Challenge/Goal
A study conducted by Liberation75 revealed one in three North American kids think the Holocaust was exaggerated, fabricated or aren’t sure it even happened.* And 42% of students have witnessed an antisemitic event – even in schools and playgrounds. Liberation75 knows the lessons of the Holocaust are universal and can teach students how to stand up against hate – for all races and religions. Currently though, Holocaust education is not mandatory in all Canadian provinces/territories. The goal of this campaign was to lobby education ministers to mandate Grade 6 Holocaust education in their respective province/territory. Grade 6 being the ideal time to teach kids about the Holocaust. At 11 years old they are old enough to understand and their values are still forming. This is a time when those values can still be positively influenced. The ultimate goal? Creating better citizens who can influence a kinder world.
Insights/Strategy
Holocaust survivors are witnesses to the world’s most heinous, industrialized genocide. They are living proof that the Holocaust did happen. But they’re old. Society – and kids in particular – are more likely to ignore old people. To make their stories unignorable, we made them young again through A.I. technology. They became our most powerful influencers. Their stories were used to lobby politicians to introduce the curriculum mandate. We also used their stories as the basis for a lesson plan teachers could use in their classrooms. The lesson plan was developed with a curriculum developer. We tapped into the insight that kids listen to kids. By making the Holocaust survivors young again, we also reminded politicians that they are entrusted with our children’s education. The stories of these survivors were made even more harrowing by having them retold as their younger selves.
Execution
The days we have left with survivors are precious. Five survivors who believe in the power of education to create a better world were identified and invited to participate. In addition to consenting to being taken back in time with A.I. and being comfortable in front of a camera retelling their story, one of the most important prerequisites for participating survivors was a childhood photo. Please note surviving childhood photos of Holocaust survivors are rare. This was essential for authenticity. These photos were used as a basis for A.I. to create the authentic young version of the survivor. Survivors were filmed retelling their stories. Through voice manipulation their voices were de-aged. Once their photos were restored, they were “placed” over top of the face of a body double who had a similar facial structure.
For print assets, photos of the young survivor (authentic and restored) and current day survivor (portraits were shot) were blended into a striking image highlighting a transition in time and paid homage to their survival.
Results/Impact
The moment the survivors watched their stories – pre-launch – being told by their younger selves was enormously moving for both them and us. Despite being subjected to the unimaginable horrors of the Holocaust they refused to allow hate to win. And that’s why they believe in education. For Rose, Andy, Georgine, Gershon and Judy they feel this campaign is a gift they can give to the world in hope of creating a kinder one.
A direct mail piece was sent to all Canadian education ministers to encourage the mandate. Liberation75 continues to liaise with ministers. Ontario is the one province that had already mandated Grade 6 Holocaust education due to lobby efforts by Liberation75. Coinciding with the launch of the campaign, Manitoba also introduced a Grade 6 Holocaust education mandate.
