The International Commission for the Evaluation of the Crimes of the Nazi and Soviet Occupation Regimes in Lithuania Ingrida Vilkiene Deputy director and coordinator educational programs

The International Commission was formed by the Decree of the President of the Republic of Lithuania, Valdas Adamkus

About the Commission: The International Commission was formed due to the repressive legacy of Soviet rule painful problems of the past, such as the Holocaust and other issues, had never been subjected to uncensored public discussion. The International Commission consists of 12 historians who are well – known in the world.

The conferences of the Commission

The structure of the Commission: President of Lithuania Chairman of Commission Executive director Secretariat, which works all the time 12 Historians

Secretariat Historian researches Educational activity: Educational program, which is connected with the historian researches

Historian researches The Soviet occupation: 5 Volumes (red colour books) The Nazi occupation: 3 Volumes (grey colour books)

The first Soviet Occupation 1 Volume: The First Soviet Occupation Occupation and Annexation. 2 Volume: The First Soviet Occupation Terror and Crimes against Humanity 3 Volume: The First Soviet Occupation. Occcupants and Collaborators.

The education activities of Commission have begun to organize from At this moment was created the program Teaching about the Crimes of Totalitarian Regimes, Prevention of Crimes against Humanity and Tolerance Education

How does the Tolerance program works? Initiation and coordination of the School Project activities; Training seminars, conferences for teachers, politicians and our society; Development of the Tolerance Educational Network; Preparation of methodology (curriculum)

Commemoration of historical dates, projects: - Lithuanian Jewish Genocide Day on 23 September; – International Day of Tolerance on 16 November; – 13th of January, Freedom Defenders Day; – International Holocaust Remembrance Day on 27 January; – 14th of June, Day of Mourning and Hope;

14th of June, Day of Mourning and Hope

Lithuanian Jewish Genocide Day on 23 September

International Day for Tolerance on 16 November

The network of Tolerance Educational Centers

Facts about the seminars : 2437 participants (80 conferences/seminars in Lithuania); 167 participants participated in 8 seminars (Russian language) at Yad Vashem (Israel) in ; 15 teachers participated in seminars (English language) at Yad Vashem (Israel) in ;

Moments from teachers seminars:

The long – term project “The Mission Siberia”

The international project “The Red Year”.

The project is co-financed by the European Union through the programme Europe for Citizens Action 4 “Active European Remembrance”.

This action aims are: to appreciate the meaning of fundamental values such as freedom, democracy and respect for human rights; to remember the breaches of those principles caused by Nazism and Stalinism in Europe; to commemorate the victims of these regimes;

The project “Red Year” The main object - the first Soviet Occupation (1940 – 1941) The main organizer of the project: The Secretariat of the International Commission

The partners of the project: Society of History Teachers of Estonia; “’Aspectus Memoria” Swedish – Lithuanian Association in Kristianstad

The implementation of the project: 2 seminars for teachers and educators from 3 countries: Lithuania, Estonia and Sweden The first seminar in Kaunas (Spring, 2011) The second seminar in Ukmerge (Summer, 2011)

Our aims for seminars: Presentations of different (or similar) historical experience; Interesting discussions; Excursion to memorial sites, related to time period and same case also later; New ideas for us (participants);

Your expectations…? We will discuss about it on Saturday evening

Thank you for your attention!