We are delighted to announce that the educational resources But I Live have received an honourable mention for the 2025 Open Scholarship Awards, which celebrate excellence in open scholarship via research, projects, or initiatives.
But I Live is a powerful graphic novel that presents the illustrated testimonies of three Holocaust survivors, capturing their lived experiences during and after the Holocaust.
The educational resources were developed by Dr. Andrea Webb, Associate Professor of Teaching (EDCP), in collaboration with UBC BEd teacher candidates. This work was completed as part of their Community Field Experience (CFE) with the Survivor-Centred Visual Narratives (SCVN) initiative.
Learn more about the project below.
Survivor-Centred Visual Narratives
Survivor-Centred Visual Narratives (SCVN) is a SSHRC Partnership Grant led by Dr. Charlotte Schallié at the University of Victoria and Co-Director Dr. Andrea Webb at the University of British Columbia. Our research proposes a new way of gathering and commemorating the experiences of genocide and mass atrocity survivors, one that places survivors’ well-being, agency, and cooperation at its centre. Our purpose is not to develop a blueprint for testimony collection but instead to restore agency to survivor narratives through four key components: a) co-creation of graphic narratives by survivors and artists, b) documentary film production, c) traveling exhibitions for museums and galleries, and d) educational materials designed for school curricula and informal learning sites around the world. To achieve these ends, we are advancing an international partnership comprising Holocaust survivors, as well as survivors from Rwanda, Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq, Syria, and Indigenous genocides in Canada. Our five site-specific Research Clusters bring together survivors, research experts, artists, and community partners with expertise specific to the Clusters’ societal, cultural, and historical contexts. The goal of this approach is not to “compare” genocides but rather to find points of connection and to honour these experiences across contexts.
The study of the genocide is challenging, yet imperative. It helps students think about the use and abuse of power, and the roles and responsibilities of individuals, organizations, and nations when confronted with human rights violations. As graphic narratives can express the voices of trauma in a way that cannot be fully captured by written testimony alone, we focused on narrative art as a human rights tool in genocide education. The educational materials that we have created help students develop an awareness of the value of diversity in a pluralistic society and encourages sensitivity to the positions of a diversity of people. This unique pedagogical approach engages learners through the stories of survivors and emphasizes the diversity of experiences of often monolith events.
Our project is committed to creating adaptable and flexible educational resources in English, French, and other languages so that teachers can feel confident and knowledgeable teaching about the Holocaust as part of the curriculum. The educational resources for ‘But I Live’ were developed by Dr. Andrea Webb in collaboration with students from the University of British Columbia Teacher Education Program Community Field Experience. The resources are available online and hosted by BCampus’s British Columbia/Yukon Open Authoring Platform. They are shared under Creative Commons BY-NC, and we encourage educators to share and adapt the educational resources, provided that it is not for commercial use and appropriate attribution is provided.
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