Stories from our Work

Is there room for hope in times of conflicts, political crises, and deepening polarization? 50 young history enthusiasts from 18 countries explored creative ways of conflict transformation during the EUSTORY Experience.

Unlike those who pick more exotic Erasmus destinations, Decho chose Frankfurt. He was attracted by its educational reputation, but ended up finding many other ways to enjoy the city.

Tracing one’s roots always brings surprises. This is the story of Růžena Nesnídalová, a pioneer in autism research – as far as the author has been able to piece together from her family’s tales.

Carnival is traditionally a time of excess. In Torres Vedras, Portugal, it means parades, costumes, and themed monuments – turning it into a playful opportunity to bring up sociopolitical issues!

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?

How to counter polarisation in youth work? In Sarajevo, civic education specialists, researchers, and activists discussed challenges.

One conversation, one classroom at a time, four activists fight for unity in Bosnia and Herzegovina. How they refuse to give in to division, despite government pressure.

A 10-hour blackout struck the Iberian Peninsula in 2025. International tensions triggered unexpected fears in young Spaniards, who otherwise would have never even imagined a conflict at home.

As an EU country with a socialist past, Czech society remains politically divided. How do Czechs, especially Gen Z, feel about the European Union two decades after “Czeching In”?

The decisions of our ancestors shape our lives in many ways, even genetically. From a predisposition to diseases to a passion for languages – epigenetics studies whether we can inherit it all.

How can we teach history and critical thinking in an increasingly polarised world? Some answers from the EUSTORY Annual Network Meeting in Oslo

The 60s were carefree and the 90s were optimistic: young people once looked at the future in a positive light. So why is Gen Z so melancholic? Can we find the answer through literature?

How to deal with violence? Insights from Jørgen Watne Frydnes, chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee and keyfigure in re-building the island of Utøya after the terror attack in 2011.

Though largely unrecognized, censorship and violence followed the Algerian War in France. Our author explores one event in her city as she seeks answers about her own French-Algerian identity.

The government’s weak response to a deadly collapse in 2024 triggered the largest protest in Serbian history. We interviewed Petar, an alumni involved in this student-led democratic movement.

In Bulgaria, two ancient traditions reflect the powerful relationship between nature, Christian faith, and the human spirit: the Nestinari Fire Dance and the Ice Epiphany celebration.

“Those who contribute the least suffer the most” sums up North-South dynamics regarding global warming. Global cooperation, however, could put an end to this vicious circle.

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.

History-based propaganda can have serious consequences in a society. How should educators deal with it?

Fighting with swords and shields or learning mythology from a Nordic warrior are some of the activities one can do at Trelleborg. Who would expect “Viking” to be a job in the 21st century?

Students are key to the History of the Czech Republic for a solid reason. They fought peacefully for the freedom of their country, and their legacy still lives on among a grateful Czech youth.

Some say premonitions don’t exist. The author of this story can swear they do. Her father foresaw her vocation twenty years before she was born, so how could she not believe in magic?

Defining “luck” in an unequal world is complex. Bodil, who experienced the Nazi occupation, and Myroslav, who fled the war in Ukraine, tried to illustrate this dilemma, aided by knitted sweaters.

It’s almost impossible to find traces of Heinrich Bruning’s life. He wasn’t considered worthy of going down in the annals of History, as will probably be the case for most of us, ordinary people.

Some documents can unexpectedly bear witness to historical events. How come Luke Darling asked for a military pension when the Irish Army didn’t even exist? And where did he get British weapons?

After the trauma of World War II, taboos and heavy silences became the norm in many families. Today, conversations are still hard, but discovering a meaningful diary can fill in the picture.

This spring, Körber-Stiftung and THE CIVICS Innovation Hub had presented the one-time Bridging Gaps Award, inviting non-governmental organizations across Europe and neighbouring countries to share their successfully implemented youth projects fostering unity in polarised societies.

A Monument for Peace and Liberty Russia's war against Ukraine concerns us all! Young Europeans send this message with their augmented reality-memorial, which makes a stop in Hamburg to mark the anniversary of the Russian invasion.

Learning how to shape teaching to overcome differences, promote empathy and encourage critical thinking.

Spain and Portugal suffered a similar fate: a dictatorship haunted each country for decades. The growing nostalgia towards the regime disturbs those who are still healing the wounds of autocracy.

