We conducted our project in the Kłodzko commune (Dolnosląskie province) where the population changed almost entirely after WWII. Now the commune is inhabited by representatives of several nationalities, but the history of the region is not known too well among its young inhabitants. Moreover, in our commune there was no meeting space, such as a community centre, a club or an organisation propagating historic education and engaging the local community. The only active place was the Non-Public Primary School in Żelazno. Its employees suggested activities targeted at the entire community, engaging children, seniors and other adults in discovering local history and fostering its memory.
We implemented the idea by organising a historic field game for youths in our commune. Together with seniors we created an album with materials gathered what will serve as an aid in discovering the history of our region. It was distributed in schools, libraries, private homes as a guide to local history. We run a workshop devoted to voluntary work and self-presentation for children and adults, and a cycle of cross-generational classes in arts, theatre, painting, dancing, choir singing, crafts, graphics and history. To wrap the project up, we organised a meeting summarising it, while artistic teams presented the output of their work. We invited for the meeting local residents who have rich knowledge about local history, as well as the representatives of local authorities.
These activities helped both age groups – youths and seniors – to engage more in local activities and build a mutual bond that will have positive impact on their daily interaction. Youths learned from seniors about their neighbourhood, while elderly citizens learned about the school life – and we hope that they will actively participate in it.