“Intergenerational memory is not only just transmitting the facts but also emotions, which shape the identity and influence the attitudes towards the future.” — Marianne Hirsch
Since its inception, the Sybir Memorial Museum has been developing international cooperation with institutions worldwide. One of its latest outcomes is a project commemorating the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, observed on June 26.
The cooperation initiated during the conference “Museum and Trauma” (May 19–20, 2025) has led to strengthened relations with memory institutions such as: National Museum of the Moudjahid (Algeria), Museum of Memory and Human Rights in Santiago (Chile), Kigali Genocide Memorial (Rwanda), Cape Town Holocaust & Genocide Centre (South Africa).
Each of these institutions will commemorate this day in a unique way, including through organizing workshops, thematic meetings, or artistic installations. The common goal of these activities is to highlight the importance of historical memory and to support and integrate survivors and their families.
At the Sybir Memorial Museum, we commemorate this day through the inauguration of the Intergenerational Remembrance of Voices from Sybir program.
The aim of the program is to underline the connection between the experiences of Sybiraks and the human rights. It is a moment of contact of local history with the universal message of objection towards suffering and dehumanization.
The Sybir Memorial Museum as an institution actively supporting the community of survivors and their families is a space of preserving memory and identity. It launches a series of events, which assure its commitment to documenting the experiences of Sybiraks and spreading the knowledge about their fates.
The Intergenerational Remembrance of Voices from Sybir program, which is inaugurated on 26 June 2025, assumes development and realization of the long-term program of cooperation with the surviving Sybiraks and their descendants. It focuses on supporting the integration, education and therapy through various meetings and workshops.
The direction of this initiatives is to strengthen the intergenerational bonds and to integrate the local community, with the emphasis put into the educational activities aimed at the descendants of Sybiraks and people who are interested in the history of their own families.
Numerous events are planned as part of the project, and we will keep you informed about them on an ongoing basis.
Psychotherapeutic workshops for Sybiraks
A space for conversation. Support for women after the experience of deportation
27 June 2025
We would like to invite the members of our community, Sybirkas, to a meeting designed for women who experienced deportations. It will be a safes pace for a conversation, sharing experiences and mutual support.
Oral History Workshop
Family oral archives, Sybir – memory – identity.
The exact date will be announced soon.
The members will learn how to document the family history through interviews – the workshop will cover the issues of creating questions, recording and archiving, as well as the ethical aspects of working with personal memories. Their aim is not only to share the technical knowledge, but also to sensitize the participants to the importance of family memory in the creation of social archive.
Home Archivisation Workshops
Home archive. How to protect and organise family memorabilias.
The exact date will be announced soon.
Participants will have the opportunity to gain practical skills in archiving family memorabilia and documents at home. The workshops will cover organising, describing, digitising and safely storing family collections. The instructor will familiarise participants with the basics of organising a home archive and show them how to avoid the most common mistakes that lead to the loss or damage of materials. The workshops are aimed not only at protecting family heirlooms, but also at building awareness of the historical value of seemingly ordinary objects.
Genealogy Workshop
How to search for ancestors – genealogy basics for descendants of exiles
The exact date will be announced soon.
The aim of the workshop is to introduce participants to the basics of genealogy. During the workshop, participants will have the opportunity to learn how to use available tools, registers and databases – both digital and traditional. Particular emphasis will be placed on working with documents relating to resettlement, exile and repatriation after World War II. The workshop aims to encourage participants to build their family tree, organise information and take a critical look at sources.
