Project "Using personal stories as a path to active citizenship" takes place within the context of growing (extreme) nationalism in Europe and its correlation with an increase in intolerance towards various minority and marginalized groups. The evidence shows that there is also insufficient cultural understanding and dialogue in many European countries. The Holocaust in Europe teaches us to be vigilant when intolerant attitudes arise and communities become marginalized and excluded. The project builds on the need to create non formal spaces where young people can feel part of the European project, can participate in their communities, express themselves, and most importantly, develop positive leadership competences that can help them confront prejudice and discrimination, as well as assist peers who might experience prejudice and discrimination. All of our organisations work with students and teachers takes place in long term programs and trainings. We focus on the same topics - on learning from history, especially the history of the Holocaust. We lead students and teachers to understanding contemporary social issues, to critical thinking and understanding, and courage for civic engagement. Our organisations base education programs on the research of the Holocaust of Jews and Roma. We find it very important to cooperate with and teach with today‘s minorities (national, social, religious or differently abled). We find that one of the best ways to achieve results is to work with a story. One of them is the universal story of Anne Frank. Our goals are: - To create a team for long-term cooperation from organizations dealing with the same topics in different countries - Find national specifics in common topics (Terezin / Westerbork / Sereď, Jewish, Roma and Muslim minority, handicapped, the relation between majority and minorities, scapegoating) and how to present it to our students, teachers and trainers. - To become familiar with national education systems and practice and find what we can learn from each other. - To share best practice and increase our competence in work with sources - research, documentation, copyright. - To seek and share good practice how to teach about the Holocaust without survivors. - Increase the level of competences, knowledge and skills of youth workers, and through them also of youth, in creating intercultural dialogue - Enhance the international dimension of youth activities and increase the capacity of youth workers and their organisations, by empowering young people to more effectively deal with the challenges posed by discrimination, far right world views and extreme nationalism, as well as helping young people gain the tools to confront prejudices and discrimination towards minority. The project partner countries that are presently using peer guides to educate youth regarding the story of Anne Frank, the Holocaust and human rights. Overall, the training and network seminars will provide tools to raise awareness and generate reflection about manifestations of discrimination and prejudices in their own educational settings. Activities: C1. Initial training in Anne Frank House "The story that inspires" (Netherlands, September 2018) and preceding initial project meeting (M-initial) . C2. Teachers training (25 participants from Czech Republic and Slovakia, November 2018) M1. Project meeting of all involved organisations (Slovakia, January 2019) C4. Verification in schools - Peer guide training in at least 5 school, inernational exchange in one school in both countries (Czech Republic, Slovakia, December 2018 - May 2019) C3. Summer school in Brno and Hodonín u Kunštátu (Czech Republic 35 participants from Czech Republic and Slovakia, lecturers from all involved countries, august 2019) and sequential final meeting (M-final) of all participants of the project.
The Project "Anne Frank Theme. Using personal stories as a path to active citizenship ” coordinated by Terezín Initiative institute was realised by organizations from three countries - the Terezín Initiative Institute from the Czech Republic, the Milan Šimečka Foundation from Slovakia and the Anne Frank House from the Netherlands. The aim was to create a platform of cooperating organizations and educators who apply the principles of democratic coexistence in their lives and work, help pupils develop their ability to think critically, engage civically and seek ways to face prejudice and discrimination. There were five trainings for the peer-guides od the traveling exhibition “Let me be myself. Anne Frank's Life Story “ in the Czech Republic and the opening ceremony of the Slovak version of the exhibition in Bratislava in the school year 2018/19. Vernisages and dernisage of exhibitions was attended by Ambassadors (Prague, Bratislava), majors of the cities, witneses, parents, teachers and students. The advantage of working with Anne Frank's story is that Anne, despite having lived 70 years ago, is writing a language that today's young people can understand, identify with what Anne thinks and experiences. Her story still inspires them. The story of Anne helps them to understand today, the stories of today's young people who face and have to deal with prejudice because of nationality, religion, skin color, gender, sexuality or group membership. Thanks to the training, students can explain historical events in a way that their peers understand and even moderate the discussion on prejudice and discrimination, thus exceeding our expectations. 104 students took part in peer-guide trainings, who then carried out more than 1800 pupils. Six students - three from the Czech Republic and three from Slovakia participated in a student exchange to a neighboring country, where they not only participated in activities, but also shared their experiences with future guides. They also shared their experience with 40 participants of at the Summer School “Education for Respect and Tolerance. The role of the story in teaching ”, mostly teacher and trainers. Here, together with teachers, they also learned about other stories, this time from the Czech and Slovak environment, and also with the possibility to continue in the project in the coming years or participate in international Anne Frank Yout Network. The summer school was preceded by a seminar in Amsterdam, attended by 19 trainers, historians and educators, and a seminar for teachers in Prague “Education for Respect and Tolerance. Let me be myself. ” More information about the project and photo gallery can be found at http://www.terezinstudies.cz/events/seminare-konference/tema_anne_frankova_akce.html a http://www.terezinstudies.cz/projects/tema_anne_frankova.html