The Anne Frank Prison Project

The Anne Frank Prison Project and exhibition is not just about a young Jewish girl who died in the Holocaust and happened to write a famous diary.
The story of the Frank family both tragic and inspirational, is the example that is used to explore the rise.............. Read more
Story by Steve Gadd, Project Manager

Anne Frank House Model in South Africa!

Reaching South Africans:
At the handing over ceremony in Amsterdam, 29 April 2009 (left -right):Jan Erik Dubbelman (Director of the International Department at the AnneFrank House); Steve Gadd (Prison Exhibition Manager for the Anne Frank Trust);Simon McDonnell (Diversity Governor HMP Wakefi eld); Chris Robinson (SecurityGovernor HMP Wakefi eld); Tali Nates (Director, Johannesburg HolocaustCentre); Phil Spicer (Instructional Offi cer HMP Wakefi eld); Andy Charles (Officer Instructor HMP Wakefield); Hans Westra (Executive-Director Anne Frank House)
Inmates at HMP Wakefield, one of Britain’s highest security prisons, have marked what would have been Anne Frank’s 80th birthday by producing a scale model of the Frank family’s former home-in-hiding.
Reaching South Africans
Steve Gadd and four prison officers travelled to Amsterdam on Wednesday 29 April 2009. In a moving ceremony at the Anne Frank House, they handed over the scale model to Tali Nates, director of the Johannesburg Holocaust Centre.
“It is our way of paying our respects, in commemoration of Anne, her family and the tragedy of their lives. ...we would like this presentation to be a celebration of Anne’slife and the inspiration she has been to millions of people all around the world.” Steve Gadd, Anne Frank Trust UK .
The model was subsequently brought to South Africa, destined to feature in the Anne Frank – a history for today exhibition in the Women’s Jail at Constitution Hill, Johannesburg. Site of Johannesburg’s notorious Old Fort Prison complex where thousands of ordinary people were brutally punished before the dawn of democracy in 1994, Constitution Hill is now the home of South Africa’s Constitutional Court. The Anne Frank Trust in the UK, one of the partner organisations of the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam, has been taking the exhibition Anne Frank – a history for today into British prisons since 2002. In this prison project inmates learn about Anne Frank and the Holocaust, and pass on what they have learned to their fellow prisoners.
"I always thought that we black people were the only ones who were discriminated against", said a British prisoner to journalist Henriëtte Lakmaker of the Dutch newspaper Trouw in 2008."[...] because of the Anne Frank exhibition, I now know that others can be victims of discrimination too".

"Being part of the project has given me a sense of achievement that few projects allow you to have. Before this my knowledge of Anne Frank was purely the name itself... Today after many cuts, much frustration at myself, I’ve learned about the person who just wanted to discover her life. Getting to know more has allowed me to instill a sense of discipline in what is usually a selfish path. Thanks to the foundation in Anne Frank’s name I have gained a sense of direction and for that I am grateful. I am also proud of the work that I have done will be admired by thousands of people all over the world... ” Geoff, a prisoner at HMP Wakefield.

“I never really had an interest in the story of Anne Frank until working on this project, but have found her story to be of great interest, it certainly brings into perspective how fortunate I am that my Jailers allow me the luxuries of TV’s, decent food and most importantly, life. It was a privilege to be able to help other people remember how things were, and never should be again”. Brian, a prisoner at HMP Wakefield

HMP Preston hosts Anne Frank exhibition

Inmates at a Lancashire prison are hosting an exhibition that follows the tragic experiences of Jewish diarist Anne Frank.The handwritten account of living in hiding from the Nazis before being caught and sent to a concentration camp, is synonymous with prejudice across the world.
HMP Preston is hosting an exhibition in the prison's chapel until June 12 – Anne's birthday.

http://www.lep.co.uk/entertainmentnews/Jail-hosts-Anne-Frank-exhibition.5343218.jp

Preston video interview

http://www.lep.co.uk/video.aspx?VideoPath=PRES/anne_frank512k_stream.wmv&VideoID=36977&ArticleID=5343218

Elmely: Prisoner's Frank account of Society

A Prison exhibition about the life of Anne Frank has helped inmates get to grips with social issues.
It was hoped the display at Elmley Prison would encourage prisoners to consider issues such as genocide, civil rights, immigration and hate crime.

Elmley’s Head of Behaviour Management Iain Afrin said: “It has been good to see the lads taking on board what they are actually watching and it has really promoted discussion. There has been nothing negative and it has given them food for thought.”

Mr Afrin also said that: “It gives them a greater sense of awareness of what went on historically and gets them to examine their own lives and of those others around them. Things like ethnic cleansing and racism are very much current issues.”
................Reported by Chris Thomas (krn media)
The Gazette & Times, March 25, 2009

The Gripping Story of Eva Clarke, Survivor of Auschwitz.

Why would a Holocaust survivor volunteer to spend time recounting her family history to prisoners?

Having been born on a filthy coal truck on the way from a slave labour camp to Mauthausen concentration camp, Eva Clarke and her mother experienced one of the greatest atrocities in documented history. Why would she willingly go into places where people are held in cells, guarded behind barbed wire? Eva gives four motives for her talk. read more

Anne Frank Awards Event 2009

The 2009 Awards ceremony took place in the historic surroundings of The House of Commons on Thursday 11 June .

The Award for a prison educator went to Tim Cliford. Tim joined HMP Ashfield in 1999, and became a key member of the team which transformed the prison education department. In 2006 he contracted cancer, but continued his treatment whilst at work. Despite his condition and treatment, he helped form a charity, "Making the Change", to provide supported accommodation for young people leaving custody...read more

Anne Frank Awards; Young Persons Awards

Ben Elliot Holden, currently at Feltham, recently won an Anne Frank Award for a Young Person:

Ben, 18, is an inmate at HMP YOI Feltham. His release is imminent and during his time at Feltham he has voluntarily contributed in a number of areas connected with supporting and providing for minority groups and inviduals........Read more here

Leah Thorn - Prison Project Performance Poet

Leah is a spoken-word poet and workshop facilitator, known for her passion and compassion.

Her writing has been anthologised in England and in the USA, in publications such as Bridges US Jewish feminist journal, the Apples & Snakes anthology Velocity, The Journal of Holocaust Education, The Open Page International Women & Theatre Journal and The Jewish Quarterly.

Here she talks about her new film: "I am a spoken word poet and My Amulet is my first film, My Amulet features an extract from my performance piece kin’a’hora and explores my personal take on aspects of Anglo-Jewish Ashkenazi [Eastern European] identity and assimilation. The visuals are a combination of my family’s cine film from the 1960’s and 70’s and footage of me performing the poem to camera." Leah Thorn

Open College Network module: ‘Prejudice and Discrimination’

Lucy Glennon & Jose Aguiar have been creating OCN modules for specific use in prisons.

"We are currently putting the finishing touches to a further OCN module, ‘Prejudice and Discrimination’, which will be available, at further cost, once complete. We have had some very positive feedback from HMP Holloway (from education staff, officers and inmates) about the course materials, which are based around the six new panels of the prison exhibition.

Because poster copies of the new panels come as part of the course and it can be used alongside the AF Prison project’s visit, or independently of it. We hope it will be a very valuable asset to prison education departments, and we believe it to be quite unique in its nature – it is bespoke for prisons, all monitoring documents and teachers guides are provided too. If you think the education department would be interested, please pass this information on or let us know who to speak with." Call 020 7284 5858