Second Module of the Summer School “Roots and Wings: History That Unites”
On July 10, the second module of the Summer School began in Lviv as part of the mentoring program “Roots and Wings: History That Unites”, which the Pylyp Orlyk Foundation runs for teachers of history and humanities in Ukrainian schools.
First Day: Difficult Topics of Historical Memory
The first day of training took place at the Lviv Cultural Hub and was devoted to working with difficult and traumatic pages of history, questions of historical memory, and finding approaches that help talk about them with students. The event’s organizational partner was the Lviv Cultural Hub.
The theme — “Human Rights and Freedoms: The Struggle During War” — brought together a conversation about the crimes of totalitarian regimes, human rights violations, the culture of memory, and understanding the historical parallels between the tragedies of the 20th century and the modern Russian-Ukrainian war.
“The theme of the Summer School’s second gathering is how to talk with students about tragedies. Using various historical materials, we work together with teachers to find approaches for talking with children about the tragic events of the 20th century and today. One of the methodological foundations of our work is the materials of the project ‘Bykivnia, Babyn Yar, Bucha — Between Massacre and Memory of It,’ which make it possible to show how to work with difficult topics in history lessons,” said Natalia Omelchuk, educational programs coordinator at the Pylyp Orlyk Foundation.
How Collective Memory Is Formed: A Lecture by Olha Salo
Olha Salo joined the work with participants — head of cultural initiatives at the Pylyp Orlyk Foundation, who has worked for more than 15 years in the field of cultural heritage, museum affairs, cultural policy, and national memory policy.
During the meeting, she spoke about the mechanisms of forming collective memory and how public perception of historical events changes over time. Using the example of the Revolution of Dignity and the honoring of the Heavenly Hundred Heroes, participants examined how memory is preserved and formed through the work of institutions, civic practices, and memorialization, and how the reinterpretation of the past influences understanding of the present, social values, and Ukraine’s future.
“It is very interesting to trace how attitudes toward the same event change, how memory is deliberately preserved and formed thanks to certain institutions, civic practices, practices of memorialization and honoring. At the same time, this memory remains alive and flexible: it can transform and influence broader conclusions about the future of Ukraine, about the values we are fighting for, and about the choice of a future path for our country,” noted Olha Salo.
The first day combined a presentation of methodological materials, discussions, and practical work. Special attention was paid to turning conversations about historical tragedies into a space for reflection, developing critical thinking, and fostering a responsible attitude toward the past.
A Musical Meeting with Marta Kuzii
The day ended with a musical meeting with Marta Kuzii — a pianist, associate professor at the Department of Cultural Studies of the Ukrainian Catholic University, publicist, lecturer, and cultural diplomat who promotes Ukrainian classical music.
The meeting with Marta Kuzii continued the conversation about historical memory and Ukrainian identity, but this time through the language of music. Marta Kuzii guided participants through various periods in the development of Ukrainian musical culture, speaking about composers, performers, and cultural figures who shaped the Ukrainian sound. This format made it possible to look at history through the interconnection of events, people, cultural processes, and music, which preserves the memory of the past and helps to better understand one’s own cultural identity.
