{"id":14799,"date":"2025-08-13T07:27:24","date_gmt":"2025-08-13T07:27:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vabamu.ee\/?page_id=14799"},"modified":"2025-09-16T09:12:05","modified_gmt":"2025-09-16T09:12:05","slug":"newsletter-vabamu-hosts-summer-internships","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/vabamu.ee\/en\/newsletter-vabamu-hosts-summer-internships\/","title":{"rendered":"Newsletter: Vabamu hosts summer internships"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n \n Vabamu Museum <\/a>\n <\/div>\n
\n \n NoVa <\/a>\n <\/div>\n
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\n Vabamu hosts summer internships <\/h2>\n
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In summer 2025, Vabamu was delighted to welcome three talented interns, each bringing unique perspectives and skills to our team. Gaby joined us from Stanford University through the Stanford Global Studies internship program, Sarah came via the Foreign Ministry\u2019s program for diaspora Estonians, and Ajsa arrived from Wheaton College. Over the summer, they immersed themselves in Vabamu\u2019s work, contributed to exciting projects, and experienced Estonia from new angles. Here is what they had to say about their time with us.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n\n

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\"\"Gaby<\/strong><\/h3>\n

My greatest takeaway from this summer is that freedom is a verb\u2014something that must be actively and continuously worked toward. That concept came to life through my time at VABAMU, which models this idea exceptionally well. From the moment I arrived, each day felt like a new adventure. I\u2019m so thankful I was able to participate in such a meaningful opportunity that challenged me both personally and intellectually.<\/p>\n

As an African American, I understand the deep importance of freedom and the role that historical memory plays in preventing future injustices. This internship gave me the opportunity to explore freedom through another cultural and historical lens\u2014one that I likely would never have encountered otherwise. Learning about Estonia\u2019s complicated past and its continued efforts to protect and honor its freedom has truly shifted my worldview for the better. Estonia\u2019s relationship with freedom is unique. Despite enduring multiple occupations, the Estonian people never let their voices be fully silenced. They carried the spirit of their country with them in quiet acts of resistance and cultural pride. Whether we were researching upcoming exhibits, translating archival documents, or spending time in the collections archive, I felt connected to that legacy.<\/p>\n

One project that stood out to me was helping edit exhibit translations and subsequently learning about the emigration of Estonians to Crimea in the 1860s. This niche history helped me understand how deeply layered Estonia\u2019s past is, especially how people sought freedom even long before the 20th century occupations. This research deepened my knowledge of Estonian history and added valuable context to the work we were doing on new exhibits. It is incredibly exciting to know that something I helped write will be used in future exhibitions. Working in collections was another powerful experience. Digitizing and cataloging photos allowed me to engage with the more intimate side of Estonian history. From joyful dinners to somber funerals, I was able to witness the full sweep of a family\u2019s life, all through these beautifully captured moments. These deeply human moments reminded me that history isn\u2019t just about politics or dates\u2014it\u2019s about real people, their struggles, and their joys.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, visiting museums also gave me insight into the inner workings of public history spaces. Institutions like Kumu Art Museum and Fotografiska taught me about the technical aspects of displaying art\u2014from the importance of lighting and design to curating a smooth, cohesive flow between galleries. Meanwhile, the Architecture Museum stood out for its interactivity. With hands-on exhibits that invited visitors to build and explore, it showed me how museums can make learning engaging and fun. These visits expanded my thinking about what makes a museum experience not only educational but also memorable.<\/p>\n

Another major highlight of my internship was giving tours of the KGB Prison Cells Museum. This was entirely new territory for me; public speaking, especially in such a sensitive and emotionally charged space, was outside my comfort zone. But over the course of three tours, I felt myself grow both personally and professionally. I developed a deeper understanding of the injustices that Estonians faced under Soviet occupation. Through stories like Ants, a forest brother who was betrayed by his best friend, and Aili, a teenage girl who distracted Red Army guards so others could destroy a Soviet monument, I began to understand the personal cost of oppression. These experiences improved my memory recall and public speaking skills immensely. Giving multiple hour-long tours made me more confident in how I present information and connect with an audience. One memorable moment was meeting an Estonian journalist whose grandmother had survived a KGB labor camp. It felt unbelievably full circle. She had listened to me describe something that her grandmother had experienced and provided me with another piece of Estonian history. That kind of personal connection made it feel all the more important to share this history accurately and empathetically. It was an honor to help share the story of a country that has become so important to me.<\/p>\n

