About the Organisation
The History Teachers’ Association of Latvia was founded in 1992 and is a non-governmental, voluntary organisation of professionals; it consists of history teachers of different nationalities, both from schools with Latvian language of instruction and various ethnic minorities’ schools.
The HTAL with its central board in Riga, connects a number of project groups and working groups throughout the country that organise in-service training and seminars. The HTAL aims at bringing together creative people; promoting the development of history teaching in schools; facilitating the development and approbation of new curricula and textbooks for history teaching; contributing to history teachers’ professional development and co-operating in international networks such as EUROCLIO.
About the Competition
The title of the Latvian history competitions is “History around us” and it started in September 2001. Participants can be pupils from grade 5-12. The papers will be evaluated by three categories: Group A: 5th-7th grade; group B: 8th-9th grade; group C: 10th-12th grade. The paper can be done individually as well as in groups of up to 3 pupils. The papers of group A + B can be submitted in the mother tongue; for those not fluent either in Latvian or Russian, a translation into Latvian is required. The papers of pupils belonging to group C have to be in the state language. The source appendix can remain in the original language. The research work can be done in various forms: as an academic research paper, as a CD-ROM presentation, as video or audio tape, as a model, a historical game, theatre performance (film or script), historical narration or novel etc.
Story Collection: Latvia
A Lottery you Can’t Lose
Mandatory military service, unthinkable only a short while ago, has returned in countries like Latvia due to the current geopolitical situation. What’s young people’s opinion on this new reality?
“En:countering Divides” – EUSTORY Summit 2024
How to navigate through the divides of today’s world? Using diverse approaches in creative workshops, critical discussions and intercultural encounters, young history enthusiasts from 23 countries equipped themselves with tools to drive cross-border collaboration and change forward.
National EUSTORY Supporter
Edgars Rinkēvičs
Edgars Rinkēvičs is a Latvian public and political figure and the long-serving Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia (from 25 October 2011 until 7 July 2023). He was born in Jūrmala on 21 September 1973. He studied History, Political Science and International Relations as well as National Security Resource Strategy at the University of Latvia, the University of Groningen and the US National Defence University.
He was the long-serving State Secretary at the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Latvia (from August 1997 to October 2008), serving as Head of the Office for the Organisation of the NATO Summit of Heads of State and Government (2005–2007) and Deputy Head of Delegation for the negotiations on Latvia’s accession to NATO (2002–2005). On 8 July 2023, Edgars Rinkēvičs officially became the President of Latvia.