Tell your (hi)story - Multiplying memories through (new) media

This is a Training Course for multipliers (be it volunteers or paid workers at youth organizations). The main selection criteria is that you are interested in the topic and motivated to organise some local activity after returning home. "Be the media" has been the slogan for many radios, blogs etc. that want to encourage especially young people to participate with their stories and perspectives in the public sphere. This training course gives instruments how to work with youngsters with different means. Moreover we will deal with the question how (hi)stories are constructed, how they can contribute to a democratic and peaceful society and what role does youth plays on it. History never only affects the past. It plays an important role in the self-definition of nations and societies, in dealing with social and political issues in the present. Wars are fought about events that happened 1000 years ago. Or – the other way around: Why they are fought is a matter of political power relations in the present. Therefore dealing with remembrance and history for us is an important tool for dealing with conflicts in the present, for maintaining and building peace – between nations and social groups as well as within societies. There are official versions of history and there are individual remembrances – the story which is taught in school and the story which is told by the grandfather. They don't always fit. The negotiation about official historical remembrance is a core element of and condition for democratic societies. To give people the possibility to tell their stories and their perspectives on certain events is equally the very goal of democratic media – such like open publishing and free radios. The opportunities to participate in the creation, publishing and distribution of media content have been strongly strengthened within the last decades. Let's use the chance! In this training course we want to encourage people to tell stories and to ask many different people for their stories. Participants will learn how to use various means, get insights in journalistic and artistic approaches and experience what will seem appropriate for their own purpose. Public story telling means for us: questioning power relations in societies, democratize media and public discussions and empowering citizens to participate in the creation of the cultural remembrance. In this context, expressing and publicizing opinions is part of the public sphere and an important part of active citizenship. The main objectives of this project are: To contribute for a critical approach towards (European) History; To empower citizens take part in the creation of public History. And the specific objectives are: To explore how History is remembered and registered (who tells / defines history?); To perceive differences in remembering and to explore the heterogeneity of European History; To reflect on one’s own role in the construction of history and remembrance; To support a critical reflection about one's own perceptions of reality and stereotypes; To let biographies and family histories appear and become visible; To develop the ability to tell one's own view and interpretation of reality; To encourage participants to take part in the public space by publicizing their opinions; To explore the relationship between story telling and active participation; To facilitate a critical reflection about one's role as a media consumer and as a citizen; To promote an international exchange of ideas and experiences; To enable participants to make use of different forms of media, such as radio, blog, open publishing, movies, etc. We will use different participative and interactive methods, as well as several inputs and impulses on related topics. We will depart from history and memory to land on individual story telling. Participants will go through an individual and group learning process in an international context. A strong focus will be laid on learning by doing, both as a citizen and as a multiplier. We want to grow together, learning from each other. This demands a strong holistic approach and behavior. Therefore, living and cooking together considering each other's needs is an important cornerstone of this training course. We want to facilitate an exciting international experience sharing that will contribute to participants self-development as multipliers in this field.