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From: Dok Zwangsarbeit Dear colleague, we would like to inform you that our institute has to coordinate a big documentation project, called "International Forced Labourers Documentation Project" and the interview-teams in about 16 countries on behalf of the Foundation "Remembrance, Responsibility and Future" in Berlin. It is planned to collect about 550 audio- and video-interviews mainly in Eastern Europe, in Middle and Western Europe, in Israel and the United States. We would be very glad if you together with an institution could participate in the call for biddings for a part of this project in your country or if you could inform other colleagues. You find the call for bids attached in German, English and in Russian, also on our website. If you are interested, please, send your application to this email-address (see below). We are looking forward to hearing from you. With kind regards yours Alexander v. Plato Christoph Thonfeld --------------------------------- Institut fuer Geschichte und Biographie der Fernununiversität Hagen Liebigstr. 11 D-58511 Lüdenscheid Deutschland/Germany International Forced Labourers Documentation Project Documentation of the life stories of former slave and forced labourers A funding programme of the "Remembrance and Future" Fund in cooperation with the Institute for History and Biography, Distance University Hagen During the 2nd World War, in Germany and German-occupied countries, approximately 12 million slave and forced labourers were put to work. As a gesture of reconciliation, the Foundation "Remembrance, Responsibility and Future", which was founded in Germany in 2000, pays financial benefits to these victims of National Socialism. Since that time, more than 1.5 million people in over 80 countries have been reached by the Foundation. The "Remembrance and Future" Fund is part of the Foundation which supports international projects in the interest of international understanding. It is an essential task of the fund to keep the memory of the victims of National Socialism alive for generations to come. For many years, there have been diverse initiatives in Germany and in those countries particularly affected by the German occupation, or rather where many victims of National Socialism live today, which document the experiences of former slave and forced labourers and keep them alive for future generations. Sixty years after the end of the war, the "Remembrance and Future" Fund wants to support scientific and social initiatives in those countries so that they can conduct about 550 interviews with former slave or forced labourers. On behalf of the fund, the Institute for History and Biography at the Distance University in Hagen, which has been able to collect valuable experiences in Oral History in Germany since the beginning of the 1990s, is going to coordinate projects supported within this programme, to organize the international exchange of experiences among them and to make sure that documentations follow the same criteria and meet the required quality standard. The resulting documentations should be dual-purpose: On the one hand, they should be available for science and historical-political education in Germany, in order to keep the memory of former slave and forced labourers alive here. On the other hand, they should enable supported initiatives to make efforts in their countries to keep the memory of the fate of these people there. How many testimonies can be documented within the framework of this programme? Altogether, about 550 interviews will be conducted, approx. 440 on audio tapes and approx. 110 additionally on videotape with BETA SP-cameras (analog or digital). At least one third of all interviews should be conducted with former slave labourers, i.e., with survivors who had to do heaviest forced labour in a concentration camp, ghetto or a comparable place of confinement. In consideration of the number of survivors and the great need in the countries of Middle Eastern Europe especially, in different countries a different amount of interviews shall be funded. It will presumably be possible to support approximately 80 interviews in Poland and in the Ukraine respectively, in Russia about 60, and in Belarus and the Czech Republic about 40 interviews each. An additional 80 interviews with Jewish survivors who do not live in the countries mentioned can presumably be supported. About 60 interviews with non-Jewish survivors who do not live in the countries mentioned could possibly be supported, as well. In addition, a quarter of these interviews will be conducted as video interviews. Who shall be interviewed? Above all, persons who so far had no opportunity to document their life story should be interviewed. In those countries where Roma and Sinti survivors live today, those victims should be taken into particular consideration. It is also possible to question Nazi victims who are not eligible for benefits in the sense of the Law on the Creation of a Foundation "Remembrance, Responsibility and Future" (e. g. forced labourers from Western European countries, Soviet prisoners of war). It is expected that applicants will have experiences in working with survivors and can therefore name concrete persons with whom interviews are intended. In doing so, they should closely cooperate with victims organisations and the partner organisations of the Foundation "Remembrance, Responsibility and Future" (addresses are to be found out under www.stiftung-evz.de). How shall the interviews be disposed? Interviews are conducted for historical-political education and for scientific purposes. The centre of the interview will be each the individuals experience of national-socialist slave or forced labour. At the same time, eye witnesses should also report how they