The Power of Youth: Activism in Action

The Power of Youth: Activism in Action
February 8, 2020 at 11:00 a.m. at The Palladium (253 Fifth Ave. N, St. Petersburg, FL 33701)

The Florida Holocaust Museum is pleased to present a community conversation with Elizabeth Dearborn Hughes and Claire Sarnowski, youth activists who are making change happen in the world. The panel discussion will be moderated by trailblazer Gayle Sierens, Retired Co-Anchor, WFLA News Channel 8.

Elizabeth Dearborn Hughes, Loebenberg Humanitarian Award honoree, a Tampa Bay native, is the CEO and Co-founder of The Akilah Institute for Women, a college with campuses in Rwanda and Burundi that connect young women to economic opportunity. Elizabeth learned of the Rwanda genocide while a student at Berkeley Prep in Tampa and upon her 2006 college graduation, she moved to Rwanda. In 2010, Elizabeth and her husband Dave founded The Akilah Institute in Rwanda to provide education and career development to promising young female leaders.

Claire Sarnowski, Legacy Award honoree, met Holocaust Survivor Alter Wiener as a fourth-grade student in the Oregon Public Schools. Alter spoke to her class about surviving five different concentration camps and losing most of his family. Following his presentation, Claire forged a special friendship with Alter, learning of his lifelong dream to implement mandatory curriculum standards for teaching students about the Holocaust and other genocides. Claire, as a high school freshman, reached out to her state senator who sponsored the bill. Because of Claire’s advocacy and persistence, the bill became law in June 2019 requiring that all Oregon students receive Holocaust education.

Free to attend. RSVP required through Bookwhen.

Sponsored by Bank of America