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A Â鶹ӰԺ academic has been appointed to chair an influential advisory board for a charity that works to combat hate crime and promote community cohesion.

Kim Sadique, Associate Professor in Genocide Prevention and Education at Â鶹ӰԺ has been appointed as Chair of the Academic Advisory Board for Remembering Srebrenica which is the UK Government funded national charity which educates about the consequences of hate and commemorates the Bosnian Genocide. The charity has educated over 200,000 young people and created 1,500 Community Champions who stand up to hate and help build more cohesive communities. 

The Academic Advisory Board is made up of experts in the fields of genocide studies, education, history and politics. It works to provide critical scholarship, advising on the creation of educational materials to support the work of the charity. Academics on the board undertake and publish research at the cutting edge of their respective fields and contribute to policy-making. 

 Ms Sadique’s appointment is the latest step in her journey with Remembering Srebrenica, which began in 2018 when she became a Community Champion. In that year, she was part of a delegation to Bosnia to learn the “Lessons of Srebrenica” that met survivors of the genocide and ethnic cleansing which took place in the 1990s. It was a trip that, she explains, changed her life: “I reflected on what I should do/could do in the field of peacebuilding, genocide education and community cohesion.”

 “My work has since addressed educational practices at former sites of mass atrocities such as Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum and Srebrenica Memorial Centre in Bosnia. The outcome has been a new model of genocide education that is applicable to the ‘authentic site’ but can also be applied to other educational settings dealing with difficult knowledge.”

 In January 2019, Sadique was invited to become Chair of the East Midlands Regional Board of Remembering Srebrenica, a role which she continues to hold: “I have such a passionate and proactive team working with me. I really couldn’t ask for more”. 

 “Along my journey I have encountered the most amazing people who have sought peace and justice – from Munira Subašić President of the Mothers of Srebrenica; Bakira Hasečić who leads the Association of Women Victims of War; and the late General Jovan Divjak who founded Education Builds Bosnia and Herzegovina. All of these have influenced who I am and what I do.”

 The Chair of Remembering Srebrenica, Dr Waqar Azmi OBE said: “I am absolutely delighted to be able to appoint Kim Sadique as Chair of the Academic Advisory Board. Kim brings with her a significant track record in genocide education and research. I am confident that the Board will flourish and go from strength to strength under her leadership”, he said.

 Thinking of her new role, Sadique is looking forward to working with leaders in their respective fields who champion genocide prevention and education: “I fervently believe in an empowering education as a means to give learners the skills and confidence to address hatred and division in their own sphere of influence, from standing up to bullying, building stronger communities or influencing policy”.