A Time to Remember and Empower
In Slovakia we commemorated the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe through a meaningful educational activity that honoired memory, history, and human dignity.
As part of a history assignment, students were asked to collect and present the memories of their family members who had lived through the Second World War. The aim of this school-wide project was to document personal stories from one of the darkest periods in human history—a time marked by war, loss, and the violation of human rights on a massive scale.
More than 100 personal testimonies were collected. Many spoke of survival, fear, resistance, or displacement. Sadly, not all stories had happy endings. These experiences were shared with the school community through readings over the school radio and presentations in front of students and teachers. A moment of silence was held in remembrance of all victims of the war.
This activity was strongly linked to the Erasmus+ project “Empower2Act for Human Rights”, in which organisations from Portugal, Spain, Turkiye, Norway and Slovakia actively participate. By learning from the past, students are encouraged to recognise the importance of human rights, stand against injustice, and take an active role in building peace. The project fosters civic responsibility and empowers youth to act when faced with discrimination or oppression—core values rooted in both European history and education.
“The dead are not those in the grave, but those who forget the horrors of war and allow new ones to begin.”