Laulupidu week, which marked the Estonian Song Festival, was one of the most moving parts of my summer. Taking around delegations from Stanford and beyond gave me the chance to reflect on how history and culture can connect people across the globe. I made incredible connections with Stanford alumni, all under the choruses of Estonia\u2019s powerful musical traditions. Laulupidu and Tantsupidu (the dance festival) were stunning representations of Estonian resilience and pride. It was a week full of learning and community building, and I was especially grateful to be present for it, knowing that it only happens once every five years.<\/p>\n

My very last week, I had the chance to work at H\u00fcppelaud on Saaremaa Island, Estonia\u2019s largest island. H\u00fcppelaud is a camp where students are encouraged to invent and create products that fill a need that they see in their communities. There, I collaborated with groups of Estonian teenagers to develop functioning prototypes for start-up ideas\u2014all in the span of one week. It was yet another week of building quick camaraderie and seeing firsthand the innovation that Estonia has become known for. I helped one group design a social media video app that transforms into a map, showing users where a video was taken so they can participate in similar experiences. Another group I supported created a makeup line with reusable packaging, paired with an app that tracks expiration dates and ingredient lists. The level of creativity and forward thinking among these students was inspiring, and I wouldn\u2019t be surprised if a future unicorn startup emerged from this cohort.<\/p>\n

Some of the biggest highlights of my overall experience came from the Stanford trips. Our trips to Tallinn, Tartu, and Riga were the perfect combination of educational enrichment and bonding time with the intern cohort. Boat rides, walking tours, museum visits, and late-night conversations helped me feel deeply connected to the region and to the people I shared this experience with. These hands-on experiences made the cultures of the Baltics feel alive and dynamic, and I\u2019m so grateful for every moment.<\/p>\n

By far one of the most memorable parts of this internship was the people. The VABAMU staff were unbelievably welcoming and made a real effort to ensure that we were getting the most out of our experience. From casual coffee chats to team lunches, the office was filled with kindness and encouragement. It was a genuinely positive place to work\u2014one where you could lean on your coworkers and feel uplifted by them. And of course, I can\u2019t talk about this summer without shouting out the intern team. This group was absolutely amazing. I\u2019m so unbelievably grateful to have spent the summer with Sarah and Ajsa, and I know I\u2019ve made friends for life. In every way, this internship has been transformative. I\u2019m immensely grateful for every part of it, and I know that I\u2019ll carry these lessons with me for years to come. The Baltics and VABAMU will always have a special place in my heart!<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n\n\n

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Tallinn trip in pictures<\/h2>\n
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Ajsa<\/strong><\/h3>\n

My internship at Vabamu has been one of the most enriching and multifaceted experiences I\u2019ve had. Not only did it give me the chance to live and work in Tallinn \u2013 a city full of beauty, resilience, and layered history \u2013 but it also offered me a deeper, hands-on education in Estonian culture, memory, and museum work.<\/p>\n

At Vabamu, every week brought something new. We rotated between departments, which meant we were constantly learning \u2013 whether through handling archival materials in collections, helping refine exhibition texts, or translating content for visitors. One of the most meaningful experiences for me was helping Vabamu host a cohort of international guests that the museum invited to Estonia for Laulupidu<\/em> and Tantsupidu<\/em>, the Estonian Song and Dance Festival. We helped lead the group around Tallinn, introducing them to key parts of Estonian history, guiding them through museums, and facilitating discussions about Estonia\u2019s remarkable digital society. It was special to witness Estonia through their eyes and to take part in such a culturally defining event \u2013 one that beautifully ties national identity to collective memory and resilience. Being able to contribute, even in a small way, to something so significant to the shared heritage was a privilege.<\/p>\n

One of the most challenging but ultimately rewarding parts of the internship was guiding tours through the KGB prison cells, a space so heavy with history and memory that I initially felt intimidated by the responsibility. However, as I prepared and began giving tours, I came to value the role we played in preserving and sharing the stories of those imprisoned during the Soviet era. It was humbling and powerful to speak with visitors from around the world and help them understand a piece of Estonia\u2019s past that deserves remembrance.<\/p>\n

