History competitions in Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine

The Project "History competitions in Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine" is implemented by the Institute for International Cooperation of the The German Adult Education Association (DVV International) in cooperation with the Körber-Stiftung. The project is funded by the German Foreign Office.

The national histories as written in the former Soviet countries during the post-regime-change period often show blank spaces and uncertainties when it comes to the historical interpretation of difficult topics. These gaps in otherwise fact-based narratives not only encourage uncertainty regarding history, but also sow the seeds for falsifications, the persistent silencing of topics already tabooed in Soviet times, as well as counterfactual historical narratives. This - in combination with other factors - can result in a danger to democracy by becoming the basis for a rhetoric of alterity and exclusion, for the legitimization of individual political interests, or fostering anti-democratic or authoritarian ideologies.

DVV International and Körber-Stiftung support civil-society organizations in their emancipatory work with history by implementing a joint project in four countries of the Eastern Partnership, working with them to promote project-orientated learning as well as the communication of basic contemporary methodical skills at schools (especially in history lessons).

Both Körber-Stiftung and the EUSTORY network (initiated by Körber-Stiftung as a Europe-wide network of history competitions) have collected vast experience with history competitions over the past decades, in which participants actively and independently explore the historical dimension of their environment, thus switching from the role of recipient that can be found most commonly in school lessons, to the role of a producer. This encourages personal responsibility and critical faculties, and will reveal in a practical manner the fundamental problems that are associated with historical perspective, as well as the constructive character of historical narratives to the participants of such a competition.

What is this project about?

It is about supporting history competitions for young people in the project countries. The general objective of the project is therefore to communicate democratic values. These values are brought across via the successful implementation of history competitions for school pupils and in civil society.

Project participants

  • partner organisations in fields of history involved in the project
  • tutors involved in the competitions
  • school pupils involved in the competitions
  • society in the project countries

Terms and region

Countries of implementation: Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine

Implementation periodMay 2017 - December 2018

Key implementorsDVV International offices in the Eastern Partnership countries and Regional Office for Caucasus, Turkey & South-East Europe - Project Office in Georgia.

Stages of the project

Our project has 2 main stages:

1) prepare tutors for student groups, who understand a/ what is project-oriented learning and how to work in team with students, b/ how to work with findings after research is done, how to make profit from research, c/ how successful historical brands were established and became successful, d/ how to work with cultural heritage in communities

2) Holding competitions between student groups under tutors mentoring (research, presentation, selection of the best application by professional jury in each project country).

August/September 2017

Information meetings for tutors (teachers) in Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine

October 2017

Selection of participants for preparational workshops

November/December 2017

Preparational workshops for tutors (teachers) in Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine

January 2018

Announcement of history competitions

January-April 2018

Competitions held in schools and youth organisations, support of tutors

March 2018

Preparational workshops for jury members in Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine

May 2018

Award ceremonies in Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine

September 2018

History Camp for successful participants in Berlin, Germany

Project partners

Тhe partner organisation in Belarus is the civil-society association “Historica”, which was founded in 2000. “Historica” promotes projects on history and the cultural heritage of Belarus in schools as well as in academia. “Historica” has been operating the Belarusian Oral History Archive since 2011. This archive collects contemporary witness interviews and makes them accessible online.

The partner organisation in Georgia is the Georgian History Teachers Association “GAHE”, founded in 1997. It brings together history teachers from the educational and academic fields, and aims to modernise and promote history lessons and the communication of history in Georgia.

The second partner organization in Georgia is “SovLab” (“Soviet Past Research Laboratory”), which was founded in 2010. The mission of Soviet Past Research Laboratory is to provide assistance in studying the Soviet totalitarian past and in awareness of political, legal and moral responsibility for the Soviet legacy. The aim of the organization is to create thought-provoking and debatable environment to assist in the democratic development. Recent projects of SovLab include “Red Terror Topography“, “Virtual Platform – Rethinking the Soviet Past” or “Soviet Tbilisi”.

The partner organisation in Moldova is “ANTIM”, an association of young history teachers in Moldova. The NGO particularly aims to promote young history teachers, as well as to bring across modern, innovative methods in history research and communication.

The partner organisation in Ukraine is “Nova Doba”, the regional association of history and social science teachers. It was registered in 2001 as the successor organisation of “Doba”, and took on the role of the old organisation. “Nova Doba” is based in Lviv, has 19 branches in Ukraine and organises further training courses for teachers i.a.

Learn more about Award ceremonies in each country.

Contact us and learn more

Project coordinator: Andrii Fert, fert@dvv-international.org.ua

Project administrator in Belarus: Marina Malinina, malinina@dvv-international.by

Project administrator in Moldova: Daniela Padure, padure@dvv-international.md

Project administrator in Georgia: Insea Kiderlen, kiderlen@dvv-international.ge

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