Easy come, easy go – youth education in changing circumstances
The eightieth anniversary of Germany's liberation from Nazi terror, political instability, and the wars in Europe and the Middle East were the issues that preoccupied us politically. The ups and downs of the past year didn't spare the wannseeFORUM either. After much uncertainty, we received two-thirds of the increased funding from the state of Berlin for 2024. However, it was unclear whether the 2025 tariff adjustment funds for independent organizations would be financeable through additional funding, or whether we would have to manage the increase without public funds. We took to the streets with other organizations to protest the cuts, and our voices were heard: the funding was granted. The late adoption of the federal budget also presented several challenges. The lengthy budget approval process led to delays in the use of federal funding and uncertainty in seminar planning. Our occupancy schedules are typically finalized a year and a half in advance.
A place for dialogue
Despite all regional, national, and international tensions and conflicts, the wannseeFORUM remained a place of dialogue. Enabling democratic learning and fostering encounters between young people with diverse perspectives was also successful in 2025.
Last year, we primarily hosted children and young people from Berlin. However, we were also able to welcome young people from all over Germany, as well as from Europe and Israel, despite the war and crisis in the Middle East. They all came together to learn, gain experience, and develop their own perspectives and ideas about the world we live in.
From the main topics
The federal election was a central topic at our institution, particularly in the first quarter. In seminars focusing on "Participation and School," participants engaged intensively with questions of intergenerational fairness, opportunities for co-determination, and the impact of political decisions on their daily school life. It became clear time and again: political maturity begins in the classroom! Empowering students to represent their interests and to understand school as a space for political experience was one of our most important goals for 2025. Seminars on "Respect in School and Society" and the training of student mentors formed a crucial foundation for this. Our Respect Charter served as a guiding principle, as did the experience that treating each other with respect is a prerequisite for civic courage and social engagement. The necessity of safe learning environments was also demonstrated in seminars focusing on "Democracy and Society.When participants openly express anti-democratic and antisemitic views and attempt to dominate the discourse, the facilitators are required to take decisive pedagogical action with the necessary sensitivity. This is necessary both to preserve the safe space and to open the educational space for personal and political development to all who wish to participate. It is also crucial to encourage critical learning processes among proponents of misanthropic attitudes. Our Respect Charter has proven to be a reliable support in this regard, both in our national and international educational work. Misanthropy does not respect national borders. Therefore, it is all the more important to promote dialogue and dismantle prejudices. The rise of antisemitism presented us with particular challenges in 2025. Thanks to funding from the State Agency for Civic Education and support from the New Israel Fund, we were able to bring the comic exhibition "How are you? – Against Antisemitism, Hate and Racism" to Berlin and integrate it into our seminars.
Despite all the difficulties, it was possible to facilitate two encounters between young people from Germany and Israel. One of these even involved young people who identify as Palestinian. Friendships developed not only here, but also at other seminars.
To mark the anniversary of the liberation of Europe from Nazi terror regimes, young people from Germany and Austria, among others, came together. The participatory seminar was part of the 11th cycle of the EU Youth Dialogue, in which young people engaged in discussions with politicians. The results were forwarded to the National Working Group and thus to Brussels in January 2026.
The discussion surrounding the use of social media was a key theme within the focus area of "Digitalization and Democracy ." Here, the examination of artificial intelligence and its impact on democratic processes was central. In artistic workshops on audio, film, graphics, game development, and image creation, participants explored the use of digital media in a hands-on manner and grappled with questions of digital self-determination and external control, opinion formation, and identity development. The interplay of analog and digital working methods opened up diverse approaches and helped to alleviate anxieties about technological developments. The workshop principle once again proved to be an effective method for initiating learning processes at the wannseeFORUM. This was true not only here, but also within the focus area of "Cultural Education. At the international art workshops held at Easter and in the summer, young adults from across Europe came together. They developed and formulated questions on the relevant issues of our time. Through the discovery of new and the deepening of existing artistic techniques and skills, they developed their own unique and exceptionally creative approaches.we offered focus on "Social Issues and Political Participation," a summer camp for the first time for children and young people from low-income families who have experienced discrimination. Fifty young people came together to discuss classism. We were able to draw on the report by the Council of Europe's Commissioner for Human Rights , which, among other things, points out that poverty and income inequality have increased significantly in Germany in recent years. The Strockhausen Foundation and the Kreuzberg Children's Foundation covered the required co-payment.
Definitely worth mentioning
In 2025, the youth advisory board once again provided a significant impetus . The young people themselves planned and carried out activities such as Pentecost LAB and cultural evenings impressively demonstrate how political education becomes effective through self-organization, initiative, and collaborative action. Participants take responsibility for planning, implementation, and evaluation, experiencing a sense of self-efficacy – an experience that extends far beyond individual projects. That our programs are of interest not only to children and young people but also to multipliers from abroad is illustrated by our international activities. In 2025, we were pleased to welcome multipliers from Belgium, Bulgaria, and Romania . Our speakers were welcome guests at conferences in Bulgaria, Luxembourg, Finland, and at the Council of Europe in Hungary. As a youth education center certified by the Council of Europe, we were also represented at the Fourth European Youth Work Convention in Malta and were able to present the Respect Charter. We also further developed our relationships with Armenia. Lilit Gevorgyan spent several weeks as a guest at the wannseeFORUM and other institutions of the Association of German Educational Institutions. We expect a group of experts from there in 2026.