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Bringing the Lessons Home Program

Holocaust Education for the Community

The Museum’s Bringing the Lessons Home Program introduces Washington, DC, area public high school students to Holocaust history and encourages them to share its lessons with their family, friends, and community.

Apply to the Bringing the Lessons Home Program

Application Deadline: Monday, February 10, 2025

Virtual Orientation: Saturday, February 22, 2025, 10 am-noon (You will receive a Zoom link upon program acceptance.)

Classes at the Museum: Saturdays, March 1-May 31, 2025, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Morning refreshments and lunch will be provided weekly.

Spring break Saturday, April 19, 2025

Induction ceremony and family tours of the Museum: Saturday, June 7, 2025, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

About the Program

  • Study about the Holocaust on Saturdays, both in person and virtually (final schedule will be shared upon acceptance)

  • Learn to serve as a tour guide for the Museum’s main exhibition

  • Graduate to become a Bringing the Lessons Home (BTLH) student ambassador

  • Earn up to 50 hours of community-service credit

  • Become eligible to participate in the Stephen Tyrone Johns Summer Youth Leadership Program

Highlights of the program include the Art and Memory project, in which students meet with a Holocaust survivor and then create an artwork inspired by the survivor’s experiences. 

Connect

Follow @btlhambassadors on Instagram for updates and reflections from program participants.

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Core Principles

The program is founded on two core principles:

  • The history and lessons of the Holocaust are relevant to today’s world. By encouraging young people to examine the implications of the Holocaust for their own lives, the program improves their ability to analyze current events that affect their community and the larger world. They also acquire a concrete basis for exploring the nature of indifference, racism, and genocide, as well as their roles as citizens of a democracy.

  • Students should be actively engaged in their own education. The program provides a learning environment in which the insights and opinions of young people are taken seriously.

How to Participate

All high school students in grades nine through 12 at DC-area schools are eligible to apply. The program is free. Applications are due in February for the following spring. The online application requires a letter of recommendation from a teacher, school administrator, past program participant, or member of the community, as well as a written or video essay answering questions provided on the application form.

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What Participants Say

“The Bringing the Lessons Home program completely changed my life.... I learned crucial life skills such as communication and public speaking. These skills will stick with me for the rest of my life. Bringing the Lessons Home has also taught me the importance of not being a bystander.” —Class of 2015 Ambassador, Eastern Senior High School Graduate, Duke University Student

“The Bringing the Lessons Home program has changed my perspective on diversity.... It has given me the tools to interact appropriately with people who have different belief systems and ideals. I was taught in the BTLH program to embrace other cultures and to dispel myths and negative stereotypes.”

—Class of 2011 Ambassador, McKinley Technology High School Graduate, Morehouse College Graduate

Bringing the Lessons Home Celebrates 20 Years