Facing History and Ourselves

Founded in 1979, Facing History and Ourselves is a national nonprofit organization that offers educators an innovative, interdisciplinary approach to the teaching of citizenship. It is an approach that connects history to the day-to-day experiences of students by revealing the way violence and hate can destroy a society. The approach helps students discover that individuals can make a difference by examining how the decisions of ordinary people, little by little, shape an age and ultimately a history itself. Educators become familiar with Facing History's approach by experiencing it at workshops and institutes. There they encounter a model that helps students move from thought to judgment to participation by confronting the moral questions inherent in a rigorous examination of a particular history--the history of the decisions that undermined democracy in Weimar, Germany, and ultimately resulted in the Holocaust. It is a model that uses the methods of the humanities--inquiry, analysis, and interpretation--to help students examine the complexities of history and understand how the past relates to their own lives.

Facing History and Ourselves provides seminars, afternoon, workshops, conferences, and adult education courses. Many teachers also meet individually with staff for individualized consultation in incorporating the Facing History approach into their instruction. In addition, Facing History's Resource Center provides educators nationwide with speakers and a lending library of relevant books, periodicals, and videos. Facing History keeps its programs timely and relevant through ongoing research on history and ethics. The staff has produced the resource books Facing History and Ourselves: Holocaust and Human Behavior, Elements of Time, and seven study guides: Participating in Democracy: Choosing to Make a Difference, A Guide to the Film Schindler's List, Memphis: Building Community, A Guide to the American Experience, A Guide for the Rescuers of the Holocaust, A Guide to the New England Holocaust Memorial, and Survivors of the Holocaust.

Facing History and Ourselves, a member of the National Diffusion Network, reaches nearly 900,000 students annually from its national headquarters in Boston and its regional offices in Chicago, Los Angeles, Memphis, New York, and San Francisco. The U.S. Department of Education has recognized Facing History as a exemplary program.

For further information, refer to the Facing History and Ourselves National Foundation.