ESTER: Young People Remember

About the Project

Some of the most complex challenges we face today are Holocaust distortion, manipulation and fabrication of history, usually used for nationalistic, political, or purposes of propagating antisemitism and far-right populism.
Part of this problem is also a lack of media literacy in general, and about history of the Holocaust and other Nazi atrocities in particular, both on local and European level.

Finally, one of the main tasks ahead is to identify and safeguard the historical record, as well as the testimonies of the remaining survivors, and utilize these materials for education.

Through the project “Ester: Young People Remember” we are creating an opportunity for young people to get engaged in active research and to learn more about primary historical sources, to explore local microhistories in their own communities, to reveal less known personal stories of victims, perpetrators, collaborators and helpers. At the same time, we are enabling young people to use creativity and the creative language of graphic novels to preserve, tell, spread, promote and learn about these local personal stories and historical events, putting it in a wider European context of the Holocaust. This way we are giving voice to young people to contribute to shaping the remembrance culture in their own societies.

The main focus of the project is development of a particular pedagogical methodology, a digital online tool and a collaborative platform.
Using our pedagogical approach, “Ester” digital tool and platform, young people across Europe will be able to create their own educational graphic novels about Nazi persecution. In order to produce their own original graphic novels, mentored by their teachers, the students will have to fulfill a set of investigative tasks and conduct research that include visits to local archives, libraries, museums, memorials, meetings with survivors and representatives of victims’ communities. Using “Ester” digital tool the students will collect and organize historical and other sources, such as historical documents, photographs, newspapers, testimonies, etc. and create a storyboard for their graphic novel. Finally, the entire process and its results will be shared on the “Ester” digital platform, and made available to young people around Europe to explore and learn from.

The project consists of three major segments:

Formulating the pedagogical methodology based on our previous experiences in working with educational graphic novels and transposing it into a framework scheme for a digital tool development;
Programing, UX, usability, interface design and development;
Testing (with teachers and students, and experts), and promotion/launch;

The project is realized with the support of

Federal Republic of Germany Foreign Office and

EVZ – Stiftung “Erinnerung, Verantwortung und Zukunft“

The EVZ Foundation is an expression of the continuing political and moral responsibility of the German state, the private sector and society as a whole for nationalist crimes. The capital of the foundation was provided by the German government and German industry. EVZ Foundation for International Projects in the following areas: Critical Examination of History, Human Rights Works and Commitment to Victims of Nationalism.

Kreuzberger Initiative gegen Antisemitismus KIgA e.V. is the principal partner in the project

Founded in 2003, the Kreuzberg Initiative against Antisemitism (KIgA e.V.), a registered non-profit organization, was one of the first German civil society initiatives to develop education-based methods for dealing with antisemitism in a multicultural German society. Since then, we develop models and materials for curricular and extra-curricular political education.

ESTER: Young People Remember

Funders

Partners

ESTER: A digital creative tool for young people to work on their own graphic novels about Nazi persecution in Europe

The project will enable young people across Europe to create their own educational graphic novels about Nazi persecution

Duration: 1. November 2020 – 15. July 2022

About the Project

The project is realized with the support of

Kreuzberger Initiative gegen Antisemitismus KIgA e.V. is the principal partner in the project