Steadfast of Gręboszowa: Cyfrowa Sztafeta Pamięci 1946–2026
The task is carried out under the Patriotyzm Jutra programme. The result is the Virtual Museum Gręboszowa — a digital educational resource that preserves the memory of the heroes and history of the commune.
Description of the issues and historical contexts included in the task
1. Substantive axis: 80th anniversary
The substantive axis of the project is the 80th anniversary of the death of two fundamental figures for the Gręboszów commune: Major Henryk Sucharski and Stefania Łącka. This context allows us to show two different, but complementary faces of patriotism and steadfastness:
- Soldier ethos: Major Sucharski symbolizes the heroism of armed struggle and responsibility for subordinates in borderline situations.
- Civil ethos: Stefania Łącka personifies the highest human values, sacrifice and spiritual resistance against totalitarianism in camp conditions.
The juxtaposition of these characters in one project allows for a deep analysis of the ethos of a generation whose lives were brutally interrupted or verified by World War II.
2. Microhistory and great history
The problems of the task are embedded in microhistory, which is manifested in great historical events. The historical context includes:
- People's movement and parliamentarism — the figure of Jakub Bojko allows for education about the process of emancipation of peasants and building the foundations of Polish democracy on the threshold of independence.
- Visits of national authorities – the stay of Józef Piłsudski and the visitation of Fr. Karol Wojtyla at the Gręboszów rectory are the starting points for a conversation about the importance of local communities for the great leaders of the nation.
3. Digitization of memory
The main research problem of the project is the process of blurring oral relationships. The municipality of Gręboszów is facing a chance to preserve the memories of the heroes and to cultivate their memory. The project takes up the challenge of digitizing memory, turning the fleeting memories of seniors into a permanent, digital educational resource.
4. History and Generation Z
The task touches on the problem of the "attractiveness" of history for Generation Z. The historical context is not given here in the form of a static lesson, but as material for creative reinterpretation. The use of technology and film allows us to verify how old values (sacrifice, solidarity, courage) resonate in the digital world. The project proves that the patriotism of tomorrow is built on understanding "yesterday" and turning it into the language of "today".
Objective of the task
The main objective of the task is to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the death of Major Henryk Sucharski and Stefania Łącka (1946–2026) in a modern way by involving young people from the Gręboszów commune in the process of documenting and interpreting local heritage and commemorating the visit of Józef Piłsudski and Karol Wojtyła to Gręboszów.
The project moves away from martyrdom in favor of building a living bond with history, using the figures of Sucharski (soldiers' ethos), Łącka (civilian martyrdom) and Jakub Bojko (democracy) as the foundations of contemporary civic attitudes.
Target group and methodology
The direct recipients are a group of 20 people (school children and seniors), and the indirect recipients are about 300 residents of the commune and Internet users.
The project is based on the method of active education: participants are not passive listeners, but become researchers (interviews), documentary filmmakers (film) and artists (comics, photography).
Task building blocks
The project "Steadfast from Gręboszowa: Cyfrowa Sztafeta Pamięci 1946–2026" is a comprehensive educational and cultural program that takes an innovative approach to the politics of memory. The axis is the 80th anniversary of the death of Major Henryk Sucharski and Stefania Łącka. Instead of traditional forms of commemoration, GCKiCz implemented a creative process in which young people became active creators of historical content.
The program is divided into three complementary modules:
Module I: Ethnography and Archival Studies
It focuses on "oral history" and visual documentation. The key action was the "Record Grandpa, Record Grandma" campaign. It was preceded by workshops on journalistic ethics and the use of professional sound recorders at RDN Małopolska radio. The youth, in the role of young reporters, collected accounts of the heroes and the visits of authorities.
There was a field re-photography workshop "Gręboszów yesterday and today" — working with archival photos, learning composition and digital image processing.
Module II: Multimedia and Education
This is the stage of processing the collected content into the language of modern media. During the film workshops, two documentary etudes were made: about the soldier's ethos (Sucharski) and about civil martyrdom (Łącka). The young people worked on scripts, cinematography, editing and post-production.
Another pillar was comic book workshops, where young people illustrated Józef Piłsudski's visit to Gręboszów — learning storyboard and preparing files for printing and publication.
The module culminates in work on the "Time Capsule 2026–2106": young people and seniors jointly edited a message about values — "Letter to the people of Gręboszowi", which is to be deposited for the next 80 years. Physical preparation and ceremonial securing of the memory deposit – according to the task schedule.
Module III: Dissemination and Accessibility
Final activities focus on the wide distribution of the developed materials. The Virtual Museum Gręboszowa was created — a responsive online platform that collects collected podcasts, videos, comics and souvenir scans.
The finale was an open-air cinema: the premiere of films, the presentation of a comic book and the photography exhibition "Gręboszów yesterday and today".
Methods and tools
The project is based on the method of active education and memory pedagogy. We use m.in:
- Digital and multimedia tools – professional video editing software; "disenchantment" of history as a living matter attractive to Generation Z.
- The Oral History Method — narrative interview as a historical source; dictaphones and active listening techniques (empathy, critical analysis of sources).
- Digitization and social archiving – scanners and digital cameras to secure residents' private archives.
- Storytelling — narratives in film and comics; translating historical facts into the language of emotions and values.
Social participation
The project is designed as a bottom-up and inclusive activity – the local community is a co-creator, not just a recipient:
- Intergenerational integration — youth (new technologies) and seniors (depositories of memory); breaking age barriers and building local solidarity.
- Cooperation with partners — Rural Housewives' Associations (reaching the oldest residents) and a local school.
- Free licenses and open resources – the effects of working on a free license (CC BY-SA); materials as a social resource for teachers, regionalists and historians throughout Poland.
- Accessibility — The Virtual Museum eliminates geographical barriers; access to heritage for people with disabilities and those who cannot visit the institution in person.
Results and durability
The final of the project is the Virtual Museum Gręboszowa — a responsive educational platform gathering all the materials developed (exhibitions, exhibits, heritage map, events).
The closing event was an open-air cinema. The works are made available under free licenses (CC BY-SA), which ensures the durability of the effects and the possibility of their use by teachers and regionalists throughout the country.