Connecting Memories: The Power of the Past and the Future of Europe Erasmus Project

Project Title

Connecting Memories: The Power of the Past and the Future of Europe

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for adult education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2017

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Pedagogy and didactics; EU Citizenship, EU awareness and Democracy; Intercultural/intergenerational education and (lifelong)learning

Project Summary

Either consciously or not, people refer to the history of a society and this shapes their self-perception as citizen. However, an ‘anchoring’ in the past is not given, it is on the contrary produced through reflecting and debating, through social interaction and thus creating a ‘standpoint’. When people talk about history, they often ‘negociate’ belonging.

The more and more right-wing tendencies in all over Europe are mostly linked with a (re-)nationalisation of history. This goes along with the claim of the ‘right’ and only true point of view. History is then less regarded as a source of inspiration which allow to discover the diversity of the world. However, this richness is in Europe alive as the topics and cultures to memorize history strongly differ. An exchange on the different themes and taboos of thinking history defenitely fosters mutual understanding and accepting plurality at the same time.

This Exchange of Good practices allowed to share methods and didactic skills to a) enhance intercultural dialogue in times of political tensions and b) to reach so-called disadvantaged learners, among them those who tend to right-wing populism. Trainers from 5 organisations in North, South, West and Central Europe shared their perspectives on different historical experiences during three transnational project meetings and applied participative, creative approaches within two training activities. Each partner cooperated with local organisations to reach their learners / target groups directly. The project resulted in one chapter of teaching material on “HERstory and the dynamics of “1989” in GDR” as we learned during the project that transformation periods are still alive and moving adults. Due to the 30th anniversary of the democractic change in the GDR and Eastern Europe we combined a) making a still current historical issue a subject of discourse with b) creative approaches and c) a European dimension.

The project’s impact lays in the professionalisation of trainers and an enhanced quality of their educational offers, deeper mutual and intercultural understanding and being sensitised towards the role which women they often play in particular in exceptional historical situations – and the silence which is often ‘organised’ around them afterwards as part of memory politics.

The project management took orientation on the work-based structure methodology.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 59660 Eur

Project Coordinator

weltgewandt. Institut für interkulturelle politische Bildung e.V. & Country: DE

Project Partners

• Akademia Humanistyczno-Ekonomiczna w Lodzi
• Helinä Rautavaaran etnografisen museon säätiö
• Hors Pistes
• ASOCIACION MALAGUENA DE EDUCACION Y FORMACION EUROPEA (A.M.E.F.E.)