THE ART OF REMEMBRANCE TEEN FELLOWSHIP

A Holocaust Memory and Arts Program for Teens

Sounds of Remembrance, in partnership with Contra Costa Midrasha, invites teens in grades 8 through 12 to apply for THE ART OF REMEMBRANCE TEEN FELLOWSHIP, a paid, interdisciplinary program that guides 12 to 15 participants through a structured encounter with Holocaust memory, culminating in an original public performance timed to International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Participants will begin by reading selections from Emmie Arbel: The Colour of Memory, which traces the relationship between Holocaust survivor Emmie Arbel and graphic novelist Barbara Yelin. They will then take part in a live video discussion with Emmie Arbel, Barbara Yelin, and Dr. Matthias Heyl, Director of Education at the Ravensbrück Memorial — the site where Ms. Arbel was imprisoned. Over Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, teens will work alongside professional artists to transform their reflections into original graphic art, poetry, and rap, shaping their individual responses into a shared collaborative performance.

The fellowship concludes with a public performance and gallery walk on Holocaust Remembrance Day, situating the participants’ original work within a broader act of collective memory.

Program Schedule:

•   Sunday, November 8, 4:00–6:00 PM — In-person session (reading & reflection)

•   Sunday, December 6, 10:00 AM–12:00 PM — Live video session (Zoom)

•   Saturday–Monday, January 17–19 (MLK weekend) — Creation intensive,  including an overnight

•   Wednesday, January 27, 5:00–7:30 PM — Public performance

All meetings take place in Walnut Creek, CA

Eligibility: Open to students in grades 8–12. All skill levels are welcome. Enrollment limited to 12–15 participants.

Compensation: This is a paid fellowship; participating teens are compensated for their time.

Registration Deadline: EXTENDED to November 5, 2026

For full program details and registration, visit https://paybee.io/@ccmidrasha@123 or contact Dan Wolf at dannydmic@gmail.com.

The Art of Remembrance is a program of Sounds of Remembrance,  the umbrella organization encompassing Sound in the Silence‘s site-specific workshops as well as programs using literature, film, graphic novels, and other cultural works as immersive entry points for historical engagement with middle and high school students. Through these classroom-based programs, students use creative expression to process and respond to historical narratives, with a special focus on the Holocaust and other histories of trauma, resistance, and resilience.

Sound in the Silence (SiS) is a global, multicultural project that empowers young people to understand history and their place in it while connecting across borders, generations, and time through the transformative power of art. Since 2006, the program has served over 1,200 students, artists, and educators, ages 13 – 65, across more than a dozen countries including Germany, Poland, Spain, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, Lithuania, Finland, Croatia, Austria, Czech Republic, and the United States. Each edition culminates in an interdisciplinary, intercultural, collaborative, non-traditional, site-specific public performance. By blending experiential education with artistic expression, SiS battles Antisemitism, racism, and xenophobia by fostering empathy, understanding, curiosity, and creativity through the exploration and expression of complex historical narratives.