In the face of escalating hate speech and discrimination, it is imperative that we act decisively to educate and empower our young people.
As CEO of education charity Courage to Care, I am blessed to spend time with our treasured Holocaust Survivor Speakers who courageously share their stories with students across Victoria week-in-week-out. Their collective resilience and optimism is a source of inspiration to us all.
They tell me they have seen firsthand the devastating effects of standing by and doing nothing. As our long-time volunteer Peter Gaspar OAM said recently “The Holocaust didn’t start with gas chambers, murders, and executions. It started with stereotyping, prejudice, discrimination, and hate speech.” Today, we are witnessing a disturbing rise in these dangerous behaviours.
Recent data shows that racism and hate speech have surged to unprecedented levels in Australia. Reports of serious antisemitic incidents have increased by a staggering 738% since October 7, and antisemitism on social media has surged at least five-fold. These numbers are not just statistics; they need to be a call to action. We simply cannot afford to stand by.
In response to this alarming trend, Courage to Care is launching an ambitious campaign to educate and empower an additional 20,000 students across Victoria.
Building on visits to more than 120 schools across the state—from Moe to Mildura—we are dedicated to creating a generation of Upstanders across the state against racism, antisemitism, discrimination, and bullying.
In the coming weeks, our dedicated and passionate volunteers will educate and empower students in Red Hill, Essendon, Rowville, Aspendale, Prahran, Geelong, Kerang, Cohuna, Cranbourne, and Traralgon. By visiting schools across the state, including regional and rural areas, we can engage with students from all backgrounds and make a real difference. Our volunteers challenge students to consider their behaviour and language, emphasising the dangers of all forms of hate speech.
The impact of these programs is significant, with 86% of students demonstrating an increase in Upstander behaviour following their participation in Courage to Care’s Upstander Programs.
As we expand our reach across Victoria, Courage to Care calls on the community to join us in our important mission to create a more inclusive and tolerant society. With your support, we can educate more young people than ever before and ensure that the lessons of the past are not forgotten.
Author: Mike Zervos ceo@couragetocare.org.au
Image: Mike Zervos with Survivor Speaker, Sarah Sahroni
You can donate to Courage to Care’s latest appeal here Upstanders against hate speech (raiselysite.com)
