April 18, 2003/Nisan 16 5763, Vol. 55, No. 34
Sharing experienceSeniors visit schools, teach tolerance
BETH OLSON
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 Holocaust survivor Harry Fern, left, shakes hands with student John Burgmeier at Madison Park Elementary School after Fern spoke to the students about his experience during the Holocaust. After the presentation, hundreds of students lined up to shake hands with Fern and thanked him for sharing his story. Photo by Beth Olson |
In 1993, Basil B. Barwell founded a program called Presentation by Seniors, in which retired adults visit area schools to teach children about tolerance and cooperation.
The program is two-fold. Some seniors visit schools and talk about their life experiences, including surviving the Holocaust, World War II, life during the Depression and living in Japanese internment camps. Others are involved in presenting age-appropriate videos and discussion on a variety of topics, including cooperation, diversity, self-esteem and conflict resolution.
Initially the program was funded by the National Conference of Christians and Jews, and eventually became a program of the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) of the Area Agency on Aging, Region One.
Priscilla Allison, RSVP volunteer programs asso-ciate, says Barwell wanted children to learn to accept and he wanted to improve their self-esteem.
"(Barwell) was concerned with the amount of violence and divorce and said we really have to do something about this to make a better environment for the students and help them feel better about themselves," explains Allison.
Harry Fern, a Holocaust survivor, takes part in the Presentation by Seniors program. He shares with junior high and high students his experiences of growing up in Germany in the 1930s and 1940s - of the death of his family and the horrors of the concentration camps. After a 50-minute presentation, Fern invites the students to ask questions.
He not only speaks of his own experience, but also asks the students to appreciate their own lives.
"I let them all close their eyes and see their own lives (and) what they have here - good schools, good friends, good teachers, good country - and compare it to the life I have (told) them about at my young age," explains Fern.
Fern also reminds the students to be proud of their country and the importance of democracy and free speech.
Bernard Shuer, a retired neurosurgeon, also speaks about his experiences as a child and young man, both during the Depression and as a battalion surgeon in Europe in World War II. Shuer also volunteers his time every week to do the video presentations.
In addition to presenting the videos and speaking about the various topics, Shuer says he encourages the children to work hard in school and to read, and tells them they can achieve anything they want. "Shoot for the moon," he tells the students. "You may not get there, but you'll be among the stars."
Shuer finds the experience rewarding and he feels he's really made a difference in some children's lives, as he's seen in letters he has received from students after the presentations.
"It builds up our self-esteem, knowing that we're doing something good and knowing that perhaps if we can save one or two students in a class from doing bad things, and if we can influence students to go on in life and become something and make the most of their life, then that is our payment," he says.
RSVP also places senior volunteers at 140 locations in the Valley, including museums and theaters. The programs not only benefit the community, says Allison, but the seniors as well.
"We know that if a senior is active, we're probably going to increase their lifespan and that's part of our goal, too, to make life better for these seniors."
To volunteer for the Presentation by Seniors program, contact Priscilla Allison at 602-264-2255.
Contact the writer at beth_olson@jewishaz.com.
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After the Presentation by Seniors speakers visit a school, students fill out a feedback form. The following are some of the responses received by students after a visit by Holocaust survivor Harry Fern. "My feeling from what I heard from the presenter is how horrible it must have been for the Jews and other victims. From how he described it, he had to have been an extremely strong man physically and mentally." "I never knew how harsh and how hard it was on the people that were sent to concentration and extermination camps. I feel so bad for them and how lucky I am to have not been around for that." "I couldn't believe it. I knew what had happened during that time and I'd read books and stuff, but it's different when you hear it from a survivor." "I have all sorts of feelings about it and questions. I felt happy that finally they were freed but upset about all who died." "I was very sad and in shock about what happened to him and many other people. I was glad that I got to hear his story because I learned a lot more." "It made me thankful that I wasn't born during that time. It also made me sad that so many people died because of it." |