Oral history | remember to act

Bringing History to Life Through Storytelling: School Workhsop

admin — Wed, 01 Feb 2023 08:25:09 +0000

By Larissa, project assistant at GLL in Passau

As a part of the “Remember to act” project we organized a workshop on storytelling in a local school. The grade 12 students are organising an incredible project: they are putting QR codes on significant places in Passau. When you scan these QR codes, you get information about Jewish life in Passau. This way, stories of Jews at different historical times become visible. At one place, the Holocaust survivors from Passau are remembered, which is why their project fits perfectly to our „Remember to act“ project.

During our storytelling workshop we showed them why storytelling is useful for their project and what makes a good story. The students were very interested and participated actively. In class, they had already dealt with the different characters. Now they were planning how their lives should be portrayed.

The method of storytelling was new for both, the students and me. Putting historical facts into stories is an innovative approach. In my opinion, it has many advantages: Stories are exciting and we can remember them better. This became particularly clear during the workshop: we collected stories from news that we remembered well. For example, the story of a mountain climber who amputated his own arm after an accident in order to survive. Although the students were not even born when this happened, they all knew the story. This impressed me very much and illustrated the potential of stories.

However, the storytelling method was also questioned. For example, in the middle of the workshop there was a basic discussion with two opposing perspectives. On the one hand, storytelling was seen as an effective method to catch the attention of passers-by and read the story behind the QR codes. On the other hand, the subjectivity of storytelling was strongly criticised. The teachers asked the class whether they want to deliver historical facts or stories of people they don’t even know personally.

Even though this discussion challenged the content work, it was useful for the further course of the students’ project. Thus, the storytelling workshop provided a good overview of the advantages and disadvantages of this method in relation to memory culture. I am very excited to see how the students implement their project and look forward to being reminded of this workshop by the QR codes all over the city.

Oral history workshop with Youth Bridge

admin — Sun, 01 Jan 2023 08:18:42 +0000

Alessandra, a volunteer at GLL

On 17^th December 2022, together with YouthBridgeMunich (insta account: @youthbridgemunich) we hosted an Oral History workshop, where we concentrated on the topics of antiracism, antizigatismus, discrimination and hatred between groups, we discussed the situation of victims of the holocaust and remembered the victims, their stories and tried to find concrete solutions to avoid history repeating itself. We were a big group of about 25 people, half form the Youth Bridge Organization and half made up by local participants and volunteers of the city of Passau. We were divided in small groups of 4-5 people and together we had to discuss the testimony of a victim of the holocaust and find answers to the following questions:

How do anti-Semitism, anti-Gypsyist, racism, discrimination, exclusion, hatred and wars develop?
What happened in the lives of the people presented?
What did the other people around them do to cause such things?
Where were there efforts to change the situation positively?
What made the situation worse for the people?
What might have made it bearable or improved it?

The workshop lasted from about 9:30 to 12:00 so the time was very short to get to know each other that well, but still the discussion and outcome of the workshop was very inspiring and good, being divided in smaller groups where participants from Munich and Passau were mixed together was a good solution to enhance discussion. In my opinion, a success of this experience was the fact that, at least for me, I had to listen to an oral history testimony of a person, of about 3-4 hours, and from listening to the testimony I learned so much, about empathy and also the importance to listening to such stories, it was emotional and enrichening. What I found challenging was the language of communication, we found some oral histories in English but some were only in German and some people couldn´t understand German, but that was easily solved by assigning English oral histories to people who could only understand English.

Piloting Oral History Workshops in Tsalenjikha and Bolnisi Municipality, Georgia

admin — Sun, 01 Jan 2023 08:02:00 +0000

By Irina Mikava, Civic Education Teacher, trainer, Team member of ProActive Group Georgia

Oral History, as a tool for reviving the past, fostering the creativity is part of the project ,,Rememeber to act’’. We organized a meeting in two different Municipalities: Bolnisi, where live representatives of ethnic minorities, it was the old residence of Germans, with German streets, and refugees from Ukraine and IDPs from occupied territories Abkhazia and Samachablo. Second Municipality was Tsalenjikha, which borders Abkhazia, currently occupied by Russia, where live young people who move from Abkhazia to study and people who live as displaced persons in Tsalenjikha afther Russian-Georgia war. During the workshops the participants of the workshops received information about the importance and characteristics of the Oral History method.

The meetings were particularly special because the method was new, foreign and interesting to both me and them. We learned how to construct a good story, focusing on its structure, but the practical examples we heard were captivating. After the theoretical part, the participants had the opportunity to put the method in practice.

A particularly interactive, dynamic part was when participants, using practical group exercises, disussed the oral history method, the criteria of good storytelling in general, its five classic elements, characteristics and importance in the moderns world. The aim was to strengthen the quality of youth involvement in peace processes.

Story telling method in practice: Ergenti, Khurvaleti, Tsalenjikha, Bolnisi and Tbilisi

Finding interesting respondents for interviews in these locations was a great experience for me. In Ergneti, where Russian border guards are stationed, we visited a house converted into a museum depicting the history of the August war. We also met women from Abkhazia who now reside in Khurvaleti, near Russian border guards. Additionally, we encountered IDPs from different periods and young people advocating for peace. The workshops and practical experiences were emotional, productive, and yielded positive results for both the project implementing team and the participants.

What was the main challenge?

The main challenge was empathizing with and gaining the trust of the individuals whose stories we were telling. Unfortunately, humans often have a difficult time accepting and sharing their experiences. Furthermore, the emotional state of both the respondents and ourselves was a consideration when recalling their stories and the emotional damage caused by war.

Achivments and future goals: what do I want in the future?

