Georgia

»My Ancestors at My Age«
Brochure reviews the first Georgian history competition

In 2017/18, many Georgian teachers as well as pupils at the age of 15 to 18 took the challenge to participate in the first national Georgian history competition that was initiated by Georgian NGOs together with DVV International and the Körber Foundation. The competition topic »My Ancestors at My Age – Being Young in 20th Century Georgia« aimed at identifying the close connection between lives in the past and lives in the present. With this in mind, the young researchers set out to ask their parents, grandparents, neighbours, family or friends about their childhood experiences. To support the pupils, the organisers had trained almost 100 padagogues in several workshops to become competition tutors.

Now the competition organisers from the NGO »SovLab«, the »Georgian Association of History Educators (GAHE)« and the DVV International Office in Tbilisi have published a brochure, presenting and reflecting experiences and results from the pilot project. The publication features six of the winning entries. The readers can discover how everyday life in a small Georgian village has been changing over the last 80 years, can travel through time by means of some family documents from the attic of a student’s grandfather, and can experience the stories that are told in the families about the Second World War. The brochure sheds light on the successful pilot competition and is meant to also support teachers and students who are interested in conducting historical project work. The competition organisers are currently working on the second edition of the competition.

Download the complete brochure here (in Georgian language, introduction in English on pages 5-6)