The Butterfly Project
The "Butterfly Project" commemorates the 1.5 million children and young people who were killed in the Holocaust with individually painted ceramic butterflies. The project was initiated by teacher Jan Landau and ceramic artist Cheryl Rattner Price at the San Diego Jewish Academy, the day school attended by the children of Steven Schindler, generationE co-founder. Since the project was launched in 2006, people all over the world have joined the initiative and over 440,000 butterflies have been painted. generationE represents The Butterfly Project in Germany and Europe.
With an age-appropriate view to the Holocaust, young people learn where hatred and exclusion can lead. The "Butterfly Project" encourages students to look to the future with hope and to stand up for human rights, humanity, and freedom for all and speak out when they witness injustice.
The project awakens empathy and a sense of social responsibility. Students are provided the biographies of a child killed, asked to paint a butterfly to commemorate an individual victim, and learn from Holocaust survivors and contemporary witnesses, helping them to understand what exclusion, hunger, persecution, forced labor and the loss of loved ones meant for those affected. These butterflies are to be permanently displayed on or in the school building.
Descendants of survivors seeking a path to reconnect with their origins are encouraged to sponsor a Butterfly Project at a school located in their ancestor’s hometown. Sponsoring a Butterfly Project is a powerful way to reengage with places otherwise lost, to provide schoolchildren there with an understanding of the past and to encourage a commitment to always fight for justice.
For schools and organizations in the US, contact the Butterfly Project directly at: www.thebutterflyprojectnow.org
Contact for schools in Germany and other European countries:
Nicole Nocon (generationE), +49 160 93234938, nicole@generatione.org
generationE Butterfly Projects include the following schools:
Germany:
Dietrich Bonhoeffer Bildungscampus, Bad Aibling
Salvatorkolleg, Bad Wurzach
Mittelschule Bayreuth, Bayreuth
Arnold-Zweig-Grundschule, Berlin
Temple-Grandin-Schule, Berlin
Barnim-Gymnasium, Bernau
Marie-Kahle-Gesamtschule, Bonn
Bewegte Grundschule, Cottbus
Evangelisches Gymnasium, Cottbus
Lausitzer Sportschule, Cottbus
Pückler-Gymnasium, Cottbus
Grundschule Höner Mark, Dinklage
Kardinal-von-Galen-Grundschule, Dinklage
BVB Borussia Dortmund, Dortmund
Schule an der Froschlake, Dortmund
Johann Comenius Schule, Emmerthal
Dr. Mehler-Schule, Georgensgmünd
Augustum-Anne-Gymnasium, Görlitz
Freie Evangelische Oberschule, Görlitz
Theo-Koch-Schule, Grünberg
Gesamtschule Hanoier Straße / Kinderschutzbund, Halle
Elsa Brandström-Schule, Hannover
Hans-Prinzhorn-Realschule, Hemer
Gemeinschaftsschule Husum-Nord, Husum
Friedrichsgymnasium, Kassel
Michael-von-Jung-Schule, Kirchdorf an der Iller
Staatl. Grundschule „Johann Carl Fuhlrott“, Leinefelde
Berufliches Schulzentrum, Löbau
Martin-Luther-King-Schule, Marl
Alex-Deutsch-Schule, Neunkirchen
Liebfrauenschule, Nottuln
Adolf-Reichwein-Schule, Pohlheim
Dietrich Bonhoeffer-Gymnasium, Ratingen
Alexandrine-Hegemann-Berufskolleg, Recklinghausen
Dreiklang-Oberschule, Schwedt
Spalatin-Schule, Spalt
Johann-Kepler-Realschule, Süchteln
Geschwister-Scholl-Gymnasium, Unna
Grundschule Klosterfelde, Wandlitz
Europa-Schule, Warstein
Gesamtschule Weilerswist, Weilerswist
Justinus-Kerner-Gymnasium, Weinsberg
Peter-August-Böckstiegel-Gymnasium, Werther
Hunteschule, Wildeshausen
Lise-Meitner-Gymnasium, Willich
Europe
Judiska Församlingen, Stockholm (Sweden)
Šiauliai Geguziai Progymnasium, Šiauliai (Lithuania)
Šiauliai Sauletekis Gymnasium, Šiauliai (Lithuania)
Gymnázium Roudnice nad Labem, Roudnice nad Labem (Czech Republic)
Kisvárdai Bessenyei György Gimnázium és Kollégium, Kisvárda (Hungary)
US and overseas
La Jolla Country Day School, San Diego (USA)
Humboldt-Schule, São Paulo (Brazil)
