Journey of memory

The Journey of Memory: for a Europe in Peace project, aimed to educate 50 young Italian trade unionists on the atrocities which took place in Europe before and during the Second World War, especially focusing on the tragedy of the extermination camps.

This project, organised by FEPS and Fondazione Pietro Nenn, included two training events in Rome. These events involved partnerships with prestigious educational institutions, as well as the participation of qualified educators and individuals associated with Italian Jewish Institutions. The project culminated in an educational excursion to Kraków, Poland. During their visit to Kraków, the participants explored the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp, which stands as a symbol of the atrocities committed by the Nazis, as well as the Auschwitz Jewish Center Foundation and Oskar Schindler’s Enamel Factory Museum of Krakow. Tatiana Bucci, one of the youngest child survivors of Auschwitz, accompanied the group. She provided invaluable insights and shared emotionally charged first-hand accounts of her experiences from the concentration camp and the historical period it represents.

The main objective of this project was to strengthen the cultural background and historical knowledge of the young participants, especially on the tragedies caused by totalitarianism. The participants used the knowledge gained during this project to exchange experiences and common reflections with representatives of the Polish progressive youth movements and discussed the danger of the rise of the far right in Europe and in their respective national countries.

This project highlights the importance of looking back at the history of Europe, so that the same mistakes are never repeated. It focused on the importance of peace and the need to defend dialogue, cooperation and solidarity in the European Union, which is becoming more and more threatened by totalitarian regimes. Europe’s political future depends on community memory as an identity vehicle, which can strengthen European cohesion and integration based on the values of peace, democracy, tolerance and solidarity.