Strengthening European Connections
The Project “Connecting Stories: Exploring Contemporary and Historical Experiences of Migration”
Serbia and Germany: What history, what stories connect these two countries? That is the question at the core of our Erasmus+ project “Connecting Stories.” But instead of simply answering it ourselves, we’re passing it on directly to young learners in the form of an interactive quiz—an invitation to take a multi-perspectival, fact-based look at the past and present of both societies.
Connecting Stories is a joint project of the Arolsen Archives and the Serbian NGO Terraforming. The aim is to provide a digital learning module that will help teachers in Germany and Serbia convey various aspects of migration history in a suspenseful and target-group-oriented manner.
Like the learning module “Dazugehören” (Belonging), “Connecting Stories” is a digital offer combining an explanatory video with an interactive quiz. Two young people—Kalina, a pupil at the German school in Belgrade, and Uli, a member of the Arolsen Archives staff—guide users through an inter-European exchange. They talk about similarities, differences, and connections between the two countries they grew up in. Starting in early 2026, school classes will be able to click their way through four quiz videos and test their knowledge.
The fact-based module sheds light on various historical aspects of migration and shows how immigration and emigration have contributed to shaping both societies in different ways. This format motivates pupils to develop their own stance on current discussions, reflect on their own viewpoints, and participate in democratic processes.
Working with us on the project hand in hand are our colleagues from the organization Terraforming. Terraforming is a Serbian NGO that develops political-historical educational formats on the themes of National Socialism, anti-Semitism, antiziganism, and remembrance culture and makes them available on various channels. To achieve their aims, our colleagues work closely with teachers, young people, and institutions worldwide and develop teaching materials, exhibitions, digital offers, publications, and much more.
In a participatory process, we tested “Connecting Stories” on German and Serbian school pupils to ensure that the topics, contextual information, and design are in line with our target group’s needs.
We are currently also conducting further-training seminars and workshops with teachers on how to use the learning module in the classroom. The experience and expertise of teachers in Germany and Serbia help us offer a learning format that meets their requirements for school instruction. To facilitate the use of the learning module and keep preparation time at a minimum, we also work with Serbian and German teachers to develop specific lesson plans and accompanying educational materials.
The “Connecting Stories” learning module will be available in German and Serbian on the arolsen school educational platform starting January 2026.
The project is co-financed by the European Union in the framework of Erasmus+.
