B-SHAPES Summer School for Educators

Time: 21^st – 24^th August 2025
Location: Zgorzelec, Poland / Görlitz, Germany
Costs: Free of charge
Application form: Click here - open until 6^th May 2025
Project language: English

What effects borders have on individuals and societies? How can photography capture the stories told by landscapes?

B-SHAPES: Landscape as Heritage is an educational project that explores different methods of teaching about borders in everyday landscapes. We invite teachers, educators, and other professionals working with teenagers to participate in interdisciplinary activities centred on three key aspects:

Photography – This section of the summer school includes workshops with a professional photographer and an online lecture by a visual studies expert. The focus will be on the composition of landscape pictures and the influence framing can have on the photo’s interpretation. You will learn to convey and recognise emotions, stories, and intent in images. This part of the summer school is based on free educational materials on image interpretation, which you can use in your classroom.
Participants do not need any previous experience in photography, nor are they required to bring any professional gear – a phone with a camera will suffice.
Border-Landscape studies – By attending lectures given by experts in border studies, you will learn what a border is and what it could be. The notion of a border as an administrative divider will be questioned here; we will discuss how borders influence societies and heritage. This section also includes border walks – a method of discovering the landscape and significant landmarks from historical and individual points of view. During a workshop, we will brainstorm how this method can be applied in classrooms. This part of the summer school will include free educational material on borders and landscapes, which you can later use in your classroom.
Oral history – This section is a theoretical introduction to oral history as a method of learning about your immediate environment. You will discover how to investigate and preserve the history of your landscape and heritage through the personal stories of those around you. This foundation will enable you to incorporate oral history interviews into your teaching, either as primary sources or creative inspiration.

This summer school is an educational project organized by ENRS as a component of the European Union’s Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Action project “B-SHAPES: Borders Shaping Perceptions of European Societies”, coordinated by the Centre of Border Region Studies at the University of Southern Denmark (SDU). You can learn more about B-SHAPES here.

Project Objectives

The summer school aims to present teachers and educators with innovative ways of learning about the history, heritage, life, and landscape of any region. We aspire to:

Challenge the conventional ideas and definitions of borders and landscapes,

Present alternative methods of teaching about local history, landscape, and heritage that involve local communities,

Showcase how photography can be used in classrooms while underlining the importance of visual representations.

While the summer school draws inspiration from life in the Polish-German borderland, the skills and ideas explored during the programme can be applied to any region or landscape.

Practical information

APPLICATION
To apply for the summer school, please fill in this form.
The application form will be open from 31^st March until 6^th May 2025. Participation is limited to 15 people.
Applicants will be asked to describe how their interests, expectations, and professional development goals align with the summer school objectives. The application should be written in English, so a good command of the language is necessary.
Participants will be notified about the recruitment outcomes by the end of May.
You must be currently employed at a school or institution working with teenagers to apply for this summer school.
Please read the rules governing the participation at the event.

COSTS
The costs of the programme activities, meals, and accommodation (21-24.08) are covered by the organizers.
Participants may apply for reimbursement of transport costs (up to 150 euros) for their journey to or from Zgorzelec/Görlitz.

BEFORE SUMMER SCHOOL
Before the start of the summer school, participants will be invited to an organisational online meeting in July.
Participants do not need any previous experience in photography, nor are they required to bring any professional gear – a phone with a camera will suffice.

SUMMER SCHOOL
The summer school will take place in Zgorzelec/Görlitz, in the Polish-German border region, between 22^nd and 24^th August 2025. We encourage the participants to arrive on 21^st August, as introductory activities will start on that day.
The summer school will be conducted in English, so a good command of the language is required. Knowledge of local languages (Polish and German) is appreciated but not mandatory.
Please be aware that the summer school programme includes walking activities that may be physically demanding. Please consider whether you are physically able to attend the summer school or notify us if you think you might need any assistance.

Preliminary Programme

DAY 0 – THURSDAY, 21 AUGUST
ARRIVALS
17:00-19:00      WELCOME TO THE PROJECT, Introductions

19:00 dinner

DAY 1 – FRIDAY, 22 AUGUST
09:00-10:00     INTRODUCTIONS

10:00-10:40      B-SHAPES: Borders Shaping Perceptions of European Societies – introduction to the project
What is “B-SHAPES: Borders Shaping Perceptions of European Societies”, what research areas the project focuses on? What can be researched in border regions?

10:40-11:00 break

11:00-12:40      BORDERS AND LANDSCAPES: INTRODUCTION
B-SHAPES experts' lecture on borders and landscape. What are borders and what could they be? How do they influence individuals and societies? What role do they play in everyday landscapes?

13:00– 13:45     lunch

13:45-15:15       PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP I
Storytelling in photography, importance of image representation, composition, landscape photography – theory and specifics, visual studies

15:15-15:30       break

15:30-17:30       HISTORICAL BORDER WALK (Silesian Museum in Görlitz)
What sites in the cities are important from a historical point of view?

free time

18:00 dinner

DAY 2 – SATURDAY, 23 AUGUST
09:00-10:30      ORAL HISTORY: INTODUCTION
What is oral history and how can it be used to preserve individual stories?

10:30-10:50       break

10:50-12:30      PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP II
Day 1 review, storytelling in photography, importance of image representation, composition, landscape photography – theory and specifics, visual studies, photo editing

12:30-13:15        Silesian Museum – optional visit/free time

13:15-14:00       lunch

14:00-16:00      LOCAL BORDER WALK
Walk led by locals – what landmarks are important from an individual, personal point of view?

16:00-17:00       INDIVIDUAL WORK/FREE TIME
Participants have the time to individually work on their photos – editing photos, writing a description. Photos and descriptions will be used as educational materials, photos will be presented on Day 3. Participants submit their work (1 chosen picture).

free time

18:00    dinner


DAY 3 – SUNDAY, 24 AUGUST
09:00-10:30      PHOTO PRESENTATION
Summary, impressions, peer review – participants present their work, talk about their impressions on the summer school, how they interpret other participants’ works.

10:30-10:50       break

10:50-12:00      ALTERNATIVE TEACHING METHODS
Presentation of alternative teaching methods that use photography. Presentation of educational materials and projects for students and educators.

12:30-13:30       lunch

13:30-15:30       WORKSHOP: CREATING EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS
What have a learnt so far? Collaborative work on educational materials that use photos taken during this summer school.

DEPARTURES

Partners

Organisers

Partners

ENRS is funded by: