- Children’s Innovative Guidebook, April 2021
Between 12 and 23 April 2021, the Memorial to the Victims of Communism and to the Resistance in Sighet once again partnered with the Sighetu Marmației extension of the Faculty of Geography at Babeș-Bolyai University Cluj-Napoca in the project titled ‘Le Guidage touristique innovant pour les enfants (Innovative Tourist Guiding for Children) TURINNOV’.
The sixteen French-speaking students, accompanied by project coordinators Gabriela Ilieș and Mihai Hotea, engaged in documentation work at the museum and participated in a guided tour. The coordination of the project from the side of the Memorial to the Victims of Communism and to the Resistance was overseen by museum educator Gabriela Kadar.
- The project Behind Closed Doors. Growing up under Totalitarian Regimes / Growing up in Wartime
Events organised under this project in 2021:
- W-Child: Niculina Moica in Dialogue with Young Italians;
- Learning from the History of the 20th Century: Today’s Youth face-to-face with Yesterday’s Youth, April 2021;
- Growing up under Totalitarian Regimes / Growing up in Wartime;
- Dragoș Vodă Upper Secondary School pupils awarded at the Sighet Memorial;
- The Romanian Revolution as Witnessed by a Child Participant;
- The workshop Growing up under Totalitarian Regimes;
The conference Growing up under Totalitarian Regimes was held on 7 December in a hybrid format. This event was organised by the URBAN Association (Bosnia and Herzegovina), in collaboration with its partners the Civic Academy Foundation – Memorial to the Victims of Communism and to the Resistance (Romania), ATRIUM Association (Italy), and Post Bellum (Czech Republic). Virginia Ion, Andrea Furtos, Ioana Boca, Gabriela Kadar, and Norbert Konrad represented the Sighet Memorial.
- Educația la înălțime (High-flying education). Online history lesson broadcast live from the Sighet Memorial
In collaboration with the team of the TV programme Educația la înălțime (High-flying education) team, a memorable lesson on peace, justice, and effective institutions took place at the Sighet Memorial on 27 May. The session was led by history teacher Adriana Balaj and featured the special guest Andrea Dobeș Furtos, a museographer and historian at the Sighet Memorial.
This educational session was tailored for children aged 10 and above. Notably, it became the largest virtual lesson in the country, streamed on the YouTube channel Aspire Teachers as part of the project Educația la înălțime (High-flying education).
The drone used in the programme flew over a location with special significance, offering an encompassing view of themes related to peace, justice, and effective institutions, which are the focus of the Sustainable Development Goal 16.
The lesson provided a poignant exploration of our history, presenting a time when expressing political opinions and beliefs was deemed criminal and could result in fatal consequences. Through a combination of images, presentations, interactive games, and engagement with all participants, pupils were encouraged to contemplate the profound connection between justice and fairness.
During the lesson at the Sighet Memorial, pupils had the opportunity to decipher the word ‘freedom’ written in Morse code. This word symbolises the inner freedom that persisted despite the oppressive communist regime forced onto Romania in the aftermath of the Second World War. Even in the face of adversity, people continued to convey messages of hope, poetry, and encouragement to each other by tapping on the cold prison walls.
- A research visit to the Sighet Memorial by students from the Faculty of Catholic Theology of Alexandru Ioan Cuza University Iași, 22 May
On 22 May, students from the Faculty of Catholic Theology at Alexandru Ioan Cuza University Iași, under the guidance of Professor Priest Fabian Doboș, embarked on a documentary visit to the Sighet Memorial. During their visit, the participants explored the Memorial and engaged in a round table discussion on recent history led by Andrea Dobeș Furtoș.
- Guided tours for pupils from Suceava and Satu Mare
On 20 and 21 June, the Sighet Memorial welcomed pupils from Ștefan cel Mare Upper Secondary School in Suceava, and Hám János Theological Upper Secondary School in Satu Mare, accompanied by their teachers. During their visit, the pupils took part in a guided tour of the Memorial and were presented with history books upon its conclusion. The tour was led by museum educators Annamaria Bobrovszky and Gabriela Kadar.
- History lesson at the Sighet Memorial
11th-grade pupils from Dragoș Vodă Upper Secondary School in Sighet, under the guidance of history teacher Claudia Dura, took part in a history lesson held within the premises of the Sighet museum.
- Educational activities with pupils from Dragoș Vodă Upper Secondary School in Sighet
In July, pupils from Dragoș Vodă Upper Secondary School in Sighet, under the coordination of teachers Valeria Rus and Brândușa Oanță, visited the Sighet Memorial and participated in educational activities focused on recent history. Andrea Furtos oversaw the coordination of the activity on behalf of the Memorial.
- Work placement at Sighet Memorial
Between 5 and 16 July, a group of 14 pupils from the Sighetu Marmației Technological Upper Secondary School underwent practical training at our Memorial. Their activities were overseen by coordinating teacher Adina Coștinar, as well as Andrea Furtos, Annamaria Bobrovszky, and Gabriela Kadar on behalf of the Memorial.
- Summer at the museum
As part of the educational initiatives organised by the Memorial to the Victims of Communism and to the Resistance, on 16 August, a group of pupils from Iojib village in Satu Mare County, accompanied by their coordinator Fr. Daniel Giurgiu, made a long and difficult journey to spend an afternoon at the museum. The group of children, spanning different ages, were deeply moved and impacted by the events of our recent history, many of which they had only heard about from their grandparents or great-grandparents. Dr Andrea Furtos, chief museographer, moderated a discussion on the victims of communism.
Seminar on the history of communism with students from Ion Luca Caragiale National University of Theatrical and Cinematographic Arts (UNATC)
A seminar on the history of communism took place on 26 November at the exhibition space of the Sighet Memorial in Bucharest, attended by students and teachers from UNATC. Ana Blandiana, Ioana Boca, and Virginia Ion participated in the discussions with the students.
Partnership with the Faculty of Letters of the University of Bucharest
The Sighet Memorial has established a partnership agreement with the MA Program in Literary Studies at the Faculty of Letters of the University of Bucharest. As a part of this collaboration, MA students actively participate in the projects of the Sighet Memorial. They familiarise themselves with the themes central to the Memorial’s mission, including listening to interviews with victims of the communist regime and transcribing these accounts. These transcripts play an essential role in the research and museal endeavours of the Sighet Memorial.
Partnership with the Faculty of History of Babeș-Bolyai University Cluj
The partnership between the Sighet Memorial and the Faculty of History of Babeș-Bolyai University Cluj also encompasses study visits to the Memorial. The most important project of this collaboration is the Autumn School held every September.
Partnership with the Ion Luca Caragiale National University of Theatrical and Cinematographic Arts (UNATC)
The Sighet Memorial has established a new university partnership with the Ion Luca Caragiale National University of Theatrical and Cinematographic Arts (UNATC) in Bucharest. The first project of this collaboration is to stage a performance with UNATC students as part of the exhibition Women as Enemies of the People.
