering the Call to Action

  • Shaping History and Beyond: The Influence of Art and Media

Past HMH Conferences

2018 The Liberation of a Butterfly: The Courage and Strength of "Comfort Women"

This conference introduces students to change and continuity in the intersectional history of sexual violence and gender discrimination by addressing the trauma and pain of the survivors of military sexual slavery. It also celebrates the strength and resiliency of these now grandmothers as inspirations for students to take social action and lead the way in peace, truth, and reconciliation.

Workshops:

  • Silenced No More: Exploring What It Means to be an Upstander

  • Solidarity and Community: The Road to Peace and Reconciliation

  • Exploring Gender Stereotypes and Building Empathy

  • Trauma & Healing through Art

2017 Choices & Consequences: Bystanders and Upstanders in the Asia-Pacific War

This conference invites students to explore stories of social activism and human rights violations to better understand their role as global leaders and why this inhuman violence against humanity must be remembered to build a better future. The workshops help students build global leadership by expanding their understanding of the history of WWII in Asia through topics such as human rights & ethics, social activism, peace & reconciliation, and social justice.

Workshops:

  • Answering the Call to Social Action

  • Ethics in Biological and Chemical Warfare: Unit 731

2016 Bearing Trauma, Sharing Forgiveness

This conference explores the human rights violations and the issue of apology in the history and legacy of WWII in Asia. Workshops allow students to explore how different historical perspectives perceive and remember this history and reflect on implicated ethical dimensions. Even after 70 years, experiences of war continue to have a great impact on survivors, survivors’ family members, cross-cultural relationships, and international relations, the understanding of which is crucial to understanding the world today and to achieving lasting peace and reconciliation.

Workshops:

  • Women and War - Her Stories

  • Connections to Canada - WWII in Asia

  • The Role of Ethics in Science

  • Red Snow: Exploring Peace and Reconciliation through Theatre

  • Which "Type" of Social Activist Are You?

  • The Nanking Massacre - Preserving the Forgotten Past

  • The Role of Documentaries in Social Change: WWII in Asia

2015 Conference on WWII in Asia

This conference provides students with an opportunity to engage in the marginalized but seminal history of WWII in Asia as a way to explore core questions about humanity, global history, and social justice. Through critically analyzing history, students will learn to transform their own communities. Students will further develop critical thinking skills and intercultural competence by examining the history of WWII in Asia through a variety of perspectives and primary sources, develop cultural empathy by encountering personal stories and drama activities, and develop a passion to engage in current social justice issues.

Workshops:

  • Women and War - Her Stories

  • Connections to Canada - WWII in Asia

  • Red Snow: Exploring Peace and Reconciliation through Theatre

  • Race & Racism in the Asia-Pacific War

  • Social Activism

  • The Role of Ethics in Science

“

 

Hearing the first-hand accounts of the survivors was very interesting because it offered a real perspective on the events that were taught."

 

Students' Reflections

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