Courage to Care

On Tuesday the 14th of June, Courage to Care came to host an Upstander workshop with the Year 9 Programme. The organisation believes “that ordinary people have the power to make a positive difference to the lives of others by being Upstanders.” They take inspiration from real-life extraordinary acts of courage, particularly the Holocaust, in order to “inspire people to make a real difference in their community by standing up and taking action, creating real change.”

The Year 9s heard stories about acts of courage from the child of a Holocaust survivor, then divided into smaller groups where experts on acts of courage would provide thought-provoking and in-depth discussion, appealing to these young adults.

Experiences from the students included:

“The thought-provoking presentation by Courage to Care has left me with a deeper understanding of the terrible Holocaust and the lasting effects it has had on the world. We were privileged to hear the courageous story from a close relative of a survivor, which amazed me, especially to learn how many selfless people risked their own lives to hide and protect Jews fleeing persecution by the Nazis. Discussions in the Upstander program, prompted me to discover strategies to use when navigating our diverse society and ways to become an ‘upstander’ instead of a bystander.” 

Anna de Vries (9 Jenkin)

“I thought courage to care was extremely informational and really empowering to stand up and be an upstander.”

Emily Edwards (9 Jones)

Through this incursion, I learnt that I should stand up for others and support them. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and hope that they come again next year.

Eva Westbrook (9 Frew)

Courage to care was a very helpful program that encourages students to stand up to bullying using engaging activities with experienced volunteers. 

Year 9 student

I was surprised at just how insightful the session was. It is always interesting to hear from someone who either went through or is close to someone who went through a tragedy as awful as the Holocaust. It just goes to show how the world can be turned upside down so quickly and we should always treasure what we have and never take it for granted.

Maddison Smith (9 Frew)

Overall, it was a great program that the Year 9s are still chatting about days later. Girton Grammar can’t wait to host Courage to Care again next year!