have coped with this experience after 1945. They should spontaneously and unrestrictedly describe their own experiences in free interviews. An interview manual will enable the interviewers to go through questioning into those aspects which have at first been neglected in the accounts. In any case, interviews are to be conducted empathically and with respect for the life story and suffering of the questioned persons. All projects promoted within the framework of this programme will have the opportunity to discuss the methods of interview conduct in joint international workshops and to exchange their experiences. There, the guidelines for the documentation of the interviews will also be coordinated (e. g. through speech protocol, data sheet and short biography). All interviews have to be given voluntarily and consenting to an exclusively non-commercial use of the interviews for education and science. What is the ratio between audio and video interviews? All interviews should be of high sound quality. For all audio interviews, transliteration in each national language should be guaranteed - a decisive prerequisite for future use. Additionally, video interviews on TV-standard should be conducted with at least a quarter of the interviewees. What can be funded? It is possible to support - fees which are customary in the place for interviewers for conducting interviews and documenting them (protocol, short biography and data sheet) - travel expenses in each country - costs for the transliteration of the interviews in each national language - material costs for audio cassettes, video tapes, lease rental charges for equipment and other material; - for video interviews additionally: fees for cameraperson and technician - for a selection of the interviews: translation into German The Foundation expects that applicants will bring their own resources, e. g. in the shape of own material or third party funds, into the project work. Additional to the funding, the Foundation is going to finance participation of at least one representative of each project in the planned international workshops. What cannot be supported? The funding is exclusively related to single interviews. Institutional support is excluded. It is not possible to support: - posts for personnel - administrative costs - costs for telephone and other means of communication The acquisition of equipment can only be supported if this results in substantial savings in comparison to corresponding, customary to the place lease costs or if applicants make an essential contribution on their own. Costs for projects that have already been concluded cannot be reimbursed retrospectively. It is also not possible for projects promoted within the framework of this programme to settle costs incurred before the assurance of support by the fund. The "Remembrance and Future" Fund and the Institute for History and Biography are fully aware of the great urgency of the funding decisions within this programme. Therefore, they will make special efforts to guarantee that received funding applications will be processed as quickly as possible. Who can file an application? The Foundation expects that applicants already have concrete ideas and plans for future use of the interviews. It is particularly expected that these interviews are permanently made available in culturally important institutions of each country for scientific and educational purposes. It is possible to file applications for: - associations, social organisations, colleges, universities, museums and memorials whose activities are directed towards the memory of the victims of National Socialism - historians who have worked on these matters and cooperate with the above mentioned institutions. As the "Remembrance and Future" Fund can only conclude contracts with legal persons (i.e., not with natural persons) historians have to gain such associations, universities, memorials, institutions or else which are able to undertake the administration of funds for their project. In this case the Foundation recommends as close as possible cooperation with those institutions that eventually want to make project results available for education and science. Who obtains the rights to use the interviews for science and education? It is to be agreed with the interviewees that the interviewers and the "Remembrance and Future" Fund obtain the rights of use in education, science and journalism. The Institute for History and Biography also obtains shared rights of use in this sense. Application procedure Application may be filed until 10.Dezember 2004 under the following address in German, English or, if need be, in Russian: Institut für Geschichte und Biographie der FernUniversität Hagen Liebigstr. 11 D-58511 Lüdenscheid Deutschland Applicants please orientate themselves by the accompanying checklist. Contact: Dr. cand. phil Almut Leh PD Dr. Alexander von Plato Dr. Christoph Thonfeld Telefon +49 (0)2351 24580 Fax +49 (0)2351 39973 E-Mail: [log in to unmask] Applications may be handed in via e-mail in advance. Granting procedure Decisions about the funding will presumably be made in January 2005 by an international expert jury with participation of representatives of the partner organisations of the Foundation "Remembrance, Responsibility and Future". Criteria for a grant will be: - previous experience in research about slave or forced labour during National Socialism and the 2nd World War or in historical-political education - previous experiences in oral questionings of victims of National Socialism - a concept to gain interview partners. Concrete proposals or rather the intended approach to win survivors for the scheme (in cooperation with victims associations) - concrete ideas for further use of the interviews in each country - an economical calculation of costs as