The Berlin Youth Forum has constantly evolved over its 15 years of existence. Here is an excerpt from the report on the 9th Youth Forum, which provides an overview of its intentions and tools:
The youthFORUM is the largest youth policy event in Berlin, an initiative of the state program "respectable," supported by the Senate Department for Education, Science and Research, the Berlin State Youth and Family Foundation, and the Democratic Youth Foundation. The youthFORUM is organized by the wannseeFORUM youth education center and technically by WeTeK, a youth welfare training project. Preparations for the youthFORUM are overseen by a "Large Steering Committee" of the Senate Department, within its remit for state and federal programs for democracy and tolerance. An additional expert panel, open to organizations supporting the participation of children and young people, contributes its experience and ideas to the content and structure of the event.
On November 14, 2009, the 9th Berlin Youth Forum took place in the House of Representatives with around 1,000 young people, 33 Berlin representatives, and four experts. Nine topics were discussed in groups, which—with one exception—were moderated by young people. The event began and ended with plenary sessions led by a presiding panel of three young people.
Throughout the day, over 100 projects by young people and Berlin youth organizations were presented in the corridors of the House of Representatives. An accompanying cultural program featuring performances by young people and semi-professional artists enlivened the atmosphere in the venerable Berlin State Parliament building. A youth press lounge provided on-site reporting by young people, including a live Twitter feed.
Goals and structure
The goals of the Berlin Youth Forum are:
- The Berlin Youth Forum aims to strengthen young people and projects that are committed to democracy and tolerance in Berlin.
- Young people should be encouraged to participate in political processes. Their initiative should be strengthened through exchanges with Berlin's members of parliament. The members of parliament should be made more aware of the issues and forms of expression used by young people.
- The Berlin Youth Forum aims to be a forum for self-presentation for Berlin participation projects, to encourage exchange and to offer Berlin youth work a platform for presentation.
- Political interest should be represented and promoted through new forms of media communication.
Preparation and follow-up are accompanied by meetings with active young people and online on the internet; the event day is overseen by a “youth press”.
1. The discussion groups between young people and Berlin members of parliament
The starting point of the Berlin Youth Forum is that young people and Berlin members of parliament discuss issues in topic groups chosen by the young people themselves. This year, a total of nine discussion groups were led by 17 young moderators. The exchange between the two groups offers all participants the opportunity to engage in direct dialogue in an engaging setting and to seek joint solutions to the problems facing Berlin. We see this exchange as a foundation for democratic development, especially given the increasing difficulty parties face in sparking political interest among young people and mobilizing them for political activism. If the Youth Forum can foster further connections between the two sides, it will be a significant step towards increasing youth participation in political processes.
2. The project market for youth work in Berlin
The youthFORUM provides a platform for Berlin youth projects. At the 9th Berlin youthFORUM, over 100 Berlin participation projects presented themselves at the House of Representatives this year, including all those funded by the state program respectAbel and the "Zeitensprünge" program. The projects were presented in a detailed program booklet for the Berlin youthFORUM.
3. The cultural program
Alongside the panel discussions and the project market, a cultural program took place: Over 20 artists/artist groups performed on two stages and three levels in the Berlin House of Representatives on November 14th. The cultural program also aims to reach young people who are otherwise difficult to engage in political discussions.
We have therefore focused more on offering young artists, theatre groups, dancers and performers the opportunity to present their work. Many of these artists were among those supported by the state program respectAbel.
Professional artists such as the poetry slammer Temye Tesfu, the live dub step band Bulldogs and the Berlin live drum 'n' bass formation Trap were engaged.
4. polli-magazin
polli-magazin is the online publication for the Berlin Youth Forum and the first portal in Germany for which both young people and members of parliament write. Numerous articles about the Youth Forum and all its discussion groups are published at www.berliner-jugendforum.de.