Memory Alive in Germany – Memoryalive

Projects

ecowebdesign — Wed, 11 May 2022 10:14:38 +0000

ASF volunteers visiting Kalavryta in April 2022

Volunteering for Memory in Greece –
A cooperation between Filoxenia and Aktion Sühnezeichen Friedensdienste

For many people in Germany, Greece is known as a holiday destination and the Greek hospitality attracts thousands of German tourists every year. But most of them, however, don’t have the following knowledge:
During the German occupation of Greece between 1941 and 1944, one out of ten people of the Greek population were murdered. The plundering of the country led to a terrible famine.
Hundreds of villages were destroyed in arbitrary retaliation and their population was wiped out almost entirely. The country’s Jewish communities were robbed, their members forced into hard labor and almost 90% of Greek Jews were deported to extermination camps and killed.
Since its beginnings, Aktion Sühnezeichen Friedensdienste has always been committed to take action against forgetting and for a recognition of Germany’s war guilt towards Greece. The main focus lays on encounters with people in Greece, who still economically and mentally suffer the consequences of the destructive occupation.
In June 2019, the Greek government officially requested further negotiations on reparation payments from the German Federal Republic. The Greek Parliament had already passed a resolution in April demanding up to 290 billion euros. However, as with previous claims, the Federal Government is of the opinion that all claims had already been settled.
The bilateral relationship between the two countries had deteriorated steadily since 2008, and their respective interpretations of the debt and euro crises and their consequences, polemically fuelled by politicians and the media, rekindled old stereotypes and the issue of reparations.
Germany remains under an obligation to make future-oriented contributions to resolving these conflicts and making reparations. It is not enough to wait for decisions and actions by the Federal Government. We, as civil society, also feel obliged to do so.
The first work assignments of Aktion Sühnezeichen Friedensdienste took place in the martyr communities of Kándanos and Livadás (Crete) and Sérvia (West Macedonia) during the 1960s.
These first contacts led to many important relationships and friendships, so that, over the years, exchange programs (between Wolfsburg and Kalavryta) and various summer camps could be organised.
In addition, Aktion Sühnezeichen has been cooperating with the Orthodox Academy of Crete for a long time now.
Since January 2019 Aktion Sühnezeichen Friedensdienste supports the demands of the association “Respect for Greece” on “German War Guilt and Obligations to Greece”. The full text of the declaration can be found here: www.asf-ev.de/respekt-fuer-griechenland
In September 2021, Aktion Sühnezeichen Friedensdienste finally started a long-term project volunteer program in Greece. As a cooperation partner on the Greek side, the FILOXENIA association supports the development of the program.
The first five volunteers were sent from Germany to Greece in September 2021 and we plan to further expand the projects in the following years.
The development of this program is supported by funds from the German-Greek Future Fund.

Aktion Sühnezeichen Friedensdienste

ecowebdesign — Tue, 10 May 2022 07:43:58 +0000

Many people in Germany see Greece only as a holiday destination and the Greek hospitality attracts thousands of German tourists every year. But most of them, however, do not know:
During the German occupation of Greece between 1941 and 1944, about one-tenth of the
Greek people were murdered. The plundering of the country led to a terrible Famine.

Hundreds of villages were destroyed in arbitrary retaliation, wiped out their population. The country’s Jewish communities were robbed, their members forced into hard labor and almost 90% of Greek Jews were deported to extermination camps and killed.
Aktion Sühnezeichen has always been committed since its beginnings against forgetting and
for a recognition of Germany’s war guilt towards Greece. The main focus lays on the encounters with people in Greece, who still economically and mentally suffer with the consequences of the murderous occupation.

Already in the 1960s the first work assignments of Aktion Sühnezeichen Friedensdienste took place in the martyr communities of Kándanos and Livadás (Crete) and Sérvia (West Macedonia).
These first contacts led to many important relationships and friendships, so that, over the years, exchange programmes (between Wolfsburg and Kalavryta) and various summer camps could be organised. In addition, Aktion Suehnezeichen has been cooperating with the Orthodox Academy of Crete for a long time now.
Since January 2019 Aktion Sühnezeichen Friedensdienste supports the demands of the association
“Respect for Greece” on “German War Guilt and Obligations to Greece”. The full text of the declaration can be found here: www.asf-ev.de/respekt-fuer-griechenland

In September 2021, Aktion Suehnezeichen Friedensdienste finally started a long-term project
Volunteer programme in Greece. As a cooperation partner on the Greek side, the FILOXENIA association (https://filox.org) supports the development of the programme. The first five volunteers were sent from Germany to Greece in September 2021 and we plan to further expand the projects in the following years.
The development of this programme is supported by funds from the German-Greek Future Fund.

