History for future – together we keep faith in one Europe! Let’s remember! Erasmus Project

Project Title

History for future – together we keep faith in one Europe! Let’s remember!

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 : School Exchange Partnerships

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2019

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Social dialogue; Home and justice affairs (human rights & rule of law); Post-conflict/post-disaster rehabilitation

Project Summary

Our project responds to current developments in Germany and Europe, which show that “learning by history” does not work as a matter of course. There have always been opinions against democratic and liberal societies and these calls are getting louder. Obviously the understanding of a democracy must be acquired newly in each generation. Therefore Rhineland-Palatinate focusses on education in democractive values and German memorial culture.
Even 70 years after the end of National Socialism, it is indispensable to encourage young people to engage in an independent and critical examination of history and to point out its relation to the present. The number of eyewitnesses who lived during the Holocaust is decreasing. Thus, it is the pedagogical responsibility of our schools to focus on commemorating the crimes of the Nazi dictatorship and to teach the importance of democracy and European values.
The idea of a united Europe has been facing significant challenges during the last years. Especially Greece, situated at the boarder of Europe, has been affected by these developments. Economically weakened it has to face high numbers of refugees and wants to ensure proper payment of reparations by Germany.
Our project contributes to the reduction of this growing conflict. We want to give our students the chance to experience history in order to make a positive future of a united Europe possible and attractive. The coalition agreement signed between the governing German political parties includes a Greek-German Youth Foundation. An additional Memorandum of the two countries of 2014 supports this idea. Our project is associated with the work of reconciliation, the understanding of a common history and thus wants to positively contribute to the German-Greek relations and Youth Foundation.
Being an official “European-School” of Rhineland-Palatinate, the dimension of Europe is a fundamental pillar of our profile. With our bilateral partnership we want to bring students together: The students of the higher technical vocational school media design (25 students) of the Berufsbildende Schule Bad Neuenahr and the students of the 2nd General Lyceum von Chania (25 students). The results of a joint study of our common history will lay the foundation for a new culture of communication. The independent acquisition of theoretical and practical subject knowledge guarantees varied and effective learning. In the run-up to mutual visits, the students will deal intensively with the history of the Second World War in order to set the foundations for practical experience. The teachers accompanying the project teach in project-relevant subjects, such as history, design, computer science, web design, social studies and English.
On the German side, visits and workshops on the culture of remembrance in the House of History Bonn, concentration camps Osthofen and Dachau, Nazi Documentation Center Munich, Golden Mile Detention Center as well as a guided tour to the “Stolpersteine” in Bad Neuenahr are planned.
During the visit to Greece, the students learn about the multicultural history of Chania, the war memorials in the area and work together in intercultural workshops (for example at the University of Rethymnon) on the history of the past and biographies of individuals involved in and affected by the occupation of Crete by the National Socialists. The aim is to explore alternative ways to protect the culture of remembrance and to develop a friendship policy for Europe.
With the support of the association “Young Citizens of the World”, theses activities should implement a sustainable relevance to the present. The association is building a documentation center in Chania on the subject of the “Impact of the German occupation on Crete” during the Second World War. The media students of the BBS Bad Neuenahr will create a website and a flyer for the association, which will be filled with content (including contemporary witness interviews) in collaboration with the Greek students. A joint radio interview in Chania will be prepared in which the results of various workshops are presented to the public in German and Greek. The interview is going to be linked to our school homepages.
Together, students create up-to-date documentation media that matches the reception habits of young people. These will be made widely available and are an important contribution to appreciating and promoting a common Europe with its positive achievements. The implementation of a teacher’s handbook supports further planned teaching units and mobilities on the subject of Nazi dictatorship and the culture of remembrance. In addition to a constant reflection/evaluation of the project and its products, it is important for us that the partner schools stay in friendly contact over the long term. The joint maintenance of the homepage with new contributions to the culture of remembrance is conceivable because: Let’s remember! History for future – together we keep faith in one Europe!

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 12000 Eur

Project Coordinator

Berufsbildende Schule des Landkreises Ahrweiler & Country: DE

Project Partners

• 2nd General Lyceum of CHania