The unique MOTivating Teen Volunteer Program at the Museum of Tolerance introduces teens to the importance of Holocaust remembrance and the essential commitment to social responsibility. Elana Samuels, Director of Museum Volunteer Services, initiated the program, with the goal of encouraging young volunteers to not only learn about history but to learn from history. There are no better teachers than our own Holocaust Survivors who inspire us with their stories and their lives. The “Generation to Generation” events create opportunities for inter-generational and inter-cultural conversations between our revered Holocaust Survivors and our MOTivating Teen volunteers, to meet and socialize, to share experiences and to build friendships.
Sophia Soll, a talented 17-year old, MOTivating Teens participant was inspired to paint a series of portraits of the Holocaust Survivors she met.
|
“I feel happy and completed to have finished this series, I feel like I did my part in documenting the history of the Holocaust, something that is crucial for future generations. I have learned that these people are not ordinary people, they are especially kind and warm, something you wouldn’t expect of someone who has gone through the atrocities that they have. I was especially touched by their kindness and excitement towards all the teens that were part of the program.” - Sophia Soll, MOTivating Teens Volunteer |
We are pleased so share Sophia’s paintings, which she presented virtually to a large audience of appreciative Survivors, teens and MOT members on Sunday, September 13, 2020.
In the last 12 years, over 450 teens have participated in the MOTivating Teens Volunteer Program. They have motivated each other, been a blessing to the Survivors and an inspiration to us all. For more information on the MOTivating Teens Program, please click here.
View Becoming A Witness Portrait Gallery, by Sophia Soll below:
