City of Greeley Holocaust Memorial Observances

There are now three divisions!
There are two high school divisions (grades 9-10 and grades 11-12)
and this year we are pleased to present a Middle School division for those in grades 6 through 8.

In the aftermath of the Holocaust, in 1948, the United Nations approved the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. This convention establishes genocide as an international crime, which all signatory nations must "undertake to prevent and punish." And, it revises the definition to "acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group [. . .]."

Preventing genocide remains a challenge that nations and individuals continue to face. And there are places in the world where, right now, genocide is occurring--places like Darfur, the Congo, Chechnya, Burundi, and Rwanda. For this contest we ask you to consider the issue of genocide in response to this question:

High School Prompt:
How do the lessons of the Holocaust teach us that preventing genocide in places that seem far away is an international obligation? And, as part of your response, discuss what can we do, here in Colorado, as students, and not politicians or diplomats, to battle genocide?

Middle School Prompt:
It would appear that the lessons of the Holocaust during World War II have yet to be learned given the more recent examples of genocide in places like Cambodia, Kosovo, Rwanda, and currently in Darfur. Even though these locations seem far removed from life in Greeley, Colorado, what ideas can you come up with to discourage mistrust, intolerance, prejudice and hatred in your home, school and community in order to promote a more unifying platform for global peace? In a well developed essay explain how your ideas can foster a more nurturing future.