Steve Joyce, the teacher of School District 72’s Outdoor Adventures Program, approached the Museum about hosting the travelling exhibit “Anne Frank: A History for Today”.  We asked him what his motivation was for bringing this exhibit to Campbell River.

“The idea was passed on to me by a friend and former Campbell River person, Iris Young Pearson who had a contact with the Anne Frank House and made the connection with me.  I loved the idea of bringing this important story to our community and having my students help in the sharing with the students of our district.  Many know of Anne’s story as it is told in school and those that do connect her to the horror of the Holocaust.  As a teacher I have participated and led in symposia, events and classroom teachings covering this time in world history.  Sadly it really wasn’t the first instance of this sort of genocide and we have witnessed many similar events over the course of my lifetime.  Education can open eyes and hearts to events far away and connect us all together in common cause, as evidenced by that little boy on a Greek beach only a short while ago.  I remain hopeful that education can make enough of a difference that we as societies protect the vulnerable so as to avoid more instances like the Holocaust.”

“I was lucky to find in the Campbell River Museum the amazing support to bring Anne’s story to Campbell River and the CRM have connected it to our community through the stories of those who served in WWII fighting the very evil that created the Holocaust. The stories of Campbell River men who served and in some cases paid the ultimate sacrifice to liberate Europe will reside alongside Anne’s personal story.”

Steve was then asked about how he thought the youth who are being trained as guides for this exhibit would benefit from the experience. 

“As for what the students might get from this experience I give you their words:”

• “While I know the story of Anne Frank I hope to learn even more of what life was like in Europe at that time….I think it is important not to forget all these terrible things that happened”.
• “ I hope to learn why the Jews were persecuted and how this family survived as well as they did.”
• “Along with learning more about Anne and her family, I hope to gain the skills one needs to guide others through her story”
• “ to learn the importance of HOPE in a situation where hope is futile”
• “I think it will be more real as we’ll be the ones speaking about it, teaching kids the intense history”
• “ to share a story from the point of view of a teenager who experienced this horrible time.”
• “gaining confidence in speaking to large groups”

The exhibit, Anne Frank: A History for Today, will be at the Museum at Campbell River from October 13^th to November 15^th, 2015.