WCF Newsletter 8 / August 12th, 2009
At Eye Level with the youth of Poland, Germany and the Czech Republic
In conjunction with the 2nd WORLD CULTURE FORUM from October 8th-11th, 2009, The Daetz Foundation is inviting teens to a noteworthy youth forum in the Dresden town hall.
Date: Friday, October 9th, 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM
Peter Daetz, president of the Daetz Foundation committee, answered a few questions for us regarding the current planning phase of the “Are you as I see you?“ youth forum:
Who can participate in this youth forum?
Peter Daetz (PD): Anyone from the age of fourteen to seventeen or eighteen is welcome. We especially encourage teens from Poland, the Czech Republic and Germany to participate. Above all, we want to support and improve communications between the youths of these countries.
How and where can interested youths sign up?
PD: It’s simple – just call or send an email (contact info below). The official registration deadline is September 30th, but half of the spots are already full (teens get in free!), which means that anyone who is interested should sign up as soon as possible if they want to attend. We’re especially excited about the registration of delegated school groups, since the collective experience at the forum can be carried over into the classroom, or even into schools at large.
A printed brochure describing the goals and course of events of the youth forum is directly available from the office of the 2nd WORLD CULTURE FORUM.
What is the main objective of the youth forum?
PD: So far, the Daetz Foundation has developed three educational programs for China, India and Turkey, which were realized with the help and collaboration of the ministries of the countries involved. Over 3,600 students from secondary schools in Saxony have participated in this educational module with great enthusiasm since 2007.
We are going to introduce both new educational modules on Poland and the Czech Republic this year and discuss them with the participants. Suggestions and criticism from the students will be noted and taken into consideration when we expand the program into the classroom setting. Above all, we want to know if the youths of Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic see the “Peaceful Revolution“ of 1989 as an impetus for better cultural understanding and communication between the three countries.
Why is cultural communication, or cultural competence, so important?
PD: The results of a survey among teens was very remarkable: sixty per cent of German youths have little interest in learning more about other countries, while fifteen per cent are even sceptical towards foreign countries. We’re not talking about the radical right-wing, either. They weren’t considered in this survey. This is a fact.
Another fact is that Europe doesn’t stand a chance in today’s competitive world market unless the younger generations learn to understand other cultures and start to open a dialogue with them. Whether China, India, America, Brazil or Africa, the cultures of our competitors need to be taken into consideration. We cannot afford to wait until they come to us. Otherwise, it might be too late to take part in creating a global future.
And your personal wish for the youth forum?
PD: That everyone in European educational development considers how to establish a forward looking cultural competence in all European countries, together and specifically to create a unified Europe. Politicians, cultural ministries, school headmasters and responsible parties on the university level are all in power to make this happen. All cultural areas must be challenged: science, economics, art, religion, politics and media are all part of the cross-cultural understanding that we must install into younger generations. Our youth forum will provide a good step in this direction.
Participants in the “Are you as I see you?“ youth forum:
Hansjörg König, State Secretary of the Ministry of Culture, Saxony
Tomas Podivinsky, Consulate General of the Czech Republic, Dresden
Dr. Zbigniew Zareba, Ambassador of Poland
Prof. Dr. Stefanie Rathje, School for Technology and Economics, Berlin
Peter Daetz, president of the Daetz Foundation commitee
Presentation: Bernhard Holfeld, MDR 1 Radio Saxony
Those in charge of educational planning and the introduction of the program in the classroom setting from the Ministry of Education in Warsaw, as well as representatives from the Ministry of Culture in Prague, will also attend and participate in the forum.
Contact Info:
Daetz Foundation
037204 – 585820 or at the Dresden office: 0351 – 322 1020
Email: contact@daetz-stiftung.org
WORLD CULTURE FORUM
0351 – 26 30 99 17
Email: info@wcf-dresden.com
