Event Ideas for Remembrance + Reflection
Workshop: Echoes of Genocide Today
Use case studies, headlines, and history to get participants thinking critically about how the early signs of genocide often go unnoticed—and what it means to be an upstander today.
Commemorating atrocities like the Bosnian Genocide or the Holocaust is not just about looking back, it’s about recognising the human cost of hatred, learning from the past, and building communities grounded in empathy and justice.
Whether you’re planning something for a school, university, workplace, or community setting, here are some ideas to help mark these events in meaningful, engaging ways:
Personal Stories
An Evening of Testimony Create a space for a survivor, refugee, or descendant to share their lived experience. Hearing first hand accounts brings history out of textbooks and into human connection. Follow the talk with a conversation or audience Q&A.
Walk of Reflection
Organise a guided walk through your local area or a meaningful route, with pauses along the way to share short readings, names, stories, or facts. Participants can carry candles, flowers, or stones as a symbol of remembrance.
Creative Response Exhibition
Invite young people, artists, or community members to submit artwork, poems, or installations inspired by themes of memory, identity, and loss. Host an exhibition with space for visitors to leave their own reflections.
Vigil of Names
Hold a candlelight event where names of those murdered during the Holocaust or the Bosnian Genocide are read aloud. Each name is a reminder of a life lived and lost. You might accompany this with music, poetry, or silence.
Film + Conversation Night
Show a film like Quo Vadis, Aida? or The Fog of Srebrenica and follow it with a discussion led by a speaker or facilitator. Explore how these stories resonate today and what they teach us about humanity, justice, and silence.
Letter to the Past Workshop
Run a reflective writing session where people write letters—to victims, survivors, future generations, or even their younger selves. These letters can become part of a display, zine, or digital project.
Interfaith Gathering for Remembrance
Bring together diverse faith communities for a shared ceremony. Through readings, silence, and music, reflect on loss, resilience, and the shared responsibility to prevent hate.
Panel Talk: What “Never Again” Really Means
Host a panel with academics, activists, and people with lived experience to unpack how genocide happens, why it’s often ignored, and what actions we can take to challenge hatred in our own communities today.
Youth Storytelling Night
Give the mic to young people. Invite spoken word artists, poets, or students to perform pieces that respond to genocide, displacement, or resistance. This can be powerful, raw, and deeply moving.
