New Exhibition for Courage to Care
The B’nai B’rith’s Courage to Care unit has launched a new exhibition which will travel to rural New South Wales with bookings scheduled into 2014.
Andrew Havas, Bruce Notley-Smith and Mark Tedeschi pic: Henry Benjamin
The launch took place at the B’nai B’rith Centre in Sydney yesterday and visitors were treated to the glamorously presented exhibition designed to teach those who see it, especially children, how to treat their friends, family and associates with kindness and to eliminate bullying. Speakers included curator Lisa Corsi, Courage to Care chairman Andrew Havas, NSW Crown prosecutor Mark Tedeschi and State Member for Coogee Bruce Notley-Smith. Tedeschi spoke about the methods of teaching ethical values to the next generation. He said that the method employed by Courage to Care is the most effective way of getting their message across. He said: “This exhibition is all about teaching ethical values…particularly to young people.” He said that there have been 33 exhibition mounted by Courage to Care in its eleven years of operation as far afield as Perth and the Sunshine Coast as well as “every major NSW town”. He paid tribute to the organisation’s 220 volunteers. Tedeschi added that the exhibition’s tools included themes of discrimination, intimidation defiance and empowerment and the acts of “ordinary people”. The Holocaust motivates school students to ask themselves what lessons can be learned from the exhibition, Tedeschi said there was no better place to start with school bullying which at its worst drives its victims to suicide. He said the exhibition is booked out until 2015 with four exhibitions planned each year. I am very pleased to launch it today.” Premier Barry O’Farrell was represented by Bruce Notley-Smith, Liberal Member for Coogee. Notley-Smith spoke of the 170 years during which B’nai B’rith had worked against discrimination. “Lisa showed me around the exhibition. The contrast between those despicable evil acts ever been perpetrated on anyone and the shining light of courage and commitment and the jewel of love and respect for one another.” Andrew Havas said that the exhibition had taken 12 months to mount. He added: “We have gone from being a Holocaust-looking exhibition, to an exhibition that is celebrating the righteous amongst the nations those far too few people who stood up to be counted risking their own lives in many instances. Those people would not be bystanders.” He told J-Wire: “Since we started 11 years ago, 155,000 people have visited 32 exhibitions…and that includes 68,000 school students who experienced two hour workshops with our volunteers.” The exhibition will be on display throughout December at the Yurong St headquarters of B’nai B’rith before moving to Canberra. It will open at the Museum of Australian Democracy in the Old Parliament Building on February 16.
