Deeside College A level and Welsh Bac students, James Preece from Connah’s Quay and Demi Spenser from Saltney, have recently taken part in the Holocaust Educational Trust’s ‘Lessons from Auschwitz’ project.
The groundbreaking scheme, which works on the premise that hearing is not like seeing, grants the students two afternoon seminars and a one-day visit to the former Nazi extermination camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau.
The students will now pass on the knowledge gained and their experience from the trip to their peers in the form of presentations. The trip has also enabled the pair to become involved in a project about the camp for the University of Hull.
Speaking after the visit, James said: “The visit was a valuable, moving and insightful experience. You can learn about the facts of the Holocaust, but it’s not until you actually visit the Auschwitz camp can you truly appreciate the scale of the atrocities that occurred.”
Demi said “I am extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to visit the Auschwitz camp. Hearing from two Holocaust survivors and seeing what the people at the camp were subjected to really brought home how fortunate we are today.”
Deeside College Welsh Baccalaureate Qualification Programme Area Manager Shirley Minton added: “James and Demi are the latest Deeside College students to benefit from the visit to Auschwitz. I’m sure they will inspire others to apply for the experience next year.”