Memory Alive in Germany

ecowebdesign — Mon, 07 Feb 2022 06:16:48 +0000

Memory Alive
Stories of Dresden Community

It’s a small scale project of fellow Hana Sebestova during her phase I., placement in Germany (02.10 – 15.11.2018), under the “START – Create Cultural Change” program supported by the Robert Bosch Stiftung.

The mini project’s goal under „yOUR Community“ programme focused on local community’s needs and on issues that nowadays resonates and divides the society.
Using memory as a tool helping us to understand different paths as a reflection mirror of the diverse societies we live in.

The idea was to share personal stories in open discussions, in a creative way, understanding and getting closer to each other, focusing on people with a background of escape, migration and difficult paths.

The project consists from 3 activities: workshop, exhibition, video interviews.

During the workshop we used non-formal methods including creative, autobiographical writing, searching for an artistic voice in our lives.
We brought the light of the past into the present and it reminded us how our lives have changed.

The result of the workshop are short stories, illustrated by the participants, presented in the exhibition, hosted in different places of Dresden.

“Memory Alive/Stories of Dresden Community” is supported by “START – Create Cultural Change”, a program of the Robert Bosch Stiftung, conducted in cooperation with the Goethe-Institut Thessaloniki and the German Association of Sociocultural Centers, supported by the John S. Latsis Public Benefit Foundation and the Bodossaki Foundation.
www.startgreece.net
www.facebook.com/startgreece

Please check the link bellow for more information about the whole project:
https://www.startgreece.net/fellows/hana-sebestova

In collaboration with https://www.kulturaktiv.org/

Memory Alive Exhibition

ecowebdesign — Tue, 06 Nov 2018 06:40:45 +0000

Exhibition: Memory Alive/Stories of Dresden Community

This exhibition is a continuation of the workshop Memory Alive, taking place on October 26th, 2018 as part of the monthly programm „yOUR Community“ of the organisation “Kultur Aktiv” in cooperation with DIFO – Dresdner Institut für Fortbildung.

It is a part of the small scale program of START fellow Hana Sebestova, supported by the Robert Bosch Stiftung.

„After discussions with my host, we were searching for a common theme, focusing on needs of the local community and issues that resonate nowadays in the society and divides it, as well as about wishes to work on changes.”

The project „Memory Alive/Stories of Dresden Community“ consists from three activities: a workshop, an exhibition and video interviews.

Memory as a tool, as a reflection mirror of the diverse societies we live in, the different pathways for understanding.

The project idea was about sharing personal life stories in open discussions, in a creative way, understanding and getting closer to each other, open to everybody who would like to share, focusing on people with a background of escape, migration and difficult paths.

During the workshop we used non-formal methods including creative writing.
With the help of creative, autobiographical writing we were searching an artistic voice for our life.
Creative writing consisted from three stages of sharing memories, starting with childhood, continuing with the question “Why leaving our home and country?”, with conclusion about the present and wishes for the future. We brought the light of the past into the present and reminded us, how our lives have changed.
The result of the workshop are short stories illustrated by the participants, presented in the exhibition.

The exhibition will be used as a tool for educational purposes, to be hosted at schools and other public places as a small step acting for mutual understanding, towards a better society.

memory_alive_ExhibitionSTART.pdf

This action is supported by “START – Create Cultural Change”, a program of the Robert Bosch Stiftung, conducted in cooperation with the Goethe-Institut Thessaloniki and the German Association of Sociocultural Centers, supported by the John S. Latsis Public Benefit Foundation and the Bodossaki Foundation.
www.startgreece.net
www.facebook.com/startgreece

Please check the link bellow for more information about the whole project:
https://www.startgreece.net/fellows/hana-sebestova

In collaboration with https://www.kulturaktiv.org/

Memory Alive Workshop

ecowebdesign — Tue, 06 Nov 2018 06:40:16 +0000

Workshop: Memory Alive/Stories of Dresden Community

The workshop Memory Alive/Stories of Dresden Community, took place on October 26th, 2018 as part of the monthly programm „yOUR Community“ of the organisation “Kultur Aktiv” in cooperation with DIFO – Dresdner Institut für Fortbildung.

