Youth Gathering Happening in Wiesbaden on a Global Scale
Youth Exchange Program: Social (In)Justice - A Journey Towards Solidarity and Empowerment
The Youth Exchange Program: Social (In)Justice, held in Wiesbaden, Germany, was a transformative experience for young participants from both Germany and Albania. The exchange, organised by the Children, Youth, and Neighborhood Center Biebrich (JUZ Biebrich), the Wiesbaden International Specialist Office of the Youth Department in the Office of Social Work, and the Arka Youth Center Shkodra, aimed to explore and address social justice issues, fostering a deeper understanding of social injustice and inspiring active commitment to improving community wellbeing and human dignity.
The program emphasised direct encounters with issues of social injustice, such as poverty, inequality, and discrimination, often through community-based service and immersive learning experiences. Participants engaged in service immersion, vocational skills training, and advocacy for safer working environments and gender-inclusive solutions. Creative expression, including rap, dance, graffiti, poetry, and performance, was also employed to explore exclusion, racism, and social injustice, fostering youth voice and cultural engagement.
The central theme of the Youth Department in the Office of Social Work was "Social (In)Justice - Let's get the good life!". The young people visited the city council chamber and briefly stopped by the office of the Mayor, reinforcing the importance of local leadership in addressing social justice issues. A special highlight was the visit to the European Parliament in Strasbourg, where the young people approached the topic through various methods and formats, including city tours, cooperative tasks, and joint reflections on life realities, chances, and inequalities.
The encounter was a return visit to a trip of Wiesbaden youth to Albania in summer 2024. After an official welcome, the young people received their EU Youth Pass in the large festival hall. Leisure activities included visiting the Neroberg climbing forest, the Dialog Museum in Frankfurt, a breakdance contest at the Schlachthof, joint cooking, and an excursion to Rüdesheim.
Dr. Patricia Becher, the Deputy Mayor for Social Affairs, Education, and Housing, stated that young people who meet across borders, listen to each other, and think together about social justice are a strong democratic promise. In collaboration with Spiegelbild - Political Education Wiesbaden e.V., the young people explored Jewish history in Wiesbaden and its current relevance.
The Youth Exchange Program: Social (In)Justice seeks to blend education, direct service, skills development, and creative expression to inspire and equip young people as leaders for equitable and just communities, making concrete impacts both on participants' lives and the communities they serve. The program promoted lifelong commitments to service and social justice, encouraging youth to not only understand systemic issues but also become proactive agents of change within their communities.
The Press Office of the State Capital Wiesbaden published this press release. Citizens can contact the responsible department or office with any questions regarding the Youth Exchange Program or similar initiatives. The exchange served as a strong sign of young people for a solidarity Europe, going far beyond a holiday program, enabling personal encounters, joint learning, and mutual recognition.
- Engaging in various activities such as service immersion, vocational skills training, and advocacy during the Youth Exchange Program: Social (In)Justice, participants gained a deeper understanding of social injustice and were equipped as leaders for equitable and just communities.
- The Youth Exchange Program: Social (In)Justice, by blending education, direct service, skills development, and creative expression, aims to encourage youth to not only understand systemic issues but also become proactive agents of change, fostering a solidarity Europe and lifelong commitments to service and social justice.
