Projects and Seminars
Auschwitz in the Collective Memory of Poland and the World. The Role and Significance of the Auschwitz Memory for Jews and Poles
A two-week seminar for educators from Israel. The participants are primarily staff members of Yad Vashem in Jerusalem, guides accompanying Israeli youth groups visiting Poland, as well as educators from other Israeli educational institutions.
The seminar program includes study visits to the former Auschwitz-Birkenau camp, visits to other memorial sites, as well as lectures and workshops devoted to the history of the German occupation in Poland and to issues related to Polish and Jewish memory narratives and their points of conflict.
The seminar serves as a platform for the exchange of experience between Israeli and Polish educators and enables a deeper understanding of both Israeli and Polish perspectives on Holocaust education.
Judaism: the History and Culture of Jews — the Holocaust
A long-running program of regular seminars for Polish educators at the Yad Vashem Institute. Since 1993, it has been organized by the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum together with the International School for Holocaust Studies at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem, as part of the cooperation between the Ministries of Education of Poland and Israel.
Its aim is to deepen knowledge about the history of European Jews — especially Polish Jews — and about the Holocaust during the Second World War, as well as to familiarize participants with the history of modern Israel and with Israeli methods of teaching about the Holocaust.
Difficult — Simple Words
The project is intended for participants from special education and care centers, occupational therapy workshops, and other organized groups of school-age children and adults diagnosed with mild or moderate intellectual disabilities. Because it is designed for a particularly sensitive audience, the program is conducted exclusively at the Memorial; delivering it remotely is not recommended.
Academy for Polish Teachers – Basic and Advanced Levels
These seminars are intended for Polish teachers and educators who are beginning their educational work in the field of the history of the Second World War and the Holocaust, or who wish to deepen their expertise. Participants not only gain knowledge about the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum, its history, and its contemporary activities, but above all enhance their professional skills in preparing for, conducting, and reflecting on visits to sites such as the former camp Auschwitz.
International Summer Academies - Level I and II
The seminar is intended for individual English-speaking participants, primarily: teachers, educators, museum professionals, and scholars, as well as anyone interested in the history of Auschwitz and the Holocaust. Participation in the program offers an opportunity to learn about the history of KL Auschwitz and to become familiar with the work of the Auschwitz Memorial and its educational mission.
The seminars are offered at two levels:
Level I for participants with a basic understanding of the history of Auschwitz,
Level II for those with more advanced knowledge of the former camp.
International Seminar for Journalists
An international seminar for representatives of the media, during which participants take part in a specialized study visit to the former German Nazi concentration and extermination camp Auschwitz. The visit is expanded to include access to the Collections, the Conservation Laboratories, a meeting with the Press Office, and discussions on how the Holocaust and the history of Auschwitz are presented in journalistic work.
Journalists play a crucial role in ensuring that the voice of Auschwitz continues to be heard around the world. By participating in the seminar, they can deepen their historical knowledge and strengthen their ability to convey the meaning of this past to people today and in the future.
Seminar for Ukrainian and Polish Educators, organized in cooperation with the Tkuma Institute in Dnipro
The seminar is intended for teachers from Ukraine and is conducted in cooperation with the Ukrainian Institute for Holocaust Studies “Tkuma.” It offers participants the opportunity to learn about the history of the town of Oświęcim through a historical walk and a visit to the Jewish Center and the Chevra Lomdei Mishnayot synagogue.
Part of the program consists of lectures and workshops devoted to the history of the Auschwitz camp and to the work of the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum, both in preserving the authenticity of the site and in carrying out education based on the tragic history of one of the greatest crimes of the 20th century.
The seminar also includes a guided tour of the Memorial as well as visits to the Museum Collections and Conservation Laboratories.
Polish–German Seminar “How to Deal with a Difficult Past”
This recurring international seminar brings together teachers from Poland and Germany, along with staff from the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum and two memorial sites in Germany: Buchenwald and Sachsenhausen. The aim of the seminar is to learn about each other’s educational strategies, exchange experiences, develop cooperation in youth and adult education, and create new forms of teaching. The seminars take place both in Germany and in Poland.
Seminar for Teachers and Educators in Cooperation with Maison d’Izieu
This seminar for teachers and educators from Poland, held at the Maison d’Izieu Memorial in France, focuses on issues related to the pedagogy of memory and various methods of teaching about the Holocaust. As part of the program, participants take part in guided visits as well as numerous workshops and lectures conducted by the educators of Maison d’Izieu.