The project „Memory Alive/Stories of Dresden Community“ consists from three activities: a workshop, an exhibition and video interviews.

Memory as a tool, as a reflection mirror of the diverse societies we live in, the different pathways for understanding.

During the workshop we used non-formal methods including creative writing in cooperation with a writer Sarah Rehm, representative of “Tell your true” workshop.
With the help of creative, autobiographical writing we were searching an artistic voice for our life.
Creative writing consisted from three stages of sharing memories, starting with childhood, continuing with the question “Why leaving our home and country?”, with conclusion about the present and wishes for the future. We brought the light of the past into the present and reminded us, how our lives have changed.

The result of the workshop are short stories illustrated by the participants, presented in the exhibition.

memoryalivePosterFinal.pdf

The Annual Youth Encounter of the German Bundestag, EUROPEANS FOR PEACE

ecowebdesign — Sun, 31 Jan 2016 09:07:23 +0000

Andromachi Poulou, alumna of EUROPEANS FOR PEACE, participated in this year’s youth encounter of the German Bundestag on the occasion of the Day of Remembrance for the Victims of National Socialism (2020) and shares her experiences with us:

“How do you give a young person the opportunity to deal with history in a practical way? You give him/her the chance to participate in an international youth exchange, which has exactly this focus. This chance was also given to me and therefore, thanks to the EVZ Foundation, I had the opportunity to participate in the youth encounter of the German Bundestag between 23 and 29 January 2020 in Berlin and Auschwitz on the occasion of the German Bundestag’s commemoration hour for the victims of National Socialism.

These 6 days included a very intensive and challenging work with the Nazi era, but this time not from far away and through scientific and factual books, but directly at the site of the crime and in connection with people who personally experienced these crimes against humanity.

The days between January 24th and 28th were very enriching for us 60 participants from different countries (Germany, France, Austria, Israel, Ukraine, Hungary, Russia, Poland, Czech Republic, Belgium, USA, Greece), as we were allowed to spend them in Oświęcim/Auschwitz. With two guided tours in the former concentration camps Auschwitz I (main camp) and Auschwitz II (Birkenau) the discussion about a very dark time began. Each evening reflection in working groups focused, among other things, on the fact that such significant historical events must be known to all young people and young adults. This was also clearly reflected in our two contemporary witness talks with Mrs. Lidia Skibicka-Maksymowicz and Mrs. Walentyna Ignaszewska-Nikodem.

On 27 January we had the honour to participate in the commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the concentration and extermination camp Auschwitz in Auschwitz II (Birkenau), where the importance of commemoration and remembrance was supported by speeches of survivors (Batsheva Dagan, Elza Baker, Marian Tuski and Stanislaw Zalewski).

Also on January 29th we had the honour to participate in the commemoration hour in the plenary hall of the Reichstag building in Berlin and afterwards in a panel discussion with the President of the Deutscher Bundestag Dr. Wolfgang Schäuble, the Bundespräsident Frank-Walter Steinmeier (President of the Federal Republic of Germany) and the President of the State of Israel Reuven Ruvi Rivlin – ראובן רובי ריבלין and to ask our own questions such as “What is Germany doing today to fight against anti-Semitism, right-wing extremism and other forms of racism?

My motivation to take part in this meeting was based on my interest in learning more about the history and secrets of a very difficult time, in order to broaden my knowledge, which I definitely succeeded in doing. I was also confronted with the topic “memory work”, which will accompany me in my future plans.

Such projects offer a unique connection not only between past and present, but also between past and future. Because we have to know and understand our history, which was written by us humans, to prevent it from being repeated.”

The German Bundestag reports about the Encounter in a short clip: https://dbtg.tv/cvid/7424522.