Holocaust education is not just about preserving the past—it is about ensuring that its lessons remain relevant for generations to come. In 2024, the #WeRemember Journeys project took another crucial step in institutionalizing Holocaust remembrance, engaging young people across Europe in a profound educational experience that combined historical learning with personal reflection.
Through a carefully structured program, students from 13 schools across 10 European countries explored the Holocaust from multiple perspectives—starting with local narratives in their own communities, then expanding their understanding through a pan-European lens in Auschwitz, engaging in hands-on workshops, expressing their reflections through artistic creation, and ultimately bringing their knowledge to the wider public through exhibitions. At the same time, teachers were equipped with the necessary tools to guide students through these difficult but essential conversations.
Institutionalizing Remembrance for Future Generations
Throughout 2024, #WeRemember Journeys has reinforced Holocaust remembrance as a permanent, institutionalized commitment. The illumination of public buildings on January 27, International Holocaust Remembrance Day, served as a powerful symbol of this dedication, ensuring that memory remains visible and recognized in the public space.
Equipping Teachers for the Future of Holocaust Education
For Holocaust remembrance to be truly institutionalized, educators must be prepared to teach it effectively. the #WeRemember Journeys project also focused on equipping teachers with the tools and methodologies needed to guide students aged 14-18 through this sensitive subject and for making Holocaust education engaging, meaningful, and age-appropriate. The goal was not only to ensure that students understood historical facts but also to help them critically reflect on what the Holocaust means in today’s world.
From Local Histories to a Shared European Memory
Every community in Europe has its own connection to the Holocaust—whether through lost Jewish communities, sites of deportation, or stories of resistance and survival. The #WeRemember Journeys project began in these familiar spaces, encouraging students to explore the history closest to them. Through local visits, they walked through former Jewish quarters, met with historians, and uncovered personal testimonies that connected their hometowns to the larger history of the Holocaust.
But understanding the Holocaust requires looking beyond national borders. That is why, students attended virtual tours of Auschwitz–Birkenau. The transition from learning about individual fates in their communities to witnessing the scale of Auschwitz gave students a deeper understanding of how the Holocaust unfolded across Europe. Seeing the remnants of this history—the barracks, the gas chambers, the piles of confiscated belongings—was a moment of reckoning, a reminder that behind every statistic stood a real person.
Exploring Personal Fates Through Objects and Stories
To further personalize their learning, students took part in object-based workshops, where they examined historical artifacts that belonged to Holocaust victims and survivors. A child’s coat, a suitcase, a hidden diary—each object held a story, a memory, a life interrupted. These workshops allowed students to move beyond abstract numbers and statistics and instead engage with history in a deeply personal way.
By discussing these objects, students connected with the people behind them. This method of learning made history feel immediate and tangible, transforming a historical event into something real and deeply human.
Art as a Language of Remembrance
History books and lectures can teach facts, but sometimes, the most profound understanding comes through personal expression. As part of their journey, students were encouraged to process their experiences through art—painting, poetry, digital storytelling, and music. These creative works became reflections of what they had learned, their own interpretations of memory, loss, and resilience.
The artistic process allowed students to engage with the Holocaust emotionally and personally, finding their own voices within this history. It was no longer just something they had studied—it was something they had internalized.
Bringing Memory to the Public
Education should not end in the classroom. To expand the reach of Holocaust remembrance, the #WeRemember Journeys project brought students' artistic and historical reflections into the public space. Exhibitions were held in schools and community centers, displaying the students’ work and inviting broader audiences—families, teachers, local officials—to engage with Holocaust memory.
By sharing their learning ourney with their communities, the students became ambassadors of remembrance, ensuring that Holocaust education extended beyond their own learning. These exhibitions fostered conversations among peers, parents, teachers, reinforcing the idea that Holocaust memory is a shared responsibility.
From Memory to Remembrance
More than symbols, the real impact lies in education—ensuring that students and teachers across Europe are empowered to learn, reflect, and share. As the project prepares for its final project exhibition in Auschwitz in spring 2025, it stands as a testament to the power of learning, remembrance, and action.
By weaving together local histories, European memory, personal objects, artistic expression, and public engagement, #WeRemember Journeys ensures that the Holocaust is not just remembered—but deeply felt, understood, and carried forward by the next generation.
#WeRemember Journeys is co-funded by the European Commission.
