Applications open for "A Person in History. (Post-)Soviet Experience"

Memorial announces an open call for the educational program "A Person in History. (Post-)Soviet Experience" for participants aged 16–19. The classes will take place online from March 1 to May 10 on Sundays. Participation is free of charge, admission is competitive.

The title of the program, "A Person in History", reflects our focus on exploring the lives of ordinary people as shaped by the major historical events of the 20th century. This year’s theme is "Freedom of Choice". The Soviet 20th century is often described as a sequence of overwhelming external forces — revolution, terror, war. We propose moving away from grand systems to the human level and asking whether freedom of choice existed, how people understood it and exercised it, what choices they made, and how we interpret those choices today.

The participants’ task is to create an original historical research project devoted to a particular individual and based on a historical source. The source can be anything — a diary, memoirs, letters, photographs, interviews (oral history) — as long as it tells the story of a person who lived in the Soviet or post-Soviet period.

Who can apply?

Sometimes young people who already know a great deal about Soviet history join us. However, this is not a selection criterion. What matters most to us is interest, not prior knowledge. That is why we carefully read not only the assignments, but also applicants’ explanations of why they want to take part in the program.

What’s next?

All graduates will receive certificates. Based on the results of the work evaluated by an independent jury, the authors of the best research projects will receive various prizes, including publication and internship offers, invitations to a summer creative camp in Armenia, or to the EUSTORY summit in one of the European countries.

How to apply

Every February we announce an open call and publish a new application form. To be admitted to the program, you need to complete the application by:

• briefly telling us about yourself
• completing a short task
• answering the question of why you want to join the program

You can fill out the application here. The deadline is February 8. More details are available on the project website.

The project is implemented by Zukunft Memorial with the support of German foundations.