IWitness in Australia

When the Institute sent teams around the world to gather video testimony from survivors and eyewitnesses of the Holocaust, more than 2,500 Australians came forward. Nearly 20 years later, the Institute is once again in Australia; this time, the focus is on students.

In partnership with Education Services Australia Limited (ESA), the Institute is exploring the possibility of integrating its award-winning website IWitness (currently in beta) into the Australian national curriculum. About IWitness

“We are grateful that Education Services Australia Limited recognizes the value of IWitness as a unique resource for learning and digital literacy development,” Kori Street, the Institute’s Director of Programs, said. “Working together, and in cooperation with the Sydney Jewish Museum and the Jewish Holocaust Centre, it’s our hope that IWitness will prove every bit as appropriate for use in the Australian national context as it is in the United States.”

In August, the Institute and ESA ran workshops to introduce teachers in Melbourne and Sydney to IWitness, demonstrating its use with Holocaust survivor testimonies recorded in Australia. Two pilot studies in each city will follow, including observational research, to determine the potential of a national IWitness project.