In January 2021, the Krzyżowa Foundation in cooperation with six organisations from the Netherlands, Spain, Ukraine, Slovakia, Germany and Austria launched the Stories that Move project.
Stories that Move is an online platform with a set of interactive tools for education against discrimination, in the form of multilingual hybrid learning materials (www.storiesthatmove.org), which were launched in June 2018. Nine project partners from seven European countries were involved in the development and creation of the Stories that Move platform (2015-18) and continue to work on disseminating the tool in formal and non-formal education. Almost 4,000 teachers from across Europe have registered on the website to work with the online tool in their classrooms.
Our understanding of current challenges and issues relating to shared European values is clearly set out in the 2019 FRA (Fundamental Rights Agency of the European Union) report, particularly in the sections on equality and non-discrimination, racism, xenophobia and related intolerance. FRA research highlights that people from minority backgrounds and migrants continue to experience prejudice across the EU. Despite significant progress, the fundamental rights of many people living in the EU are still under threat. Populism, nationalism and misinformation are just some of the challenges that are equally present in classrooms and societies in general.
Antisemitism, racism, homophobia and other forms of discrimination are present in today's Europe and impact on the lives of young people in all corners of Europe. The Stories that Move online toolkit asks students to think critically about diversity and discrimination, to reflect on their own attitudes and choices, and offers school teachers and non-formal educators a innovative toolkit developed by an experienced team of educators from across Europe. The toolkit consists of ready-made educational pathways combining information, assignments and stories from the lives of people experiencing discrimination. In short videos, young people share their stories, both positive ones and their experiences of exclusion, discrimination and hate crime. These poignant and comprehensible stories are the starting point for an honest exploration of the various issues surrounding discrimination.
The project is thematically divided into five learning paths. Each pathway consists of several layers of information and tasks. The voices of young people, victims of discrimination, are a key element of each pathway. The tasks stimulate students to reflect critically on their own attitudes and the choices they make as a result.
Each of the five learning paths includes two or three options. The pathways can be thought of as modules made up of several variant lessons. The whole path requires three to five forty-five minute lessons, depending on whether homework is provided. Each option includes individual and group online and offline activities, reflecting the hybrid nature of the contemporary teaching and learning process.
Five educational pathways:
- Seeing and being
How we perceive ourselves and others; a reflection on the complexity of everyone's identity and the need for a positive approach to diversity. - How prejudice and discrimination work; examples of antiziganism, antisemitism and other forms of discrimination faced by young people.
- Life stories
Fates of people living in different periods of history as an impulse to reflect on the continuity or discontinuity of the phenomenon of discrimination. - Media
The presence of elements of propaganda, stereotypes, prejudice and hate speech on the Internet. - Action
What it means to take action; examples of youth initiatives from different corners of Europe as a source of inspiration for young people.
The tool's multilingualism (the website is available in seven languages: Polish, English, German, Hungarian, Ukrainian, Slovak, Dutch) allows the tool to be used with students in foreign language lessons.
The project is the winner of the 2018 Comenius EduMedia Award for excellent teaching materials. The jury of experts praised the effective use of interactive and audiovisual media that allows young Europeans to think about prejudice, stereotypes, discrimination and online media, enabling teachers to address issues and empowering young people to take action.
In Poland, between 2018 and 2020, in addition to a number of webinars, the project held a series of two-day workshops introducing teachers to anti-discrimination and showing the possibilities of using Stories that Move tools in provincial and municipal teacher training centres, including Wrocław, Kielce, Toruń and Opole.
The project will also include webinars and workshops on educational methods related to the main themes of the project, meetings with experts and the Krzyżowa team will also focus on creating scenarios based on Stories that Move ideal for use in international groups - such as youth and school exchanges, which are our specialisation.
Teachers and educators interested in the tool are invited to contact the coordinator, Luba Shynder:
liThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +48 506 725 871.
