Teaching History: See, Acknowledge & Respect
Duration 3:39
The Confronting Memories Programme explores the phenomenon of historical memory. What is the connection between the past and the present? How do historical events shape different countries and societies today?
With our programme, we create a space for a meaningful dialogue with diverse perspectives on the history of the 20th and 21st centuries. We bring together conflicting views and search for common ground. Confronting Memories is an initiative of Civil Society Forum e.V. and a cooperation between various international partners.
Confronting
Memories
in Numbers
22
cities
Exhibition tour
The Different Wars exhibition was displayed in the EU, Russia and Belarus. The exhibition shows how WWII is depicted in school history textbooks in six countries: Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, Poland, Lithuania and Russia.
5
languages
Lesson materials
In 2020 we created history lesson materials for 13- to 19-year-old students in Belarusian, English, German, Polish and Russian. In 2021, Ukraine joined the project.
80
history teachers
Capacity building
In 2020 – 2022 teachers from Belarus, Germany, Moldova, Poland, Russia and Ukraine took part in our capacity building webinars and methodological workshops and delved into how to teach history from multiple perspectives.
8
topics
WWII history
In our lesson materials and multimedia, we present different themes and topics related to WWII history.
Christoph Sproul
Project Manager at Civil Society Forum e.V.
Within the CSF, he coordinates the Confronting Memories and Europe Lab programmes. He further supports the newest CSF-initiative, Berlin Hub, and monitors the implementation of the EcoCodex in the framework of CSF’s climate goals. Christoph has worked as a development economist in the field of international cooperation and has 5+ years of experience in education and didactics.
Maksim Smekhov
Programmes Lead at Civil Society Forum e.V.
Maksim has spearheaded the Berlin Hub initiative — a community-building programme that builds on the history of Berlin as a nexus for connection, especially in the context of its contemporary history for many diaspora communities. He is a dedicated facilitator who applies the “Art of Hosting” approach, which prioritises horizontal dialogue and novel tools for strengthening discourse.
Kristina Smolijaninovaitė
Deputy Director of Civil Society Forum e.V. and Programme Founder (Parental Leave)
She initiated the CSF’s Working Group on Historical Memory and Education in 2013 and also the Forum’s history programme Confronting Memories in 2020. She was one of the curators of the exhibition, Different Wars: National School Textbooks on World War II, and co-authored the accompanying catalogue. Kristina studied cultural heritage and languages in Lithuania, Germany and Turkey.
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