CHICAGO, Ill. – The Simon Wiesenthal Center and the Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools (IARSS) have partnered to organize an essay contest called “Your Voice: Changing the World, One Speech at a Time,” to promote intolerance education among 6th to 12th-grade students in Illinois.
The contest aims to raise awareness about the dangers of technology mixed with hatred and encourage students and their families to stand up against hate and intolerance. Students are asked to write a three-minute speech of 450 words or less that responds to the following quote from Simon Wiesenthal: “The combination of hatred and technology is the greatest danger threatening mankind.”
Five finalists from each category (Grades 6-8 and Grades 9-12) will be selected, and a distinguished panel of judges will choose a winner from each category. The judges include Scott Britton, Ava Carpenter-McPike, and Franci Feirstein. The contest submissions are due on April 3, 2023, and winning entries receive a MacBook or other prizes.
The partnership between the Simon Wiesenthal Center and IARSS is part of their efforts to bring the digital media literacy curriculum to schools across Illinois and encourage students to stand up against intolerance, hate, and bigotry.
