Have your children entered our Holocaust Memorial Day competition?

Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD) takes place internationally every year on 27 January, the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi death camp. It’s for everyone to remember the six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust, the millions of other people killed under Nazi persecution of other groups, and in the genocides which followed in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia, and Darfur.

To help younger generations get involved, and ‘never forget’, North Herts Council is reminding children aged 5 to 11 to submit a poster, and young people aged 12 to 18, a piece of creative writing, based on the 2022 theme ‘One day’, by 16 January.

The winning pieces will be featured during the council’s HMD service, in partnership with North Herts Interfaith Forum, on Thursday 27 January, which we hope will be in person as well as live streamed on our YouTube channel.

The theme can be interpreted in many ways: 

• you could pick ‘One day’ in history and learn about that day, how many lives changed and what happened to the people involved? You could choose the same date in different years and look at what was happening in different countries and different years.
• is there ‘One day’ when life changed for you, for the worse or better?
• is there ‘One day’ in the future that you look forward to, or that you think people who have been persecuted in history might have looked forward to, what would they hope for?
• you could look at ‘One day’ in the life of someone less fortunate than you, what would need to change to make them happier? 

Councillor Judi Billing, Executive Member for Community Engagement, said: “We really hope that young people will join us and get involved in these activities which are absolutely focused on encouraging them to respond creatively to deepen their understanding of genocide, and ensure that it forms no part of their future.

“When we look ahead to ‘One day with no genocide’, what can we each do to make a real difference? This January we can use this theme to motivate us to speak out when we see injustice and prejudice around us.”

How to enter

We have contacted schools but please email entries by 16 January to community@north-herts.gov.uk 

Entries will be judged by a panel including Cllr Billing, Leader Cllr Elizabeth Dennis-Harburg, and Chair Cllr Val Bryant.

For more information visit our HMD webpage or the website of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust (HMDT), a charity established and funded by the UK Government to promote and support HMD in the UK.