To mark May 18, the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Crimean Tatar Genocide, Ukrainian schools held events to commemorate the victims of the genocide and raise awareness of the history of the Crimean Peninsula.
In particular, several events were arranged at Secondary School 235 named after V. Chornovil (Kyiv) to mark the 80th anniversary of the deportation. There were special history lessons dedicated to the events of the deportation, where students were able to learn more about these tragic events and their consequences; screening of documentaries about the deportation and the life of Crimean Tatars in exile; and creation of artistic works on the deportation theme. The school students also honored the victims of the genocide by laying out the outline of the Crimean peninsula with candles and lighting them as a sign of remembrance.
Students of Kyiv Children’s Art School No. 5 presented their artwork “Crimea in the Heart!”. And the Zhytomyr Music School named after B. Liatoshynskyi held a thematic lesson on the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Crimean Tatar Genocide as part of the 80th anniversary of the deportation.
Students of the Ustyvytsia gymnasium of the Hoholeve Village Council (Poltava region) joined the open local history school called “Time to Seek, Learn, Wonder and Respond”, namely, they attended a lesson on historical regional studies “18.05.1944: Without the Right to a Homeland” dedicated to the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Crimean Tatar Genocide. To honor the memory of the victims, the following events were held at the Iskivtsi Secondary School of the Sencha Village Council (Poltava region). The educational center held the following events: a history lesson “How was the crime of genocide of the Crimean Tatar people committed?”, a screening of Akhtem Seitablaev’s film “Khaitarma”, presentations “Deportation of Crimean Tatars”, participation in the local history school “Time to Search, Learn, Wonder and Respond!”. A minute of silence was observed in memory of the victims of the deportation of Crimean Tatars. Students of the 4th grade of Lokhvytsia Gymnasium No. 1 (Poltava region) held an information hour to learn more about the history of Crimea.
A remembrance lesson “The Day of Sorrow and Remembrance of the Victims of the Deportation of the Crimean Tatar People” was held for students of Kherson Secondary School No. 4. And students of Zelenivka Secondary School No. 38 of the Kherson City Council joined the memory lesson “History of the Crimean Tatar People: Violence and Freedom,” during which it was emphasized that the 1944 deportation was aimed at destroying the indigenous people of Ukraine.
The Dovhe gymnasium of the Dovhe Village Council (Zakarpattia region) held a lesson in memory of the victims of the genocide of the Crimean Tatar people, during which it was emphasized that the deportation had catastrophic consequences for Crimean Tatars in exile. In Tsineva Lyceum (Ivano-Frankivsk region), 7th-grade students held an educational lesson in the context of the 80th anniversary of the deportation, during which they learned about the history of the indigenous peoples of Ukraine and key events that took place on the Crimean Peninsula.
On the occasion of the sorrowful memorial date, the Special School in the village of Tuchyn of the Rivne Regional Council held educational hours “Victims of the Stalinist Regime of 1944”, “Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Deportation of the Crimean Tatar People”, “Commemoration of the Victims of the Genocide of the Crimean Tatar People”; thematic discussions “Deportation of the Crimean Tatar People. The History of Genocide”, “Crimea: Deportation is the Pain of the Crimean Tatars”; screening and discussion of the videos “May 18 is Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Genocide of the Crimean Tatar People”, “May 18 is the Anniversary of the Ongoing Tragedy. Living Traditions” and the feature films ‘Someone Else’s Prayer’ and ‘Khaitarma’; a library lesson “Genocide of the Crimean Tatar People”.
To commemorate the tragic date, an event was held in the 9th grade of Kostiantynivka Secondary School No. 6 (Donetsk region), an hour of communication “1944. Deportation of Crimean Tatars”. The students learned about the tragic pages of the life of the Crimean Tatar people and honored the memory of all the victims of the genocide of the Crimean Tatars with a minute of silence. At the end of the meeting, they learned about the history of the song “1944” by Ukrainian singer Jamala and listened to it.
A historical excursion “Crimea and the Crimean Tatar People are Past, Present and Future of the Ukrainian State” was held for students at the Vypasne Filial Turlaki Educational Institution.
Similar activities were held in many other Ukrainian schools, where students not only honored the memory of the victims of the 1944 genocide but also expressed support for those who are currently living under occupation at all possible levels. We thank the teachers and students of the schools for such important activities! After all, preserving the memory of the crime of the Soviet regime is critical to restoring historical justice and truth. School events and initiatives among young people play a key role in this process. It is through educational activities that it is possible to raise awareness and pass on true history and values to the next generations.
