5. Action plan and evaluation

History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, however, if faced with courage, need not be lived again.

Maya Angelou

Learning Objectives

• To support participants to draft an action plan to put into practice what they have learned
• To evaluate the impact of the training

Number of participants: 5–30
Duration: 90 minutes

Suggestions for Trainers

Conducting an activity that engages the participants in processes of planning concrete steps as a follow-up to the training increases the chances of them putting into practice what they learned. It also gives them the opportunity to consolidate the competences they developed during the training, as they find ways to transfer them into their work practices. This activity invites the participants to think of measures they can take to contribute to countering and preventing Holocaust distortion by developing relevant competences in their students.

The participants are asked to work in small groups to draft the action plan. The composition of these groups is very important. The trainer should find the best criteria for grouping the participants. These criteria depend on who is in the room. For example, if the participants are all from the same educational institution/town, they can be grouped together. This has the advantage that they have a shared understanding of what can be done with their students and in their local community. On the other hand, grouping together participants from different educational institutions or different towns has the advantage that it can widen students’ perspectives and create more synergies. The trainer should pay careful attention to the background and dynamic of the participants when grouping people for the assignment. If time allows it, the criteria can be discussed with the participants, so they can choose the groups according to their interests.

Description of the activity

The trainer informs the participants that, in order to conclude this training, they are invited to create an action plan, based on the reflections and discussion from the previous unit. Each participant receives a copy of the Action Plan Handout and is invited to plan an educational activity (not just a lesson plan, but a series of activities that can have a meaningful impact on the students) or a school project to contribute to countering and preventing Holocaust distortion by developing relevant competences in their students. Participants are invited to work in groups of 4-5 people. They can group according to the school in which they teach, the subjects they teach, the town where they teach or they can make mixed groups and think of ways in which they collaborate for joint activities.

The groups have 45 minutes to start planning their action, based on the questions in the handout. Each group should assign one or more people to present the action plan after the group work.

After each group presents, the other participants are invited to offer feedback, ask for clarifications, and suggest ideas or partnerships for facilitating the proposed actions.

The trainer thanks the participants for their contributions and encourages them to start putting into action the plans discussed and to further discuss with their colleagues and other professionals about specific measures that can be taken in different contexts.

The trainer informs the participants that they have reached the end of training and invites them for a round of evaluation. Firstly, the participants are asked to take five minutes to think about/write down their answers to the following questions:

a. What are the three main things I learned?
b. What are the two things I want to further learn about?
c. What is the one thing I would like everybody to know about Holocaust distortion?

The participants are asked to share their reflections. A few volunteers are invited to answer the first question, then a few others are invited to answer the second question and, eventually, a few more to answer the third question.

Before receiving the evaluation form to fill out, the participants are asked if they have any final comments and/or suggestions on who else would benefit from this training.

If possible, the trainer should remain available and invite participants to contact him/her/them or other organizations/institutions if they identify situations of Holocaust distortion which they need help in addressing or which should be addressed by someone else.