A DOZEN students from across the borough will accompany Enfield North MP Joan Ryan on a one-day trip to the Nazi death camp at Auschwitz next week as part of an educational project.

Students from Broomfield, Enfield County, St Ignatius, Albany, Chace Community and Kingsmead will join other pupils from around 100 schools across London on the Holocaust Educational Trust's regional visit to Poland on Monday.

Last year, the Holocaust Educational Trust received Treasury funding of £1.5 million to support its Lessons from Auschwitz Project' for teachers and sixth form students.

Since the project's inception in 1998, the trust has taken over 4,000 students and teachers to Auschwitz-Birkenau, as well as many MPs and celebrities.

The project aims to increase knowledge and understanding of the Holocaust based on the idea that seeing is better than hearing', and to signal what can happen if prejudice and racism become acceptable in today's society.

Last Sunday, participants attended an orientation seminar in preparation for their visit, where they heard survivor of Auschwitz-Birkenau, Josef Perl, give his moving testimony.

Enfield students were then grouped together to discuss their reasons for taking part in the project, their expectations, preconceptions and the potential impact that the visit may have on them.

Ms Ryan said: "I strongly believe that young people in the UK should understand about the genocide that occurred at Auschwitz and the other Nazi death camps and why they happened.

"It is vital to understand the lessons provided by the visit which are crucial in helping to prevent such a horror happening again."

She added: "I think the Holocaust Educational Trust is carrying out vital work that aims to educate people in an informative yet sensitive way."

The Enfield Independent will be travelling with the group to Poland and will bring you full details of the visit next week.