Let's bring the local story to Instagram. Let us try to consider how we remember historical events that took place in our area and how the culture of memory influences our view of the past. These were the main messages of the project "Local History on Instagram". As part of the project, there have already been 2 editions of online workshops via the Zoom internet platform: 5.02-5.03.2021 and 11-28.06.2021.
Why do we suggest you move your local story to Instagram? Because on the one hand, historical and civic education is increasingly dependent on the use of various types of media, and on the other hand, the Internet, especially during a pandemic, has become a kind of educational institution. This is perfectly reflected in Instagram, where museums and educational centers are increasingly represented. On the occasion of current debates on social participation and democracy, Instagram is used more and more often, discovering new opportunities created by this social network for serious historical and civic education.
In the project "Local History on Instagram", we also wanted to point out that streets, squares, monuments, memorial plaques are a special archive of language and history. We suspect that in their nomenclature we can discover past events that we would like to make visible. They contain stories about courage and the struggle for democratic values, and the memory of them can influence our actions in the modern world. At the Krzyżowa Foundation, we would like these memorials to be noticeable through an innovative and digital format.
During the four-day workshop as part of the project "Local History on Instagram", participants deal with various topics. On the first day, there was an introduction to the project, participants got to know its assumptions and organizers - the Krzyżowa Foundation for Mutual Understanding in Europe and the Kreisau Initiative e.V. and Welcome in! Fulda e. V. Then, in small groups, they talked about whether they had recently met someone who had shown particular courage and if they had any local stories associated with heroic attitudes. Following the group discussions, Charlotte Lohmann from Kreisau Initiative e.V. presented example stories, illustrated with photos that she took with a smartphone in Wrocław and Świdnica. Charlotte from Sweden, on the other hand, provided some examples of local history that she noticed in her native Stockholm and its suburbs. We came to the conclusion that memory is always constructed and reflected by certain attitudes of modern society.
At the second meeting, Kerim Somun, Education Director of Kreisau Initiative e.V., based on the "Walk of Remembrance" method, encouraged participants to actively engage with local history. The main topic of the discussion was how historical events are remembered by the local community and how the culture of memory influences our perception of the past.
During the third day of the workshop, journalist Malina Sternberg introduced the participants to the many possibilities that a smartphone and an Instagram application offer, useful in her work. She showed how each of us can use them to tell stories in an exciting way.
The participants of the project also had time to implement their own projects, which we are currently presenting on our website and, of course, on Instagram.
The project is financed by the Polish-German Youth Cooperation and the Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany in Wrocław.
