Here the story comes to life: we visited the Minsk Gymnasium No. 37, where the museum exposition dedicated to the VNS works

The first All-Belarusian People’s Assembly was held in Minsk on October 19-20, 1996, an important milestone in the country’s history. The museum’s thematic exhibition “History of Unity” in the gymnasium No. 37 of Minsk, which opened in June last year, helps to preserve and convey this memory. This is a space where history goes beyond the limits of the textbook: students themselves become guides, create interactive projects, work with archival documents and photographs.

Miroslav Titovets dedicated his project to the Palace of Independence Ask, please Together with history teachers Natalia Goshko and Vladimir Sindeev go up to the fourth floor of the gymnasium. Behind the door of one of the offices is the history of the All-Belarusian People's Assemblies: on the walls there are information stands with the chronology of the VNS, in the windows there are valuable exhibits.

Museums usually speak in low voices. Here the story becomes an occasion for a lively conversation, draws the attention of Natalia Vyacheslavovna:

- Since the opening, the exposition has become a place of attraction not only for schoolchildren, but also for guests of the district. There are lessons, excursions, meetings with delegates and open dialogues. For children, this is an opportunity not only to see the exhibits, but also to ask questions, discuss historical events.

Behind each photo and document is a painstaking search. The work started almost from scratch. Natalia Vyacheslavovna recalls:

- There were few open access materials. Therefore, we appealed to the funds of the Presidential Library, the National Library and the Belarusian State Archive of Cinema and Photo Documents. It was a big search job.

Vladimir Sindeev From the Veche to the present day, the exposition begins with the origins of Belarusian statehood. The first stand is dedicated to Polotsk and Turov Vech. From here Vladimir Sindeev leads us to the section on the People's Assembly of Western Belarus:

Residents of Western Belarus were able to express their position and determine the future of Belarus, which is an example of the democratic will of the people. This was an important step towards the restoration of historical justice and the unification of Belarusian lands. The following is the chronology of all the All-Belarusian People's Assemblies - from the first to the seventh.

Vladimir Dmitrievich points to the QR codes placed near each section:

- Thanks to new technologies, the exhibition goes beyond the stand. If you hover over the QR code camera smartphone, you can open archival materials associated with a particular collection, and yourself delve into the history. This allows you to get acquainted with documents and photos that cannot be placed in windows.

Vladimir Dmitrievich walks along the windows, stopping at the most interesting exhibits:

- Here's the watch. This is a gift to the delegates of the fourth WNC. They were handed over by Tatiana Leontievna Berestevich, who heads the Frunze district organization of the trade union of education and science workers. There is still an engraving on the back.

Nearby are exhibited the breastplates of delegates and gift pens. There is also a leather portfolio of a member of the third VNS in the fund, but it turned out to be too large for a showcase and is stored separately.

In photos Vladimir Dmitrievich is delayed longer. They are delegates of different years, people whose names are associated with the history of the country, the city and the district. For many visitors, these pictures become an opportunity not just to examine the exhibits, but to find familiar faces, the teacher says:

- Delegates often come and find themselves in pictures. It's always touching.

Many of the exhibits of the gymnasium were handed over by delegates of the VNS To learn, research, create Schoolchildren not only get acquainted with the finished materials - they themselves participate in the development of the exposition. One example of such work is a quiz dedicated to the All-Belarusian People’s Assembly. The questions for the intellectual game were simple. Participants were asked to recall the maximum number of delegates of the WPC, to name the serial number of the meeting held in April 2024, and to answer how often meetings of the WPC should be held, continues Vladimir Dmitrievich:

Students offered options for issuing cards, formulated questions and selected answers. We have already tested the game: on the eve of National Unity Day, we invited visitors to one of the shopping centers to test their knowledge. There were many people willing to participate.

Eighth-grader Miroslav Titovets also prepared his work for the exhibition, and he dedicated the Independence Code project to the Palace of Independence

- Together with our parents, we visited many iconic places in the country, and we have not been to the Palace of Independence yet. Every time I pass by, I wonder what it looks like from the inside?

In his work, the student studied the architecture of the building, created its digital model and presented the interior space. To make the project more visual and interactive, he recorded audio guides, added QR codes and found a virtual tour on the President’s website:

- Thanks to the project, you can take a virtual walk around the palace, examine its halls and rooms in detail. During the work, I learned that only Belarusian materials were used during the construction of the Independence Palace. The construction time was also impressive: instead of the planned 58 months, the building was built in 29 months.

In social science classes, ninth-graders study the state structure and get acquainted with the activities of state authorities. During the discussion of this topic, Artemy Vallyuk, a student of Vladimir Dmitrievich, became interested in the activities of the VNS. About how the idea of the project appeared, the teacher tells:

Artemy asked questions, actively participated in the discussion. So we came up with the idea to create an interactive map “30 years of the GNS: geography of solutions”.

The map is still in development. Interactive markers with information on the projects implemented in the regions and the results of socio-economic development according to the decisions of the National Assembly will appear on the model of Belarus. You can explore not only Minsk, but also other cities of the country.

The final version of the map is planned to be prepared by December - for the third meeting of the VII All-Belarusian People's Assembly. Then the project will be posted on the gymnasium website.

THEME

On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the All-Belarusian People’s Assembly, the Minsk Pravda news agency, on the initiative of the Ministry of Information, launched the VNS in Persons website. The project tells the story of the WNC through the fates of its delegates, their feelings, memories and reflections on how decisions were made that determined the life of the country. The platform presents materials about more than 150 participants. They were prepared by district and regional editorial offices of newspapers: journalists recorded interviews, created texts, photo and video materials. The project will continue to be updated with new names and stories.

shestakevich@sb.by