about our project
The idea was born in spring 2022: After the pandemic break due to Covid we felt a big gap of communication between young people. Everybody was limited to their used environment, and thinking out of the box, exchange thoughts with people from different backgrounds of different countries became rare.
As travelling to other countries has not been possible for a long time, and getting in touch with new people got more complicated due to necessary social restrictions, we felt the need of setting a new starting point of inner-european youth networking. In the lead time of the youth gathering, the participating groups from Italy, Romania, France, Austria and Germany developed an agenda of complementing activities that complied to the commun needs of the individuals: Discussing with each other, learning from each other, and creating something sustainable.
At the end of this preparation process, we got to a 3-weeks-schedule in Weißenfels-Großkorbetha/Germany that was composed by various very different activities: There have been workshops about different handcrafts, guided by professionals, creative workshops, mainly organized by the participants, inputs about social and environmental topics, do-it-yourself-projects, where the participants developed and realized their own little projects, and of course lots of space for discussions about european, environmental social and personal topics.
With our youth exchange „Living in solidarity with each other“, we intended to create a place for discussion, exchange, networking, and learning. We built our own little society during the event. Together we discussed, learned, laughed, dealt with conflicts and worked out solutions. During those 21 days, we built a small Europe with all the differences and similarities of the individual countries, cultures, approaches, and our own privileges.
We experienced in a very concrete way the effect of being actively involved in what is going on. Through discussion and reflection, we realized that our small society can also be transferred to a European context. Every voice counts, and political engagement can make a difference – just like taking to the streets against racism, sexism, or wars.
Our youth gathering has just been the starting point, we’re up for more! Our organizations remain in closed contact and aim to create a big network through all the countries, changing society bit by bit.
about "altes Bahnwerk e.V."
The „Altes Bahnwerk e.V.“ is a very young, small association that advocates for art, culture, intercultural understanding, and the preservation of an old industrial site in Saxony-Anhalt, in a rural region in former East-Germany. The association owns a former railway site measuring 12,000 square meters, on which there is a large brick train shed from 1900, several outbuildings, and a protected water tower. The buildings have been vacant for a long time and are now being gradually converted into a cultural center. The aim of the association is to restore the buildings as a whole, as they represent a monument of their time. The site is intended to be used for art and cultural events, seminars, workshops, and lectures to revive the region and make it more attractive to new people, especially the younger generation. A woodworking and a metalworking workshop have already been set up, a seminar room with a cozy courtyard and camping area is under construction. The „Altes Bahnwerk e.V.“ places emphasis on sustainability in the construction and operation of the cultural center, which is why recycling old materials and using ecological alternatives are a focal point.
We are lucky that we were able to cooperate with the „Altes Bahnwerk e.V.“ for our youth gathering, as we could not only use the facilities of their wonderful site, but also participate in their work and contribute some work to their project. Some buildings of the social center have been restaured by the participants of our youth gathering, we engineered a new generation of compost toilets for the further use and created new spaces for future group gatherings. We had the opportunity to be temporarily part of a project that has got a vision of society that we share, and to help them to become a reality.