The seminar is organized in cooperation with Maison d’Izieu as part of a regular exchange: every two years, French teachers visit the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum, and in the alternating years, Polish teachers and educators travel to France to participate in the seminar.
Auschwitz – History – Civic Education
This project is aimed at correctional officers and supervisory staff in penitentiary institutions, police officers, and state fire service personnel. During the seminar, educators and staff who work directly with inmates, as well as police and fire service officers, take part in study visits to the Memorial and in workshops and lectures that address not only historical topics but also elements of anti-discrimination and human-rights education.
As part of the “Auschwitz – History – Civic Education” project, workshop sessions are also conducted inside closed penitentiary facilities, preceded by the possibility of remotely touring the former Auschwitz camp through the application “Auschwitz. In front of your eyes.” Within the rehabilitative process carried out in correctional institutions, teaching the history of Auschwitz can serve not only to convey knowledge but also to shape appropriate moral and social attitudes, helping to prevent manifestations of contempt and intolerance.
In recent years, the project has been expanded to include educational activities on Auschwitz, the Holocaust, and the crimes of the Second World War for young people undergoing rehabilitation in youth care centers and juvenile detention facilities, for whom travel to the Memorial and participation in on-site, informal education is difficult.
Its aim is, on the one hand, to counteract exclusion from access to non-formal educational programs, and on the other, to support the development of attitudes among young people who are in the process of rehabilitation but are simultaneously still undergoing secondary socialization, a crucial stage in which their attitudes are being shaped. Through education at the Memorial, as well as preparatory and follow-up workshops, we can not only introduce young people to the history of the former Auschwitz camp and the fate of its victims, but also sensitize them to the mechanisms of discrimination and racial hatred, which continue to remain relevant.
Around the History of Auschwitz
An educational project primarily addressed to residents of Oświęcim and the surrounding area who wish to deepen their knowledge of the German Nazi camp and the fates of the various groups deported to Auschwitz. The meetings not only provide an opportunity to better understand the history of the former camp but also to gain insight into the work of the Memorial and Museum itself. They allow participants to view the institution from a different perspective — as a place that, on many levels, is dedicated to preserving the only remaining site of mass extermination and concentration camp infrastructure that has survived in such a tangible state.
Auschwitz and the Perception of the Contemporary World
This nationwide competition is addressed to eighth-grade primary school students and secondary school students from across Poland. Its goal is to promote knowledge about the history of the German Nazi concentration and extermination camp Auschwitz, to commemorate the Victims of the camp, and to foster and develop sensitivity among young people to the dangers associated with violations of human rights in today’s world.
The competition consists of two stages — a school-level and a national-level round — and includes the following categories: photography, video film, graphic design, short literary form, and art project. Information about each new edition of the competition is published on the Museum’s website in the first weeks of the school year.
The International Summer Academy
The programme of the Academy include historical lectures as well as discussions and meetings concerning the commemoration and preservation of the authentic and historic Memorial Site. One of the topics discuss how the memory of Auschwitz can be used in education in contemporary societies. The participants have an opportunity to visit the site of the former Nazi German concentration and extermination camp Auschwitz. Apart from the study tours of the Memorial, participants also take part in a series of workshops regarding archival documents, camp art, and contemporary conservation methods.
The seminar is divides into three parts: The goal of the first part is to present the history and culture of Polish Jews during the interwar period. During the second part, the participants learn about various aspects of the history of the Auschwitz concentration camp and the Holocaust. The last part of the seminar is dedicate to the contemporary methods of education on the topic of the history of Auschwitz and the Holocaust, as well as to various forms of commemorating these events.
Seminar in 2011 , Seminar in 2012 , Seminar in 2013 (English) , (German), Seminar in 2014 (English) , (German)
“Auschwitz – History and Symbolism” Seminar for Polish and Czech Teachers
This seminar is organized in cooperation with the Terezín Memorial (Památník Terezín) and consists of two stages. The first takes place in the Czech town of Terezín, and the second at the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum in Oświęcim. It is intended for teachers from Poland and the Czech Republic who carry out educational projects devoted to the history of the Holocaust and the Second World War.
Participation in the project gives educators the opportunity to learn about the Terezín ghetto, its history, and the ways in which the Holocaust is taught in the Czech Republic. Polish and Czech teachers also present and explore examples of good practices in teaching about the Holocaust and the Second World War in both countries.
Particular emphasis is placed on preparing and reflecting on visits to memorial sites, as well as on innovative approaches to Holocaust education in schools. Participants also take part in a series of lectures and presentations delivered by invited experts from Poland and the Czech Republic.
