Youth, remembrance and creativity in face of society’s identity crisis - the role of memorial sites in Europe
Content and Program
(7-13 November 2018)
The last blended mobility of "Our Memories and I" project took place in Grosseto, Italy, from 7-13th of November, hosted by the two local partners - Liceo Rosmini and Istituto Storico Grossetano della Resistenza e dell'Età Contemporanea (ISGREC). It was a fundamental activity of the project because it gathered students, teachers and representatives of other partner organisations who, on the occasion of the previous activities in Perpignan, Figueres and Berlin, visited local memorials and studied their existing pedagogical offer through practical and theoretical work.
In this case, the Memorial of Grosseto dedicated to the massacre made by the Fascists during the Second World War (22 March 1944) is still in the making. Therefore, the students had the unique opportunity to become a part of this process by engaging in elaboration of proposals, brainstorming ideas and expressing their creativity. They contributed directly to the final result of the concept of the future “Maiano Lavacchio Memorial”. Prior to this mobility, a creative workshop was organized in the school Liceo Rosmini in collaboration with the artist Roman Kroke, during which the students were able to create artworks inspired by the events of 1944 and through creativity face the difficult history.
Wednesday 7th of November was the arrival day. The partners and the students were welcomed by the hosts and their host families and introduced to the program of the following days.
On Thursday, 8th of November, the groups of students, teachers and institutional partners visited the Memorial of Maiano Lavacchio, where the Italian students prepared an exhibition as a result of their workshop with the artist Roman Kroke. The opening of the exhibition marked the official beginning of the mobility. The exhibition was inaugurated by the artist, the teachers and the Mayor of Maiano. The students presented their works to their peers, teachers and partners of the project.
After a visit to the future memorial which was also a venue for the exhibition, we visited the town of Magliano in Toscana. In the afternoon, we were welcomed by Mayor's delegation at the City Council in Grosseto. The City Council and the ISGREC allowed students to examine the authentic documents regarding the historical events related to the subject of the Memorial. We visited Mayor’s room to see "Lavagna Matteini", one of the key documents of the event in Maiano Lavacchio.
Friday, 9th of November we spent in ISGREC, where students were working in groups in order to develop different ideas of the future memorial of Maiano Lavacchio. The input of the architect in charge of this project, was very important and he joined the groups for guidelines and discussion. In the afternoon, the students presented their proposals to the architect, teachers and partners.
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Visit to Siena
On Saturday, 10th of November we visited Siena, a city in Tuscany, about 70 km from Grosseto. A guided tour was organized in "Stanze della Memoria" - a museum located in the premises of the former Casermetta of the Italian Social Republic of Siena, which was a place of interrogation and torture of the anti-Fascists of Siena until the Liberation. The aim was to research and reflect on the key events during last decades which should not be forgotten.
Monday, 12th of November we spent in Liceo Rosmini, and this day was dedicated to topic “the past for the future”. Students worked in groups where they performed a research and compared past and future with regard to wars, migratory flows, authoritarian regimes, terrorism, xenophobia and anti-Semitism. The groups were given materials and were asked to answer some questions by writing texts, producing images and charts , providing data and examples and naming the sources. Each group presented their findings and after the presentation the students had a chance to evaluate the past few days of the mobility. Tuesday, 13th of November was the departure day for all the participants.