In 2024, the dismantling of Sofia’s Monument to the Soviet Army raised controversy. It reflected Bulgarians’ complex relationship with their past: torn between remembering and moving forward.

Karsten Korbøl, organiser of the Norwegian History Competition and teacher for History and Civic Education and teacher trainer at the University of Oslo, decided to test tools like ChatGPT to see what AI can or cannot do.

It’s Ball Season in Vienna. Men wear fancy tuxedos, and women’s gowns share the exact same shade of white. The waltz opens the dance… and salsa music follows. Is this tradition being rewritten?

As the ball rolls across a packed football stadium, fans wave their flags with pride. But when a national symbol triggers mixed emotions, questioning the usual picture is unavoidable.

Germans are grumpy just as Brits are posh or Czechs are heavy drinkers – or are they? We gathered international young people to put these well-known assumptions to test.

When Mawa corrected the Italian pronunciation of her mother, an African migrant, she was given a nickname: “maestra”. Now she recalls it fondly, as she has become a teacher to migrants in Italy.

The trend is clear: Serbian youth are more conservative than ever. It’s easy to engage in isolationist, patriotic, conspiranoic narratives… But some alternative, open-minded communities resist.

In workshops, tutors learned how to use didactical methods for dealing with 20th century propaganda in the classroom.

How do children see the war in Ukraine? This is the subject of the digital exhibition “War and Dreams” showing drawings by Ukrainian schoolchildren.

Journalist Paula Erizanu took a look how media and civil society are on the frontlines of the hybrid war for Moldovans’ hearts and minds.

“History in a Polarised World” was the overarching theme of this year’s network meeting in Chișinău from 6–10 March, 2024. Hosted by the National Association of Young Historians of Moldova (ANTIM) competition organisers from more than 20 countries discussed challenges such as AI, propaganda, and polarisation.

How common is history-based propaganda in textbooks? A research team from Armenia, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine delved into this question within the DVV cooperation project.

What’s something we all worry about, whether it changes or not, rises or falls? You guessed it: currency. We asked young Europeans about their monetary system and the national symbols displayed.

“Dialogues to Remember” was the motto of the 2023 EUSTORY Summit. Under this premise, 11 aspiring journalists set out to discover which dialogues had shaped people’s lives in Prague.

What can conversations about the past teach us about the world we want to build? At the EUSTORY Summit 2023 “Dialogues to Remember”, over 100 young Europeans came together in Prague to explore memory, identity, and Europe’s shared stories.

How can we use latest technological innovations such as Virtual Reality or Artificial Intelligence in civic education?

How to deal with a dark past when it’s cast in stone? What does architecture teach us about history? How to balance between commemorating victims and using historic spaces today?

In his 2023 speech, Petro Kendzor, initiator of the Ukrainian History Competition, shares his thoughts on the war in Ukraine and its impact on the Ukrainian, Russian and European societies.

Despite the COVID pandemic and the Russian aggression against their country, Ukrainian teachers continue to work, creating an online publication to help teachers and students develop research ideas.

Remarkable insights from former prize winners about researching for their history competition submission.

How is the current Russian military assault on Ukraine accompanied by a "war of memory"? Tatiana Zhurzhenko, Ukrainian expert on the politics of history, deconstructs elements of Russian propaganda.

Belarus was one of the founding members of EUSTORY in the year 2001. In 2022, the competition project came to an end.

Even after the forced dissolution of MEMORIAL International, Körber-Stiftung and EUSTORY continue to stand by their partner organisation as well as its concern to promote an open approach to Russian and European history.

Miguel Barros, organiser of the Portuguese History Competition, explains how the release of a new discipline revealed some hot issues of Portuguese society.

Karsten Korbøl, long-time organiser of the Norwegian History Competition, looks back on its 20 th anniversary

Mr Frank-Michael Kuhlemann, Chair of Modern and Contemporary History and Didactics of History at the Technical University of Dresden, talks about the importance of religion for history lessons.

Dr Zdeněk Hazdra, Director of the Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes in Prague, remembered being among the prize winners of the very first Czech History Competition in 2001/2002.he first Czech EUSTORY History Competition in 2000/2001. In 2017, he returned to the Czech National History Competition to honour the prize winners.