'We live in extraordinary, dynamic and challenging times. We are facing a significant challenge today: how to continue to teach? Perhaps we made mistakes in the past regarding education in memorial sites? Do our actions bring about desired results, since we often encounter incomprehension and populism. What next? How do we deal with it? The conference shows us how to work with different people, in different environments, and how to continue our work - at Auschwitz and other memorials,' said the director of the International Center for Education about Auschwitz and the Holocaust, Andrzej Kacorzyk, during the conference opening speech.
In a letter to participants of the conference, the Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Poland Ron J.P.M. van Dartel wrote: “Never again Auschwitz! Nie wieder Auschwitz! Nooit meer Auschwitz! This motto is known in all languages and expresses the obvious wish of our post-war generation. Over the past decades, and even in the present times, we have witnessed and continue to witness atrocities, which is a source of concern that should stimulate reflection. This wish is seemingly not shared by everyone. Our current world still requires daily effort, to prevent hatred, discrimination and violence. We must remain alert to keep our public wish alive. Education is one of the most significant parts of this effort, undertaken by people, institutions and governments”.
The conference was inaugurated by a panel titled “Educational challenges in authentic memorial sites” with the participation of Anna Ziółkowska PhD, director of the martyrdom museum in Żabikowo, Piotr Tarnowski, director of the Stutthof Museum and Bartosz Bartyzel, spokesperson for the Auschwitz Museum. Topics raised during the discussion included among others educational work with the new generation of visitors, functioning of memorial sites in the light of new technologies and social media, challenges related to building relations between a historical event and the present day, and how to build an attitude of activity accountability to threats that we observe in today’s world.