LINKING HOME, LINKING EUROPE

Awarded
Country
Estonia
Year
2018
Storyteller
Mariann Raisma
Share:
Overview

The idea of the project is to unite and share stories of students and professors of different countries in Europe who have studied and taught at the University of Tartu through the eyes of the contemporary students. We can illustrate the cultural dialogue between the countries in Europe and show that the cross-border cooperation has been (and still is) extremely fruitful. Many of the people, who we want to show, have had a strong impact in their home countries. 

The idea of the project is to unite and share stories of students of different countries in Europe who have studied at the University of Tartu through the eyes of the contemporary students. Many of the people, who we want to show, have had a strong impact in their home countries. One of the best examples is Hatshatur Abovjan who was an Armenian writer and creator of the Armenian new literature, a true national hero, who studied in Tartu in 1830-36.
University of Tartu has been a source of inspiration for many international students from the 17th century onwards. The university was especially important in the 19th-20th century, when many students and professors from different countries – for example Poland, Latvia, France, Sweden, Finland, Russia and Ukraine - came to Tartu. 
The project unites young people of the past and the present – students of today create the stories about the students of the past.  Therefore the project is connected with education and also shows the community engagement. 
The project will include a route in the city – the students will mark the houses where these people lived with designed labels, thereby adding stories of the buildings that otherwise remain anonymous.  In addition the students will create a map of the route on paper and also an app for using on mobile phones. In the app the contemporary students from the same country can add their own value. Therefore we can add another layer of the story-line showing the continuity of identity. 

European Dimension

We want to share the European cultural heritage on the micro-level, but show that people can change the world (=Europe). This project will link history, heritage and culture, is sustainable and offers inspiration for the future. 
The project will increase understanding of the shared history of Europe - we are all linked with each other - and therefore underpins European integration.