On 28 June 2018, 14-year-old Jakub Vaugon, who lives and studies in France, visited the Institute of National Remembrance. During a history lesson in a school in France, Jakub defended the truth about Polish history. He protested against a statement in a French handbook for middle school teachers which stated that Poles were auxiliary staff for the SS in the Treblinka extermination camp. His reaction led to Jakub encountering a number of unpleasant situations. The book entitled "Histoire Geographie 3e" was published by the HATIER Publishing House and was used in France in 2012-2016. Jakub's attitude fits in with the mission of the Institute of National Remembrance, namely defending Poland’s good name and fighting against defamation.
It is worth mentioning that Jakub Vaugon is a laureate of the "To be a Pole" (“Być Polakiem”) competition, aimed at raising awareness, shaping and strengthening national identity as well as developing patriotic attitudes of children and young people living outside of Poland. The organizers of the competition are: the Senate of the Republic of Poland, the Sejm, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the ”Wspólnota Polska”Association, the Center for the Development of Polish Education Abroad, the Council of the Polish Polonia, the European Union of Polish Communities and the “Świat na Tak”Foundation.
Dr Mateusz Szpytma, Deputy President of the Institute of National Remembrance met with Jakub who is passionate about history and presented him with educational materials including games produced by the Institute such as "Miś Wojtek", "Reglamentacja", "Awans", "303", "Znaj Znak" along with IPN’s latest publications.
Jakub Vaugon had the opportunity of visiting the Institute’s escape room at the ‘History Point’ educational center. The 60 minute game enables visitors to familiarize themselves with the history of the Accursed Soldier. In addition, he visited the IPN Archive, the "heart of the Institute". Jakub also got acquainted with the functions of the videocomparator and found out how archival materials are stored and preserved.