Against Forgetting sets the focus on the social and political developments that led to the Holocaust, genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. With this international project led by partners from civil society and history education from all over Europe, we aim to enable young people to draw parallels between events of the past and current trends, and to better recognise the mechanisms of racism, antisemitism and discrimination today.
Through different events such as our peace congress in Berlin, several youth exchanges in European countries and photo exhibitions the project recalls the common values of the European Union by dealing with human rights violations in the past until today. Against Forgetting aims to empower more young Europeans to take an active role in preserving European values and protecting democracy.
Aims of the project
The aim of the project Against Forgetting is to enable young Europeans aged 15 – 30 to take a critical look at the impact of war crimes on European societies throughout the 20th century and beyond. Against Forgetting wants to raise awareness among young people of the tangible effects of hatred, intolerance and dehumanisation on individuals by focusing on specific life stories of victims, witnesses, but also perpetrators of 20th century war crimes in Europe. To protect and preserve the common European values, young people must be given the opportunity to deal with the past in a multifaceted way, so that they can learn from it and realise how worthy of protection our common values are.
Events of the project
Over a period of 18 months, Against Forgetting will involve a series of transnational events.
The peace congress from May 9-11 2025 in Berlin on the weekend after the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, will focus on Holocaust and war crimes of the 20th century, their mechanisms and effects.
Between June and September 2025, six international youth events will take place in Bosnia and Herzegovina (Sarajevo), France (Aix-en-Provence), Germany (Nuremberg), Hungary (Budapest), Poland (Krakow, Wroclaw) and Slovenia (Maribor and Celja). Participants will focus on specific war crimes and crimes against humanity related to these places. During the exchanges, the young people will produce podcasts and create a photo exhibition about war crimes in Europe. The historic mediation through the eyes of young Europeans and the reflection of their experiences through podcasts will allow young people to share their thoughts and perspectives with a wide audience. In 2026, the exhibition, accompanied by youth activities, will be shown in all the partner countries and in the Netherlands.
Alumni network of the project
At the closing event in Ysselsteyn, the Netherlands, in July 2026, Against Forgetting wants to form an alumni network to ensure a long-lasting impact of the project. The Youth Ambassadors Against Forgetting wants to activate young people in a network and to enable them to share their knowledge from the project and to raise awareness of the impact of hatred, intolerance and disinformation among youths all over Europe.
More information here