(No) Children’s Stories Exhibition in Chernihiv region
During several weeks in November, our colleagues from Kozelets Lyceum №3 in Chernihiv region worked on (No)Children's Stories. Despite the difficult working conditions, six guides - students of the 8th, 9th and 10th grades - and their teacher, Mr Ihor Karas, were able to introduce the exhibition to more than 300 people, including students of grades 6-11 and teachers of local schools.
We are extremely happy that the exhibition found its guides and visitors in Kozelets and are very grateful to the guides for their care for the visitors and the stories from the exhibition. As usual, here is some feedback from the people involved.
“..The 6th grade students showed great interest in the stories presented at the exhibition, even though the subject matter was complex.
The students demonstrated their interest in details and their sincere openness to discussing the topics of tolerance, discrimination and empathy. For example, children wondered how the characters in the exhibition coped with difficult circumstances, why people allow inequality to exist, and what can be done to change the situation in the future.
Some students tried to compare the stories with the realities of their lives, asking: “Could this happen now?” or “Is there anything I can do to help?”. This showed that the exhibition made them not only think, but also formulate their own position on important social issues. (Mr Ihor, history teacher, local exhibition coordinator)
“The materials of the exhibition are very well thought out - they not only inform, but also immerse visitors in the atmosphere of the events.” (Andrii, guide)
“For me personally, the testimonies of victims of discrimination and their stories were impressive. I learnt a lot of new things. I am grateful to my teacher who offered me such an interesting job that made me feel like a real adult and intelligent person, telling visitors not just stories, but whole pages of history. ... Perhaps there is nothing more important than remembering these lessons and fighting for an equal and just society, and we must remember the past to avoid repeating such horrific experiences and mistakes in the future.” (Daria, guide)
“For me, this tour was not just a ‘school assignment’, but a real experience that changed my attitude to many things. I realised how important it is to be attentive to others, to hear their stories and to try to help.” (Mykhailo, guide)
“I also noticed that every story at the exhibition was written by the subject or their friends and relatives, and not just silenced - this made me realise that every story about people experiencing discrimination needs to be left in society and promoted so that people can understand that rights abuses and discrimination still exist in our world, so we need to get rid of them. Participation in this exhibition was a reminder that every action, even the smallest one, can affect the lives of other people and make them a little brighter.” (Denys, guide)
“This experience taught me to be responsible and not to postpone everything until later. I tried to convey to visitors not just facts, but real life stories, so that they could understand why it is important to remember. It's not just the past, it's lessons for the present....” (Nazar, guide)
“I am grateful for this experience because it taught me not only to be attentive to the past, but also to help people understand how important equality, respect and humanity are in the modern world. I hope that my words and efforts as a guide helped visitors understand the value of these lessons.” (Ivan, guide)
As a reminder, the project and exhibition (No) Children’s Stories was created by the Ukrainian Center for Holocaust Studies and is being implemented with the support of the international project Learning to Remember of the Düsseldorf Jewish community.
