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.

Activities and Highlights

Tracing Places: Buildings With a Painful Past on Trial

Facilitated by Andrea Seelich (Architect & Criminologist, Prague) from the Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes

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? Participants explored Palais Petschek, a building that was a bank, then Gestapo headquarters, and later government offices. They examined how difficult histories are remembered and created a practical handbook for engaging with such sites.

Experiencing eCommemoration: Virtual Encounters With the Past

Facilitated by Serkan Ünsal & Timon Strnad (Mediale Pfade, Media & Historical-Political Education, Berlin)

The culture of remembrance in the 21st century has gone far beyond monuments, museums and days of remembrance. But what does it mean when computer games as well as artificial intelligence find their way into our historiography and commemoration? Participants experimented with virtual museums, apps, blogs, and podcasts to explore how technology can make history interactive, emotional, and accessible.

“We must keep on discussing stuff without Artificial Intelligence.” – Sofia from Norway”

“Artificial Intelligence is working with what we give.” – Ivan from Spain

Narrating Europe: Stories of Identity and Belonging

Facilitated by Alla Bahlei (Educator & Political Scientist, Berlin) from Kreisau Initiative

Young people explored how personal, local, and national identities connect — and sometimes clash — across Europe. Creative exercises helped them map what “belonging” means in different contexts.

A handwritten poster with people who are drawing
People sitting in a circle in chairs and listening to one of the people talking
People sitting at a table with articles on top

Mapping the Future: A Forecast Lab for Tomorrow’s Europe

Facilitated by Daniel Vattay (Complexity Researcher, Budapest) & Béla Kuslits (Policy Expert, Brussels) from Mountain Sight Consulting

How can we use our knowledge of history to map possible futures? Using future-thinking tools, participants imagined different scenarios for Europe and discussed how today’s challenges might shape tomorrow’s societies.

“I thought that predicting the future would be less science-based and more about your own opinion, but I saw there were actual methods and it’s very complicated.”

– Tim Mattias, Estonia

Blogging History: Journalism Made by You

Facilitated by Aida Ivan (Journalist and Lecturer, Berlin)

How can we make individual stories of Europe’s youth heard? Participants learned storytelling, interviewing, and writing techniques, producing blog posts, reports, and podcasts to share personal perspectives on history.

Participant Voices

“I experienced that with the energy, interest and creativity of young people from all over the continent, Europe has a good chance for a peaceful and democratic future. One in which we memorize our past as much as we value our present.”

“The atmosphere of listening, interest and attention that was created at the Summit was magical. I will remember those dialogues forever.”

“My highlight was to challenge my personal view on political and historical issues with people from different countries. I had discussions about feminism, the war in Ukraine, and economic inequality.”

Impressions

Three people sitting and talking to each other and smiling
People standing and talking to each other in a room
Three people looking at handmade posters while one points at one of the posters
Two people talking to another with a notebook in their hand
People sitting in a room, looking in one direction while one person takes a picture with her phone
Hands with scissors, table with articles on top
Two people standing with papers in their hands talking to and smiling at each other
People walking through a city with beige buildings in the back
Three people sitting and talking to each other while one writes in her notebook and the other has a phone in her hand
People sitting in a room clapping
Two people sitting and talking to each other. The same is done in the background with other people
People talking to each other in a room

Partners

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Related Summits

Discover more inspiring historical research from young Europeans

Support for MEMORIAL International

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.

Norway’s Test: How to Deal With AI?

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.

“Our Most Precious Possession? Our Grandparents’ Stories!”

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

A Regional Analysis of History-Based Propaganda

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.

“EUSTORY Influenced My Career”

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.

“Solutions Not Sides” wins Bridging Gaps Award

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.