Customized bus takes Calgary students on human rights tour

A technologically advanced mobile human rights education bus made a special stop in Calgary, to teach young minds about the Holocaust and Canada’s human rights history.

But this is not just any bus, it’s the Tour for Humanity experience.

Tamer Akl, a student at Calgary’s Queen Elizabeth High School who attended one of these special sessions shares his experience.

“It’s good to have these sessions so they (kids) can learn more. We need to stop racism and we need to be more kind to everybody,” he said.

Visiting Calgary’s Queen Elizabeth High School on Wednesday, the Tour for Humanity bus gave students an opportunity to learn and participate in its Canadian Experience workshop, that included topics like residential schools, human rights violations during World War I and II and cyberbullying.

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Another student, Anna Bella Lin shared what she learnt.

“Well, I learned about all the things that Canada has done in the past, to discriminate against others and that we should never repeat that again. We need to learn from our mistakes.”

Since its launch more than 10 years ago, the bus has reached more than 200,000 students, educators and community members. Simon Busse, who led these special sessions inside the bus and is an educator with Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Centre (FSWC) says their mission is to educate and spread awareness.

“We have seen a rise in hate in Canada, and especially amongst 12 to 17 year olds. So we’re trying to educate students about hateful racist language and how we have to act together to stand up against it,” said Busse.

After an east coast tour in 2023, Tour for Humanity is now bringing their Western Canadian leg this year to schools in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and, for the first time, Alberta and British Columbia.