Ford will be recognized for his leadership and corporate citizenry around education and community.

With the 2015 Ambassadors for Humanity Gala in Detroit less than three months away, USC Shoah Foundation is busy leading educational programs and outreach in Michigan.

With the 2015 Ambassadors for Humanity Gala in Detroit just a month away, local students experienced IWitness in their own backyard, at the Henry Ford Museum.

It was Ford Motor Company Executive Director William Clay Ford Jr.’s commitment to education and his devotion to the Detroit community that prompted USC Shoah Foundation to honor him with this year’s Ambassador for Humanity Award.

While guests of the 2015 Ambassadors for Humanity Gala on Sept. 10 trickled into the Henry Ford Museum and enjoyed a cocktail reception before dinner began, a small group of high school students was hard at work.

“I can’t stand coffee!” she said, leaning forward to me before uttering back to the waitress. “Espresso please!” She giggled a little before telling me that espresso was her little dessert in the morning.

Members of the USC Shoah Foundation Board of Councilors got creative during the annual board meeting in New York, Oct. 14-15.

Finding Your Seat on the Bus, the IWitness activity piloted by students as part of the IWitness Detroit program, is now published on IWitness.

Michigan student Brandon Bartley shares how testimony inspired him when he participated in the IWitness Detroit program last summer.

As part of the IWitness Detroit program, USC Shoah Foundation education staff hosted a half-day IWitness workshop for educators at the Macomb Intermediate School District (MISD), Michigan, last Tuesday, April 19.

USC Shoah Foundation will kick off its 2016-17 school year education for Detroit-area teachers with an ITeach Seminar the weekend of August 15, followed by 12 more IWitness Detroit professional development seminars held through April of 2017.

Detroit-area educators are in the midst of a three-day ITeach Institute to develop their knowledge and skills for teaching with IWitness. The institute, the first of its kind in Michigan, is part of USC Shoah Foundation’s IWitness Detroit program.

More than a year after the 2015 gala to honor that year’s chosen humanitarian for his leadership and corporate citizenry around education and community, the ties between USC Shoah Foundation and the Detroit community have never been stronger.

As it nears two years of official programming, the IWitness Detroit program has changed the face of testimony-based education in Michigan.