During June 25–30, International educational project “Historical narratives and multiperspectivity. World War II: about stories and silence” was held in Gdansk, organized by International education center in Dortmund (IBB Dortmund) and Minsk International educational center named after J. Rau (IBB Minsk) with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Germany in cooperation with partners – The Ukrainian Oral History Association, Foundation for the Brest Fortress Development, “The Holocaust” Foundation. Young historians, educators, representatives of the historical education field from Belarus, Russia, Germany and Ukraine became the participants of the project. Maryna Strilchuk, researcher of “Tkuma” Institute and Museum “Jewish Memory and Holocaust in Ukraine” was invited to participate in this project.
The purpose of the educational trip was to get acquainted with the practices of work and representations of historical narratives about World War II in different countries, the formation of a dialogue between the multipliers of historical educational work from four countries, views exchange, as well as establishing cooperation with each other and with potential partner’s organizations from Poland. Rich educational program waited for the project participants: extremely informative lectures-presentations, devoted to historical narratives and memory culture about World War II in Eastern Europe from Anton Marcshteder (IBB Dortmund) and Victoria Naumenko (The Ukrainian Oral History Association), theoretical and practical lessons with one of the modern methods of historical educational work (storytelling) from Vyacheslav Korsak(IBB Minsk), practical work on the formulation of national historical narratives in international groups. Constance Stoll (Germany) provided successful group communication between the participants throughout the project.
The project program was not limited with classroom work: young historians were able to visit the Gdansk Museum of World War II and together with Dmitry Panto, one of the exhibition creators to get acquainted with the museum concept and main narratives, to learn about the competing historical narratives phenomenon and memory conflicts about World War II in Poland. Participants also visited the European Solidarity Center – modern museum, educational and scientific space, devoted to not only the Polish trade union “Solidarity” movement, but also other opposition movements that led to the communist regimes collapse in the countries of the socialist camp.
Communication between the participants hasn’t stopped after the end of educational trip, because in the future they will develop joint projects devoted to the history and memory of World War II history terrible pages.
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