#everynamecounts: Pupils from a school in Dortmund are helping too

The Max-Born-Realschule in Dortmund is the first school to sign a cooperation agreement with the Arolsen Archives. Since the beginning of this school year, 16 ninth and tenth grade students have been meeting up every Wednesday to work on #everynamecounts as an after-school activity. They are helping to build a digital memorial to the victims of National Socialism and are finding out about the fates of individual persecutees at the same time.

History teacher Emre Simsek first became aware of #everynamecounts when he took part in a quiz for history teachers organized by well-known YouTuber Mr. Wissen2Go.

Christa Seidenstücker from the Arolsen Archives supports the group with help and advice. She explained what #everynamecounts is all about using a simple comparison: “If photos aren’t tagged on social media, you can’t find them. It’s the same with the documents in our archive. You’re helping to tag the documents so they can be found online by people all over the world.”

Thanks to the cooperation agreement, students at the Max-Born-Realschule are taking part in the #everynamecounts educational campaign, they can use educational materials provided by the Arolsen Archives free of charge, and they can use digital resources too. There are also plans for them to visit the permanent exhibition in Bad Arolsen.

“The students are broadening their historical awareness and acquiring important skills at the same time,” explains history teacher Nils Gröning, who shares the responsibility for the after-school club with Emre Simsek.

Would you like get involved too and help build a digital memorial to make sure the names of the victims are not forgotten? Then get involved in #everynamecounts!