Projects for School and University Students

On September 10, an educational seminar for students took place at the Lviv Printing College, covering the history of Ukraine, modern approaches to education, and the importance of critical thinking.

The speakers included Dr. Yehor Vradii, Deputy Director of “Tkuma” Institute; Iryna Krasutska, Editor-in-Chief of the Orion Ukrainian Educational and Publishing Center; Iryna Rudenko, a geographer-cartographer and UN expert on geographical names; and Dr. Igor Shchupak.

One of the central themes of the discussion was history education in the context of a full-scale war. How should history be taught so that students do not merely memorize dates and events, but instead learn to analyze information, understand context, and independently draw well-founded conclusions? Examining the history of Nazi Germany, World War II, and the Holocaust has taken on relevance today. For Ukraine, currently enduring full-scale Russian aggression, engaging with the experience of the 20th century offers an opportunity to discuss not only the historical events themselves but also the mechanisms of propaganda, dehumanization, persecution, and mass violence.

That is precisely why one of the important tasks of modern historical education is to bring complex topics from the past to the forefront and to find ways to discuss them with contemporary generations.

Dr. Shchupak emphasized that the goal of history education is not merely to refute Russian propaganda narratives. Above all, it is essential to provide students with a comprehensive and modern understanding of the history of Ukraine and to develop their capacity for critical thinking. During the seminar, he also presented contemporary school history textbooks on which he is working as a scientific editor. Participants discussed how the language used in textbooks is evolving, which terms require re-evaluation, and why the precision of concepts is significant for shaping one’s historical perspective.

An important part of the meeting was a discussion about education as a tool for developing independent thinking. Iryna Krasutska spoke about the process of creating modern textbooks, the collaboration between authors, editors, and designers, and the use of artificial intelligence in publishing.

Participants explored another aspect of critically engaging with information through cartography. Iryna Rudenko showed the students world maps and explained how historical and political circumstances can influence the way territories, borders, and geographical names are depicted.

The meeting took place in the format of an open discussion. Students and faculty asked questions about history, education, textbooks, cartography, and contemporary information-related challenges. Those who posed the most interesting questions received books from the speakers.