well as factual and financial services on own account In the view of restricted means the jury has to pay attention that those countries and groups are taken into sufficient consideration who represent most slave and forced labourers. Unfortunately, it can not be assumed that all applications will be granted entirely. Therefore, the Foundation asks all applicants to inform survivors in this sense while preparing the project and not to make any corresponding assurances until a covenant of support by the "Remembrance and Future" Fund. As a rule, granting will be declared through an allowance contract between the "Remembrance and Future" Fund and the applicant. The contract will include a granting costs projection together with the project budget. Project term and payment procedure Projects can presumably start their work from March 2005. All intended interviews should be carried out in 2005, as far as possible. Funds will be administered by the Institute for History and Biography and will be paid out through Distance University Hagen depending on the course of the project. Reports For each interview, a short speech protocol, a short biography, a data sheet, photos of interviewees, and, as the case may be, of relevant documents and pictures as well as a declaration of consent of the interview partners for the use of the interviews should be submitted in German or English. Moreover, at least one technically flawless audio or video copy of all interviews, transliterations into the national language, and a final report in German or English about the course of the project and the future utilization of the interviews are to be submitted. The usage of funds must be proven with receipts in a separate financial report in German. These documents will be checked factually and financially by the Institute for History and Biography. Checklist for applicants Applications must be submitted in written form, with original signature in German or English, if need be, in Russian. Applications must include the following particulars: I. Project summary Short particulars of the applicant (country, name, function) or rather of the applying institution (legal form, public utility, address, bank account), if need be, data concerning legally binding representation (make sure of a legally binding signature when submitting the application) Short information about the project executing organisation (if not identical with the applicant or rather with the applying institution as under point 1), name, address, bank account. Total costs of the project, funds applied for with the Foundation as well as, as the case may be, own resources or third party funds Project term Number of intended audio and video interviews II. Information about the project Introduction of the applicant (previous research activities in the history of National Socialism, the Holocaust and the 2nd World War and especially in the questioning of contemporary witnesses) Data on the eye witnesses that will be questioned (names, reasons for choice) or concerning the intended approach to gain eye witnesses Presentation of the intended use of the interviews in science and education in applicants´ country Additional information about the project executing organisation (legal form, association articles, register of associations, authorisation, as the case may be, personnel of bodies and boards, public utility, if need be, the last annual report (please submit corresponding documents) III. Costs projection (expenses in Euro) The calculation of the costs projection should be made according to the intended number of interviews. Additionally, a quarter of the interviews can be recorded on video. At the same time, an average interview length of approximately 4 hours should be assumed. For the calculation of costs, the preparation and postprocessing of the interviews (preparation for the eye witnesses, data sheet, short protocol, short biography in German or English), material costs and travel expenses have to be taken into consideration. For all interviews, there will incur costs for the transliteration into the national language, too, for about one quarter of the interviews additionally costs for a translation into German. For the checking of the applications we need the following particulars: Total number of interviews Thereof on audio cassette On video (BETA-SP) Costs in Europer interviewTotal Fee for interviewer per interview (including preparation and postprocessing of the interviews, as well as short protocol, short biography and data sheet in German or English, if need be, including necessary translation costs) Fee for one cameraperson and one technician per video interview Costs for audio cassette material Costs for video tape material Costs for an audio cassette device Costs for camera lease per day Presumable average travel expenses for audio interviews (for one interviewer) Presumable average travel expenses for video interviews (for one interviewer, one cameraperson and one technician) Subtotal (interview and material costs) Fee for the transliteration of the interviews into the national language (per standard page or rather 1.800 characters) Fee for the translation of the interview transliteration into German (per standard page or rather 1.800 characters) Subtotal (transliteration and translation) Total costs Own funds Submitted funds All particulars in the calculation of costs have to be counted corresponding to local prices and salaries. Please indicate as well which factual services on own account (e. g. recording equipment) can be provided for the project gratuitously. International Forced Labourers Documentation Project Dr. cand.phil Almut Leh PD Dr. Alexander v. Plato Dr. Christoph Thonfeld [log in to unmask] Tel. +49(0)2351-24580 Fax +49(0)2351-39973 http://www.fernuni-hagen.de/INST_GESCHUBIOG