Genocide Awareness Month takes place in April every year. In honor of this, Canyon students in Student Task Force went to select history and English classrooms to give presentations about genocide.

Student Task Force is a non-partisan group that advocates for and educates the public on universal human rights. The on-campus club is a part of the international organization Human Rights Watch.

For many individuals, the Holocaust is the only genocide they are well-versed on because it is commonly covered in school curriculum. In order to inform students about other genocides, the Student Task Force covered two lessons talking about genocides.

The Guatemalan Genocide, which occured as a result of the Guatamalen Civil War and targeted the Ixil Mayan people, was carried out from March 1982 to August 1983 by the dictator Efrain Rios Montt. Another genocide that the group covered was the Darfur, Sudan Genocide which took place from 2003 to 2006.

When learning about these genocides, students are encouraged to think critically about the way genocides continue to happen in the world without adequate awareness. Another goal of the presentations is to have students analyze how they play a part in genocides and the power of advocacy that helps bring change.

Perpetrators of genocide tend to not be held accountable until decades after these events or not even in their lifetimes. By being able to recognize what a genocide looks like, people in our community can take action and make a positive difference.

Students who are interested in learning more about Student Task Force and making a difference can come to meetings held on Mondays in room G-201.