From the second half of February until the end of April, Krzyżowa Foundation conducted workshops on civic education as part of the project 'Remember the Rebel'. Their aim was to raise discussion about the foundations of democracy, the relevance of statutory law to the changing needs of society and the limits of civil disobedience.
The workshops were conducted at schools and at the Ossoliński National Institute in Wrocław, where an exhibition presenting the profiles of nine people who had the courage and determination to defy the status quo was on display throughout April.
A total of 465 pupils from Poland, Ukraine and Belarus took part in the workshop.
For Polish teachers who are interested in the topics addressed by the project, we have prepared a special e-publication. It includes a lesson scenario (available only in Polish) adapted to the Polish school curriculum, and supplementary materials.
Read more: Summary of the workshops on rebels + lesson scenario
As the Polish proverb goes, "April pleats, because it intertwines...". And as it happens in April, the weather was once winter and once summer. The school exchanges between Gryfino-Bersenbrück and Krapkowice-Wissen, which lasted from 15 to 19 April, were similarly "intertwined". The young people from Gryfino and Bersenbrück enjoyed fresh air and outdoor activities while preparing beds and planting in our permaculture garden, and looked at themes of diversity and interculturalism.
Read more: Youth exchanges Gryfino-Bersenbrück and Krapkowice-Wissen
The 85th anniversary of the outbreak of World War II, which falls in 2024, as well as the 35th anniversary of the Reconciliation Mass at Krzyżowa, provide an excellent opportunity to familiarise German audiences with the historical experiences of Poles and Poles and to sensitise them to the differences in Polish and German memories of these events. These are special events, as they focus on both the extremely negative experiences of Europe, especially of the Polish-German neighbourhood, which should not only be a warning but also a point of constant reflection. As well as the positive ones, which should still inspire us today to think about the strength of civil society and models for our mutual relations.
A conference preceding the official opening of the exhibition '1939-1945: The Years That Changed the World' took place in Krzyżowa on 19 April 2024. The exhibition was specifically designed for schoolchildren and teachers and tells the story of the causes, course and long-term consequences of the Second World War. It presents these events in the broadest possible context and from different perspectives. So that it is comprehensible not only to a Polish audience, but also to people from other countries who visit Krzyżowa.
The exhibition consists of two parts. The first presents the origins and course of the Second World War, the differences between occupation policies in the West and East of Europe, and shows what resistance looked like in different European countries - including the activities of the anti-Nazi opposition in Germany. The second part of the exhibition discusses the key issues necessary for understanding history and its consequences. As well as showing the mechanisms of hatred that led to the Holocaust, the different attitudes displayed by people who experienced the war and occupation and the differences in Polish and German memories of the war are discussed. The exhibition also addresses the contemporary consequences of the Second World War - from conflicts in Africa, genocide in the former Yugoslavia, to Russia's criminal attack on Ukraine.