Volhynia 1943: how to teach about?

The year 2013 was the 70th anniversary of the massacres of Volhynia.

That's why the Polish Radio, the 3rd programme (Klub Trójki) organised the discussion "Volhynia 1943: how to teach about it?" ("Wołyń 1943: jak o tym uczyć?") on June, 14 (2012) I took part on it. The discussion consider the massacres of Poles in Volhynia and Eastern Galicia in 1943-44, committed by Ukrainian Insurgent Army.

Monument in memory of polish citizens of Janowa Dolina in Volhynia murdered by Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) on 22-23 of April 1943 (Pomnik Polaków zmordowanych w Janowej Dolinie na Wołyniu przez UPA 22-23 kwietnia 1943), July 2007, Author: Paweł Duński

Human rights and restorative justice

Do you know what is restorative justice? It is an approach to justice that focuses on the needs of the victims and the offenders, as well as the involved community, instead of satisfying abstract legal principles or punishing the offender. ("A New Kind of Criminal Justice", Parade, October 25, 2009, p. 6.)

The methods of restorative justice are often a topic of education about and for humen rights, which implements e.g. the Polish Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights.

I took part on a 3-months-workshop of the Foundation about education about human rights (2012). The results of the workshop were very practical. The participants prepared and conducted one workshop at a self-chosen institution.

Polish Eastern Borderland in Węgliniec

Commemoration of an expulsion can help to overcome the trauma of expelled. This is the case with the Museum of the Polish Eastern Borderland in Węgliniec, which I visited.

The history of the Museum you can read and see here. It's of course a very emotional and not professional museum, but it's interesting to see and to listen what the whole equipment, documents and photos mean for the museum's founder Alfred Janicki.