• The Corning Centre is pleased to announce that, thanks to the kindness of the United Church of Canada, the public can now access photographs of the Georgetown Girls, the Georgetown Boys, and their farm home online and free of charge.

    Daniel Ohanian, Director of Research, explained on this occasion, “The Centre had inquired about ordering these 128 photographs—normally a paid service—some months ago. But given the increased attention the Georgetown story has been receiving over the past few years and given the large price-tag such an order would normally come with, in an act of kindness, the UCC Archives recently informed us that it has decided to absorb the cost of digitization and to place the fruits of its labours online for all to access. We owe them great thanks for this and also for being such great hosts of much archival material related to this important history.”

    The historical images can be viewed through the United Church of Canada's online holdings page. 

    The Corning Centre has been interested in the story of the orphaned survivors of the Armenian Genocide who were brought up at Georgetown, Ontario, since its inception. It is a tale of the admirable efforts of Canadians to resist prejudice, demonstrate compassion, and give hope to a people marked for extinction. For more on this history and related lessons and resources, check out our Online Lesson Portal, our resources page, and our 100 Voices project.
  • In the month of April, commemorative events dedicated to the centenary of the Armenian Genocide took place in cities worldwide. The Corning Centre participated in official commemorations in five cities: Yerevan, Toronto, Ottawa, Istanbul and New York. Below are photos from those events.

    In the month of April, commemorative events dedicated to the centenary of the Armenian Genocide took place in cities worldwide. The Corning Centre participated in official commemorations in five cities: Yerevan, Toronto, Ottawa, Istanbul and New York. Below are photos from those events.

    We also contributed to the powerful Canadian message on this occasion. We were interviewed by CTV News’s Josh Eliott for his article “100 Years Later, Armenian Genocide Stories Survive on Social Media”, which was published on April 24, 2015, and which featured our 100 Voices Project.

    Founder and Chair Raffi Sarkissian’s opinion piece “Why We Commit to Commemorate”, dedicated to collective commemoration, education and justice for the Armenian Genocide, was also published on April 24, in the Globe and Mail. The article was timely since Parliament unanimously passed Motion M-587 later that day. It declared April of each year as Genocide Remembrance, Condemnation and Prevention Month and April 24 of each year as Armenian Genocide Memorial Day. The Corning Centre announced on that occasion, “A powerful and united message echoed from the Canadian Parliament on April 24. This was a collective message of solidarity with all victims of genocide internationally and all those who are dedicated to end denial and prevent genocide in all countries. Motion M-587 not only sets out to remember the past but also ensures that the rights of all those who are working to defend human rights are also upheld. This rings true for Turkish civil society and institutions that are working tirelessly for Turkish recognition of the Armenian Genocide and compensation for victims.” This motion, which complements a similar statement by the Toronto District School Board from two years ago designating April as Genocide Awareness Month board-wide, will further the genocide education work the Centre does in Canada.

    Finally, on April 28, the Corning Centre made an official visit to the newly renovated and improved Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute in Yerevan. On this occasion, Sarkissian met with Deputy Director Suren Manukyan and discussed future cooperation and initiatives. Sarkissian also gave copies of the newly published Canada and the Armenian Genocide to the museum.
  • The Corning Centre joins all genocide education programs and centres across the country in remembering the Jewish Holocaust. Working together to educate new generations about the importance of being upstanders in society is vital to ensuring that communities are grounded in the understanding, acceptance and appreciation of differences, diversity and multiculturalism. The history of the Jewish Holocaust and the memories of those who survived it are full of lessons about the consequences of harbouring hatred against one another. Genocide education strives to inform and inspire generations in hopes of creating societies that state their commitment to Never Again with pride and confidence.
  • April 24, 2015, will mark the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. In commemoration of this important event, the Corning Centre and Facing History and Ourselves organized a joint workshop to prepare educators for bringing this history into their classrooms. 

    Special guest Marsha Skrypuch gave a presentation on her research and the background to her newest novel, Dance of the Banished, which is set during the Armenian Genocide but shown from the perspective of Zeynep, an Alevi Kurdish witness and rescuer. Marsha also discussed how she became interested in the topic of the Armenian Genocide and the extensive research she has conducted over the years in preparation for writing the several books she has published on this topic. She is well known for her books that show the effects of twentieth-century war and genocide from the perspective of young people. Her nineteen books have garnered more than sixty awards and honours. She has written four young adult novels set during the Armenian Genocide and two books that approach the topic for younger children.

    Educators were able to discover new, interdisciplinary teaching strategies and classroom activities that reinforce historical and literacy skills. The Corning Centre focused on examining various sources on the topic of Canada and the Armenian Genocide by applying the historical thinking concepts. Educators received free copies of two new publications by the centre, “Canada and the Armenian Genocide” and “Historical Thinking Concepts: The Georgetown Armenian Boys; A Collection of Sources.” The former will be available at select events commemorating the 100th anniversary of this genocide and will be made available as a digital download in the near future.  Facing History’s  book Crimes against Humanity and Civilization: The Genocide of the Armenians, a leading and unique resource on the Armenian Genocide for classrooms, was also provided to those present.

  • On the occasion of the centenary of the Armenian Genocide, the Corning Centre has published two new resources and accompanying activities for educators. As we enter April, known widely as Genocide Awareness Month and the month during which the Armenian Genocide is officially commemorated (April 24), these resources will assist educators in teaching this history in their classrooms.

    Historical Thinking Concepts: The Georgetown Armenian Boys provides teachers with three concise readings about international and Canadian aid for the victims to the Armenian Genocide and about the Georgetown Armenian Boys. These readings are followed by several primary and secondary sources that provide students with insight into what Canadians were reading during the 1910s and 1920s and into the lives of the Georgetown Boys, the latter through articles from a newsletter they produced themselves, Ararat Monthly. The teacher’s resource guides students in using this booklet through the lens of the Historical Thinking Concepts.

    Canada and the Armenian Genocide examines this genocide and its consequences, Canadian assistance before during and after the Genocide and issues related to collective commemoration. The discussion questions in the teacher’s resource allows students to go beyond the text and understand the deeper issues and concepts related to the Armenian Genocide, allowing them to utilize the information in this booklet to its full capacity.

    The teacher’s guides for the above resources can be found in our Online Lesson Portal.

    These two resources, coupled with the Corning Centre’s 100 Voices Project​ and the lesson on upstander Armin Wegner, provide a strong set of materials all developed on the occasion of the centenary of the Armenian Genocide.

    On this occasion, Raffi Sarkissian, chair of the Corning Centre, stressed, “We encourage educators to use these resources in April and in future academic years to strengthen student knowledge on genocide and its grave consequences and also to help them find their voices and the means and places for making themselves heard on the issues they care about. After all, two of the strongest messages of the centenary of the Armenian Genocide are the importance of international movements dedicated to preventing genocides and the individual roles each of us can play as upstanders.”
  • The Sara Corning Centre for Genocide Education and University of Toronto Libraries are co-sponsoring an exhibit dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide titled “1915-2015: 100 Years of Life.” It will be curated by Hasmik Torossian, with the assistance of the Armenian Students’ Association of the University of Toronto.

    Displayed will be materials prepared by the Corning Centre, including its “Canadian Upstanders in the Ottoman Empire” series of posters.

    The exhibit will be open from April 1 to 30. Visit http://100yearsoflife.wix.com/genocide for more information.