The students were given the opportunity to talk with a survivor of the Holocaust, fellow townsperson Bogomila Blaznik, just before she passed away in October 2024. Bogomila, known locally as Mila, came to live in Ljubljana after the Holocaust. By sharing her story, Bogomila wanted to help young people understand the importance of learning from history to prevent future atrocities.

Bogomila’s account inspired broad discussions amongst students around empathy and human rights. By making such a direct and personal connection to the Holocaust, students could connect what they were learning about intolerance and prejudice in the past within the context of their own lives and the modern world. This made the learning even more authentic, immediate and powerful.

One student led on the production of a film based on the life of Bogomila Blaznik, known locally as Mila, who faced the horrors of the Auschwitz concentration camp in her early twenties. The film was based on interviews conducted with Bogomila, along with a multimedia presentation documenting further details about her story.

The film and presentation of Mila’s Story was shown in school to all the other students and teachers. Describing herself as ‘Mila’s messenger to tell the world’, the student leading the creation of this film hopes that ‘My Hometown’ will provide an effective platform for sharing Mila’s story with a much wider audience.