Level 3 Content Media and Film Production students from West Nottinghamshire College have taken part in a moving two-day educational visit to Auschwitz in Poland, reinforcing the institution’s ongoing commitment to Holocaust education and remembrance.
The trip, attended by year 1 and Year 2 students, was delivered in partnership with the charity Holocaust Awareness, and was offered to the students after their work with the National Holocaust Centre and Generation 2 Generation (G2G), where thy have helped to create survivor testimony, filmed historical evidence, and learned about the long-term lessons of the Holocaust.
This marks the second time media students have visited Auschwitz, with the experience widely regarded as both an honour and a privilege.
Jon Hall, programme area leader for Film and TV, said: “In today’s world where conflict and hatred are all around us, understanding where intolerance can lead can help our young people and future generations guard against and work to stop the slide into genocide.”
During the visit, students toured Auschwitz I and Auschwitz-Birkenau, viewing preserved barracks and exhibitions containing personal belongings of victims, including hair, shoes, luggage, and household items. These artefacts provided a powerful insight into the scale of loss and the lived realities of those imprisoned in the camps.
Students also learned about the overcrowded and inhumane living conditions endured by prisoners, as well as the historical significance of the site’s memorials, which stand as a warning against hatred and denial.
Chloe Revill, one of the students on the trip, described the emotional impact of entering the camp. She said: “Walking through the gates with the sign ‘Work Will Set You Free’ was devastating. I could imagine how people might have believed it at first, and realising it wasn’t true was heartbreaking.”
“Seeing Auschwitz in person was completely different from learning about it in school. It took days to process because I felt in shock the entire time.”
Students were also deeply affected by preserved children’s drawings, created by young prisoners imagining hopeful futures. Chloe added: “Knowing they never got to live those futures was heartbreaking.”
As part of their creative coursework, media students documented the trip through vlogs and video recordings, producing material that will support Holocaust education initiatives and charitable awareness projects.
While in Poland, students also visited the Jewish Quarter in Krakow, explored cultural landmarks, and enjoyed a Kosher meal at a local restaurant, broadening their understanding of Jewish history and heritage beyond the Holocaust.
Building on this work, Luca Turner, a Level 3 Year 2 student, has recently completed a 45-minute documentary on the Holocaust in Hungary, created in collaboration with David Wirth and Generation 2 Generation.
Earlier in the year, the students also hosted Eliana Ostro as a Holocaust Memorial Day 2026 guest speaker.
Eliana shared her family’s personal connection to Holocaust history, as her grandfather survived the holocaust, providing students with invaluable first-hand testimony.
In previous years, students have additionally supported the National Holocaust Centre by filming survivor-related artefacts and historical materials connected to figures such as Arek Hersh and Hedi Argent.
Jon Hall added: “Through these educational visits, documentary filmmaking, and survivor engagement, the college continues to ensure Holocaust history is remembered, understood, and meaningfully shared with future generations.
“I’m proud of my students for both how interested and thoughtful they have been during their research and for how fittingly they’ve worked on bringing their findings into sympathetic films and documentaries.”