This story encourages students to learn about individuals who have faced identity-based discrimination or persecution – such as Holocaust and genocide survivors, or those who have been targeted in conflict or forced to migrate due to their identity.

In the teacher notes you will find the [Extra]Ordinary Portraits is a portrait project that encourages art, students will have the opportunity to share and reflect on these powerful life stories.

Note: Talking openly about the holocaust, acts of genocide and forced migration and how they affect the world today, will involve potentially difficult and challenging conversations. The following content may contain triggers around lived experience of racism, migration, abuse and violence. There may be pupils in your class who themsevles or their family or ancestors have been directly affected by the stories and issues covered in this resource. You may wish to talk about ground rules with the class and look out for language around ‘otherness’ and difference and be prepared for sensitive or challenging conversations and potential emotional impacts on pupils.

Each of the following chapters tells the story of an individual whose life has been impacted by violence. It is strongly suggested that teachers read through each chapter before deciding how to use this resource. Many of the stories can be downloaded as a Word document in the Resources section.