As a Hungarian, this experience held an additional layer of meaning for me. My own family lived under Soviet occupation, and many of the personal stories I encountered in the collections and the KGB cells \u2013 of resistance, survival, and quiet defiance \u2013 mirrored the memories held within my own family. Working directly with materials that documented such experiences felt deeply personal. I was not just learning about another country\u2019s past \u2013 I was, in many ways, reconnecting with my own. Being trusted to help preserve and share these stories was both an honor and a responsibility I will carry with me long after this internship ends.<\/p>\n

I also really appreciated the weekly \u201cMuseum Fridays,\u201d where we were encouraged to explore museums across Tallinn. This gave us a more comprehensive view of the Estonian museum landscape and helped us reflect on different curatorial approaches and storytelling techniques. One of the most impactful visits for me was actually to the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia in Riga. Coming from Hungary, a country with its own history of Soviet occupation, I found it especially powerful to witness the shared threads of repression across different Baltic countries. While the individual stories and cultural contexts were unique, the techniques used by the Soviet regime \u2013 mass deportations, censorship, surveillance, intimidation \u2013 were chillingly consistent. Visiting this museum gave me a broader regional understanding of Soviet occupation and highlighted the resilience of not just the Estonian people, but of Latvians, Lithuanians, and others across Eastern Europe who lived through similar struggles. It deepened my appreciation for the work Vabamu does in preserving memory and opened my eyes to the importance of cross-border remembrance.<\/p>\n

What made this internship stand out was how involved and trusted we were as interns. Whether we were helping improve the visitor experience, translating exhibition panels, or working with fragile archival items, every task felt intentional and valued. I leave Vabamu with a deeper understanding of museum work and Estonian history, but also with a strengthened connection to my own roots. I\u2019m incredibly grateful for the people who welcomed us so warmly into the team and into Tallinn itself.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n\n\n

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Riga trip in pictures<\/h2>\n
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Sarah<\/strong><\/h3>\n

This summer I had the chance to intern at Vabamu, through the Foreign Ministry\u2019s program for diaspora Estonians, and it has been one of the most formative experiences of my academic and professional life. I came in with an interest in Estonian history, but I left with a much deeper appreciation for the day-to-day work behind preserving memory, educating the public, and sustaining institutional relevance. We worked across departments-collections, education, and marketing- each offering a different understanding of how museums function. In the collections, I helped document and preserve materials related to everyday life during the Soviet occupation, including photographs and old newspapers. These photos weren\u2019t just historical records- they were proof of how ordinary people had lived and prospered even under the worst of conditions.<\/p>\n

One of the most challenging but rewarding parts of the internship was leading tours at the KGB Prison Cells. I had never studied the history of the KGB in depth before, and the idea of guiding visitors through such a heavy space was initially intimidating. But the training was excellent, and over time I gained the confidence to tell the stories of those who had been detained, interrogated, and even died in that building. Sharing those narratives with visitors- many of whom had heard very little about Soviet repression in the Baltics- felt both sobering and important. I realised how much trust is placed in museums to not only present history accurately but to make it resonate. It was especially powerful to see how people responded to the stories of teenagers, students, and families caught in the sweep of totalitarian violence.<\/p>\n

Outside of the day-to-day work, we also had the chance to visit museums across Tallinn. I was especially struck by the Estonian Museum of Applied Art and Design, which combined aesthetics and national identity in a way I hadn\u2019t expected. The thoughtful curation and impactful exhibits made each museum visit an extension of our learning, showing us different approaches to exhibition design, narrative building, and audience engagement.<\/p>\n

At the end of the internship, I had the chance to mentor at H\u00fcppelaud, Vabamu\u2019s summer school for young innovators. For a week, we worked with teenagers from across Estonia as they developed startup ideas and turned them into working prototypes. I helped guide one team through the early stages of product development. Watching the students gain confidence in their ideas and seeing how quickly they picked up new tools and skills was one of the most energising parts of the entire internship. It was a great way to end the summer!<\/p>\n

Overall, the experience at Vabamu not only made me feel much closer to Estonia but also left me with a deeper understanding of how institutions like this shape our national identity and how we see both our past and future,<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n\n\n

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Tartu trip in pictures<\/h2>\n
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