The main achievement is that many young people have learned about the method, applied it in practice, and continue to utilize it in their own municipalities, schools, universities, and beyond. Through their engagement with oral history, these young individuals have gained a deeper understanding of their communities‘ diverse experiences and have become advocates for preserving and sharing their stories.“

In addition, our efforts in conducting oral history interviews have led us to discover new individuals with compelling stories. These storytellers, alongside the change-oriented youth, are actively working towards promoting freedom, peace, and social change. By listening and sharing the past, we create a better future where stories are honored and youth play an integral role in building inclusive, peaceful societies.

Building Bridges in Our Community: Lessons from Local Activities in Azerbaijan

admin — Sun, 01 Jan 2023 06:36:28 +0000

By Fatima Asadova, a youth worker, Secretary of International Relations and Programme at the National Youth Council of Azerbaijan (NAYORA)

After the interactive training sessions in Passau, Germany, my colleague and I had the opportunity to organize and implement several methods taught during the sessions at the local level. The main objective of these activities was to build mutual understanding and support the peace movement among young and old people by using innovative methods such as “Oral History”, “Living Library”, and “Suitcase of My Life”.

The “Oral History” activity was designed to provide participants with an opportunity to hear directly from people affected by the conflict. Before the training session, we had the testimonies of the conflict-affected people in a video format, which included details about how the conflict shaped their lives and their families, personal experiences, and their hopes and messages for peace. During the training session, the trainer explained what the project aimed to achieve, the culture of remembrance, the oral history method, and how to prepare interview questions, deal with conflict-affected people, and storytelling. After watching the videos, the trainer led discussions based on guiding questions to build up to the conclusion on how to support the peace movement and build mutual understanding through young people. A total of 18 participants took part in this activity, and they expressed their positive impressions, stating that they learned about the personal experiences of people and their lives before the conflict, as well as the culture of remembrance, and how it can be effective in the peace movement.

The “Living Library” activity was designed to provide participants with an opportunity to ask questions and engage with people who lived in the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan before the war started in 1992. I started by explaining the project’s objectives, the culture of remembrance, and the oral history method. The two living books shared their memories, and participants asked them questions about their personal experiences and their thoughts on the future of the issue. Then me and my colleague Ramin led discussions on what the students learned about the living books, the most interesting part, what was new for them, and whether they would participate in the living library activity again. 11 young people participated in this activity, and they expressed their desire to participate in such events more frequently.

The “Suitcase of My Life” life activity was the most challenging and required more preparation. We worked with a local youth NGO called “Great Return”, which works largely with conflict-affected people. With their support, we were able to engage participants from an older generation, which is difficult due to their lack of interest and awareness of intergenerational activities. We announced an open call for young people interested in participating in such initiatives. The activity was divided into three main parts: an introductory workshop, a preparatory meeting, and a final meeting. In the introductory workshop, participants learned about the suitcase of my life method, its importance, and the steps required to implement such an activity, as well as information about donors, partners, project activities, and objectives. In the preparatory meeting, participants got familiar with the idea of tandem creation, working in pairs, and creativity workshops. In the final meeting, with the involvement of young and old people, tandems were completed and ready for display. A total of 30 participants took part in this activity, and 21 of them were young people who expressed their appreciation for the activity’s unique combination of art, creativity, and real-life experiences.

Overall, my experience with the local activities was insightful and challenging. Working with the conflict-affected people and engaging young and old individuals in innovative activities required patience, creativity, and a deep understanding of the local context. However, the positive feedback and interest from the participants and the local community showed that these activities were successful in building mutual understanding and supporting the peace movement. My message to others is to continue organizing such activities, build partnerships with local NGOs, and engage young and old people in meaningful and creative ways.

Reflecting on local activities in Azerbaijan

admin — Sun, 01 Jan 2023 06:33:15 +0000

By Ramin Habibzada, a youth leader, Secretary General of the National Youth Council of Azerbaijan (NAYORA)

In December, 2022 – January, 2023, I had the opportunity to organize training sessions and workshops on cultural remembrance, mutual understanding and tolerance. Working with the Azerbaijani team, we were able to invite both youth and elders from the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, many of whom had been living as internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Baku or other cities in Azerbaijan for the past 30 years due to the conflict.

Our local activities consisted of various workshops and events, including the „Suitcase of My Life“ event, where we invited both youth and elders to share their experiences and thoughts about conflicts in their lives. We also organized energizers and workshops using new methods, which many of the participants found surprisingly effective and vowed to use in their future events.

One of the most challenging parts of the process was shooting a PSA video about the life and challenges of IDPs from the first Karabakh War. We interviewed the wife of a former martyr, and some of the questions we had to ask her were very sensitive, which made it difficult to listen to her answers. Nevertheless, the video was published on our website, and I invite you all to watch it.

Overall, I consider this experience a success as it was able to promote peace education and conflict management in the region. By teaching and learning these important methods, we can strive towards a more peaceful world.

My overall experience with the local activities was very rewarding. It was a great opportunity for me to work with the local audience, especially the IDPs who have been affected by the conflict for so many years. It was very inspiring to see their resilience and their willingness to learn about peace education and conflict management.

My message to everyone is that peace education is a lifelong learning process, and it requires the participation and commitment of individuals, institutions, and societies as a whole. We can all contribute to building a culture of peace in our communities, no matter how small our actions may seem. Through dialogue, understanding, and cooperation, we can create a world where conflicts are resolved peacefully, and people can live together harmoniously, respecting each other’s differences and working towards common goals.

I would also like to thank the organizers of the program for giving me this opportunity to learn and share my knowledge and experience with others. I hope that this program will continue to inspire and empower young people to work towards building a more peaceful and just world.