Memory – a Memorial! is a project which has been launched by six schools in the year of the European Cultural Heritage. It helps people find their own positions as individuals in their everyday surroundings, among their friends, in their societies, and as part of the process of learning about these contexts. Along the way it is highly important to know one’s own roots and traditions, to know and explain recipients and agents of history and social development. Schools are confronted with a situation of rapid change, a fast flow of information and a fading security in dealing with knowledge. In doing so it seems essential not only to integrate new contents and techniques into one’s teaching programme, but at the same time it is important to impart knowledge and experiences which we already have. This will lead to continuity and consistency concerning the knowledge of students and thus help them to find their bearings no longer by emulating current trends but by defining their places in general contexts. Thus, we mean to provide a solid platform for the development of the individual’s security for it is necessary to know one’s own roots, origin, history and development in order to be able to assess them within a greater (European) context. This is particularly true when the situations in people’s own countries are changing because of refugees, migration and the resettlement of strangers in addition to the inevitable transformation in a globalized world. The project “Memory – a Memorial!” is about doing research on knowledge and experiences in order to make people aware of the cultural knowledge which we already have and encourage them to collect and revise, to reform and preserve it. We intend to connect conservative i.e. established elements (e. g. knowledge about literary theories or aesthetic positions) with progressive, i.e. modern elements (e. g. new insights, unfamiliar emotions, new spontaneous creativity) and then to further develop them. Such a plan is not only important with us here in Germany but in all European countries. On the one hand, we will realize that we enjoy long continuities in science, art and literature, we will recognize where names of streets and schools derive from, to what or whom memorials and names of districts refer, how regional terms and linguistic peculiarities have developed. Such a process may help us find our own positions in life. On the other hand, we will learn about important persons, we will revise and modify their biographies, review their impact throughout the times up to the present and we will thus see in what kinds of “networks” they acted centuries or decades ago. This process will develop its own dynamics. It will alter the way in which we see ourselves and strengthen our self-confidence, and it will relate past, present and future. The additional value of transnational cooperation is evident as we deal with exploiting different approaches in order to achieve the best possible synergy effects. This is equally significant when we regard the challenges which schools and teachers currently know when faced with problems of migration. Here it is extremely important, on the one hand, to be open towards new impulses, and on the other hand, to be consistent and firm when we deal with protecting and confirming basic values (freedom, democracy, tolerance, and a culture of debating). Thus, everybody will learn whether they themselves, their respective origins, cultural heritage and individual personalities are taken seriously. Above all, in view of the current disruptions within the EU it seems essential to demonstrate that there have always been far reaching relations and transnational cooperation concerning the central issues in Europe in their respective times. This is equally true of the impact and appraisal of prominent persons and groups who have lived in different places and countries and who have formed them and their people up to the present. This project will focus on precisely such contexts and relations.
Memory – a Memorial! In the project “Memory – a Memorial!” six schools have addressed the issue “cultural heritage”. Our aim was to help people find their own positions as individuals in their everyday surroundings, in society, in town or country. Our work was meant to provide the possibility of continually learning among friends. Participants were supposed to learn about their own roots and traditions, to deal with objects and subjects of history and learn about and explain the social patterns of their towns. The fact that fairly long-term research work and some thorough work with documentary material would be necessary was to act as counterbalance to the fact that schools are permanently confronted with quick changes, with a fast-paced flow of information and a shrinking confidence when dealing with knowledge. Particularly important for us was to add to the curriculum not only new contents and techniques, but simultaneously we wanted to further develop fields of knowledge and experiences which we already have. Thus, we, the teachers, succeed in perpetuating our students’ knowledge and in overcoming their tendency to adhere to current trends in a rather selective way. As we selected our topics and organized the research work in view of the students’ knowledge, we were able to realize our intentions throughout our project work. Thus, we have created a fairly solid basis for the development of the individuals’ security, for the knowledge of their own roots; their origins and history were used, enlarged and updated within a greater (European) context. This becomes more and more important in a world which is continually changing in the course of streams of refugees, of immigration and the constant movement of strangers, and which therefore seems to show only little constancy. In the project “Memory – a Memorial!” we did research work on facts and figures in order to become aware of and add to the cultural knowledge which we already possess to a certain extent. Finally, we worked on reforming and preserving it. We intended to connect and further develop conservative i.e. established elements (e. g. knowledge about literary theories or aesthetic positions) with progressive, i.e. modern elements (e. g. new cognitive and emotional insights, or new spontaneous creativity). This plan proved to be a good starting point. To know that we have long traditions in the fields of sciences, arts and literature, to know where the names of certain streets and schools derive from and which are the origins of memorials or names of town districts, to learn of the development of regional terms or linguistic peculiarities, all that serves as an element to help the individual find his position in life. To know of important persons, to prepare their biographies, and to trace their impact up to the present and in the process realize in which networks they acted centuries or decades ago is a further element which may develop its very own dynamics. It strengthens the concept of ourselves and produces connections between past, present and future. The additional value of a transnational cooperation is evident when we intend to use different approaches in order to achieve the best possible impulses by relying on synergy effects. This is also true of the challenge which today confronts schools and teachers in the context of the current problems of immigration. Here it is particularly important on the one hand to be open for new impulses, on the other hand, however, to be consequent and consistent when protecting and confirming basic values (freedom, democracy, a culture of discussion). In this way good impulses arose in order to convey who he or she is, how to explain their respective origins and finally show that our cultural heritage and our individual impressions are to be taken seriously. In view of the present turmoil in the EU In particular, we found it extremely important to show that there have always been contacts and transnational cooperation in Europe concerning the important issues of the time. The same is true with reference to the impact and appreciation of important persons and groups at different places and in different countries, which have formed the citizens of the EU up to the present. Such connections and relations have been emphasized and elaborated on in this project in particular.