Activity Plans

The activity plans are intended for teachers and trainers in both formal and non-formal educational settings who would like to introduce young people aged 16 and over to the topic of the stolen children and learn more about contemporary racially and/or politically motivated violations of children’s rights.

By engaging with the stories of forcibly abducted and uprooted children, young people should be moved to look critically at the racist and inhuman ideology of National Socialism and become more aware of the great importance of children’s rights.

In addition to the activity plans, auxiliary materials are available in the form of texts, podcasts and learning cards. This facilitates running a lesson or workshop which is full of variety and can appeal to different learning styles. The structure of the activity plans presumes active involvement on the part of the students, which in turn promotes an exciting learning experience that leaves a lasting impression.

The activity plans are particularly noteworthy in that they include perspectives from four different countries: Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic and Ukraine. This ensures that the students not only learn about the history of the abducted children from their own countries but are introduced to the international dimension of these crimes.

The following teaching plans are ready to use in your teaching unit:

Dealing with the life stories of stolen children

With the help of personal stories and objects, students get to know the life stories of some of the stolen children. Additionally, they engage with the concept of identity. They then reflect upon the importance of their own origins for their identity and life.

Language(s): English

Downloadable materials:

Children’s rights

The students engage with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and contemporary violations of children’s rights.

Language(s): English

Downloadable materials:

„Dobra krew”. Założenia nazistowskiej teorii rasowej i sposoby pozyskiwania „rasowo odpowiednich” dzieci (“The good blood”. National Socialist race theory and the acquisition of children “of good race”)

The students look at National Socialist race theory and child abduction.

Language(s): Polish

Downloadable materials:

Odzyskane, nieświadome, wykorzenione. Powojenne losy zrabowanych dzieci (Returned, unaware, uprooted. The fate of the stolen children after the war)

The students learn about the fates of stolen children after the war and what was done to return the children to their families.

Language(s): Polish

Downloadable materials:

How to record a witness life-story interview

A teaching unit to prepare pupils and students for conducting and recording an eyewitness interview.

Language(s): English

Downloadable materials:

Alena Staňková (* 1939): “Dětem se nemá ubližovat, děti potřebují vlastní rodiče” (“Children are not to be hurt, children need their own parents”)

Taking the life-story of a contemporary eyewitness as an example, the participants learn about uprooted children during the Second World War.

Language(s): Czech

Downloadable materials:

UPROOTED learning cards

Using learning cards, the participants learn about the stories of stolen children and violations of children’s rights.

Language(s): English

Downloadable materials:

Викрадені діти (Stolen children)

The students look at the stories of stolen children, the race ideology of the Nazis and children’s rights.

Language(s): Ukrainian

Downloadable materials:

Викоріненні (Uprooted)

Using texts and TikTok videos, the students learn about the history of the stolen children and children’s rights.

Language(s): Ukrainian

Downloadable materials: