The Institute for the Investigation of Communist Crimes and the Memory of the Romanian Exile will organize in the period 20th of February - 1st of May 2010 the national contest of essays and graphic art „My family during communism”

The contest, now at its fourth edition, is destined to the students from the cycle 5th-12th grades and is organized in partnership with the Education, Research, Youth and Sports Ministry and the Commission’s Representation in Romania. This year we provoke the students to a new theme My family during communism, with this subject attempting to bring into attention the relationship between the communist state and family. Starting from the following questions: In what degree was your family affected by the communist regime? How do you describe the family life during communist regime?, we ask the students to sketch their opinion on the theme announced.

“1989, the gate towards liberty?”
Contest of essays and graphic arts, having as scope the growth in interest of the students on the topic of Romanian Communism ’s history.

There was once a people who could not speak or think, but who was just trembling of fear and cold. This people were composed of your mother, your grandparent, your uncle. But, one day they got tired and got out on the streets. And they yield: “We will not go from here, not go to our houses until we will not win our freedom!” And they obtained their and your liberty. What was won? Was something lost? What the price of the liberty was? How do you see liberty in your everyday life?

The contest, arrived to its 3rd edition, is destined to the students who are inscribed in the cycle V-XII and is organized in strict collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Research and Innovation. The scope of this contest is that of attaining the interest of the children and youngsters in studying the recent Romanian history, determining them to reflect upon the totalitarian and repressive nature of the communist regime from Romania, and to express their thoughts regarding the moment 1989 in Romania.  Taking into account the significance of making youngsters aware about the moment 1989, we are inviting the students to prove their creativity in considering the importance of this episode from our history and its impact upon the evolution and development of the Romanian society.

Contest regulations
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"Imagine Being a Student during the Communist Regime"

Essay and Graphic Arts Contest Aiming at Raising Students’ Interest in the History of the Communist Regime in Romania

We, the ones who were born at the beginning of the ‘80s, we, the ones who didn’t have to enter the “Capacitate” exam or pass multiple choice tests, we were the last generation of Junior Pioneers wearing blue and orange kinder garden uniforms and red ties. We couldn’t beep one another on the mobile phone, so we would whistle to our neighbours when we were going out to play; we didn’t have Dolby Digital speakers, so we would keep very quiet when watching a film, to hear the actors better; we didn’t have Nintendo games or Play Stations, but Rubik cubes and the popular “Don’t be angry with me, brother!”. We, the last generation of pioneers of the communist era, are inviting you, the ones born after the 1989 Revolution, the ones accustomed to iPods, DVDs and game consoles, to enter our world by writing an essay or making a drawing. You don’t have to tell us what we experienced, but to live for yourselves, even for a few hours’ time, as students during the communist regime.

The contest aims at raising pupils’ interest in the history of communism in Romania as well as at developing their awareness regarding the nature of the communist regime. By means of stimulating creativity and individual research, the project intends to develop pupils’ and teenagers’ personal thinking on a historical period that is still imprinted in the evolution and the development of the Romanian society.

The target group is represented by the pupils within the middle and secondary schools functioning under the aegis of the Ministry of Education and Research, both in urban and rural areas.

Main Activities within the Project

The project resides in launching two competitions focusing on the issue of being a student during the communist regime. The two sections of the project consist of essay writing and drawing.

The Institute for the Investigation of Communist Crimes in Romania prompts the youth to illustrate their perception of communism

The Institute for the Investigation of Communist Crimes in Romania (IICCR) in partnership with the Ministry of Education and Research is launching the essay and graphic arts contest entitled "What does Communism mean to me?", which addresses pupils within middle and secondary schools.

The contest aims at raising pupils' interest for the history of communism in Romania as well as at developing their awareness of the crimes, abuses and discriminations that the communist regime imposed on the Romanian society during its 40-year span.