From 21 to 25 January 2026, 18 students from class 9d of the Nelson Mandela School in Berlin met with 20 students from various Year 8 classes of Szkoła Podstawowa Nr 8 im. Kawalerów Orderu Uśmiechu in Świdnica at Morawa Castle in Poland to work together on the project “Memories for the Future,” which was initiated years ago by our former school social worker Bernard Szulc.
The aim of this annual project is to reflect on history together across national borders, to name and share current fears, concerns, and hopes, and to encourage one another to find the courage to take initiative for a better future.
As part of their engagement with the past, the students visited the Gross-Rosen concentration camp together. For most of them, it was their first visit to a former concentration camp, and they were visibly moved by the introductory film and the subsequent guided tour. We observed a minute of silence in memory of the victims and laid flowers at the memorial site.
To “lighten the mood,” we visited our partner school, where we received a very warm welcome from the headteacher with tea and cake. Afterwards, the students explored the small town of Świdnica in mixed small groups. On the way back, we stopped at the Kreisau Estate, where the students received information about the members and objectives of the “Kreisau Circle.”
In the evening, there was a feedback session to share the day’s experiences. In smaller groups, the students spoke very emotionally about their impressions, their feelings, and their concerns for the future.
Gross-Rosen and Kreisau served as an introduction to the more in-depth work that followed. In mixed small groups, the students used internet research to investigate some of the groups persecuted, deported, and murdered by the Nazis: Jews, Sinti and Roma, political opponents, homosexuals, people with disabilities, and clergy (pastors/priests/theologians). The results of their research were then presented to the plenary in group presentations.
The highlight of their engagement with the past was the meeting with Mrs Melitta Sallai, whose family once owned the castle. After an eventful life in, among other places, Portugal, France, and Angola, she returned to the castle in 1992 and has since been involved as a contemporary witness for the German-Polish St. Hedwig Foundation. Through her stories, the past came alive. When asked by one student what advice she would give to the younger generation, she replied: “Have courage and get involved!”
The second part of the project was devoted to examining present-day problems and formulating ideas for change and perspectives for the future.
With Mrs Sallai’s call to “Have courage!” still ringing in their ears, the students once again formed small groups and worked on topics such as: “The rise of right-wing populist and right-wing extremist parties in Europe, especially in Germany and Poland,” “The objectives of left-wing extremist groups such as the ‘Vulkangruppe’ (which was responsible for the power outage in Berlin),” “Feminism in Germany and Poland,” “Women’s rights in Afghanistan, Germany, and Poland,” “Beauty ideals promoted by social media,” and “Age-specific stereotypes of boys and girls in Germany and Poland.”
The results were presented to the plenary in a convincing and sometimes very creative manner, including humorous illustrations and short sketches.
It was remarkable how clearly the young people were able to articulate their vision of a better future and how they questioned why politicians do not also seek advice from young people.
Alongside the work, there was plenty of time for informal gatherings. The crowning finale of the four days together was the disco on the last evening, after which many personal phone numbers were exchanged.
We would like to thank the German-Polish Youth Office, which covered a large part of the travel costs, and the St. Hedwig Foundation for their financial and organisational support of this important and successful project.