Facing History and Ourselves towards Today´s Society. Using History in the Civic Education
A two-year project implemented by the Terezín Initiative Institute in cooperation with partners Romano jasnica and Kharomo Chodov o.p.s.
Implementation period:
- 1 October 2020 to 30 September 2022
Annotation:
For effective understanding to the present, strengthening in it and to decide to engage in society, it is necessary to adopt democratic values, the will to acquire information and the skills to work with them. Facing history and ourselves towards today society project offers interconnected activities that lead to an understanding of our identity and history’s influence on our perception of today. Cooperation with organizations in structurally affected regions directly with members of the Roma community enables the majority and Roma com.connection, taking into account their attitudes and needs.
Our target groups:
- lecturers/educators who (after completing the course), will be able to teach lessons using the Facing History and Ourselves method in schools; including Roma lecturers and university students with pedagogical specialisation;
- teachers of all type of schools, lecturers/educators, students of pedagogical faculties or didactics of history – attend a seminar for teachers, then teach according to the FHAO method and using methodologies from seminars in their schools, participate in activity 5 by their own participation and students with implementation proposed activities;
- young people: students of secondary schools, grammar schools, clients of low-threshold facilities – complete educational programs led by ITI lecturers and subsequently trained lecturers from the course, shoot video clips, participate in student conferences and then implement a project designed.
Goals:
- What? Through history lead to thinking about our present, personal and group identity, our place in the world and what we can achieve through our own activity.
- How? Through a course for lecturers/educators, programs for schools, the shooting of clips with young people, public debates and a student conference that brings together all three target groups.
- Why? If we understand the context, we can apply our knowledge in the real world, we understand the causes of our attitudes and we are willing to change them, we are stronger, more confident and we know our value.
The biggest challenge of the project:
Align the target groups of the project so that participants have the opportunity to get to know each other, understand the different starting conditions and motivations, and inspire and strengthen each other in the effort to change for the better.
The biggest benefit of the project:
Getting to know people who would not otherwise meet.
Consistency with the strategy of the Terezín Initiative Institute:
The ITI's strategy is based on three pillars: 1. research on Nazi persecution in the Czech lands and in Europe and documentation of its victims, 2. remembrance and 3. education against racism, anti-Semitism and xenophobia. Since 2015, we have been working on the Roma Holocaust, its causes and consequences. The study of the processes leading to the Holocaust shows that prejudice and hatred, together with ignorance and unwillingness to find informations and critically evaluate informations, lead to tragic consequences. The result is the insecurity of people belonging to marginalized excluded groups, the disruption of trust in their own culture and traditions, the loss of identity. Therefore, in the project we focus on knowledge, but above all on values, attitudes, skills, activity, communication and self-confidence.
Project activities:
- Capacity building of Terezín Initiative Institute.
- Course for lecturers/educators.
- Two days educational seminars for teachers.
- Educational programs for youth.
- Filming clips with young people and arragment of public debates to them
- Student conference for all target groups of the project.
The project is being supported by the Open Society Fund Prague from the Active Citizens Fund. The programme promotes citizens’ active participation in the public life and decision making and builds capacities of civil society organizations. The Active Citizens Fund is financed from the EEA and Norway Grants.
You can also visit
From December 6 to 8, 2024, we hosted the seminar Antisemitism and Us in Terezín for teachers and peer educators from the Anne Frank Youth Network (AFYN). The event was organized in collaboration with European Practitioners against Antisemitism (EPNA), and with support from the German Federal Foreign Office.
Program and Key Speakers
The seminar offered a rich program focused on how to teach about antisemitism and the Holocaust in a way that has a tangible impact while avoiding unintended antisemitic outcomes. We were honored to welcome outstanding speakers:
- Tomáš Kraus, who guided participants through the authentic environment of the Terezín ghetto, sharing his family’s stories to enrich the educational experience.
- Jakub Drábik, who gave a lecture titled What is Fascism?, exploring its origins, manifestations, and methods of prevention.
- Peter Weisenbacher, who presented FRA research and additional data on how antisemitism is perceived and experienced by members of the Jewish community in Slovakia.
📚 Educate. ✊ Empower. 🔁 Repeat.
Are you between 16 and 26 years old and do you want to be part of a global network of youth taking action? Do you want to raise awareness of the dangers of prejudice, discrimination, racism and anti-Semitism?
Join the Anne Frank Youth Network and become a member of a global community!
Inspired by Anne Frank’s diary and her lifestory, all activities aim to raise awareness, increase active citizenship, foster dialogue and democratic values today. Together with your peers you will make a positive contribution to society and to your community!
We kindly invite you to take part in our training of new youth ambassadors!
Last Friday, a group of exchange students from the USA visited us in Jáchymka for a workshop we organised in cooperation with @vertoeducation. During the time we spent together, we discussed the repressions and regulations that gradually eroded the rights of Jews in the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia and how they affected them. In one activity we discussed what an ordinary day might be like for us, and then we saw how, over time, personal life became more and more restricted and participation in society was forbidden.
One of the tasks of our Institute is to draw attention to the historical events and context of the phenomenon for which the name Holocaust has been adopted. One of the most tragic events that officially triggered the Nazi rampage and the persecution of the Jewish population of Europe happened exactly 86 years ago, on the night of 9-10 November. The Nazis themselves called it Kristallnacht, after the shattered windows of Jewish shops, homes and synagogues. Post-war history also knows it as the Reich Pogrom.
Last Saturday afyn.cz got together and held their very own zine workshop.
The history of zines (which are small DIY magazines) is characterised by their use by marginalised groups in particular to express themselves artistically and the issues that mattered to them, both cheaply and quickly. After learning about the rich history of zines, we got right down to making our own. At the end of the workshop we presented our little creations to each other and saw all the beautiful ways in which zines can be used: From making your own little comic book to creating an informative brochure, anything is possible.
On the occasion of the German publication of F. R. Kraus' book Gas, Gas, Then Fire, one of the very first reports on the Holocaust, a there will be a meeting with the author's son and ITI Director Tomas Kraus. The event is held, among others, in cooperation with our long-time partner Brücke-Most-Stiftung.
It is with deep sadness that we have received the news of the death of Professor Yehuda Bauer, one of the world's foremost historians of the Holocaust and anti-Semitism. His research and teaching contributed greatly to our understanding of the tragic events of the 20th century and their implications for contemporary society. His determination to lead us to a deeper understanding of human nature and the need to combat hatred and intolerance will always remain an inspiration.
The Terezín Initiative Institute expresses its deepest condolences to his family and all those who were affected by his life and work.
In Professor Bauer we are losing not only an expert, whose opinion has always been extremely valuable to us, but also a compatriot and close friend.