To mark the 30th anniversary of the EU youth and education programs, www.jugendfuereuropa.de six stakeholders from program practice and administration about the perspectives for Erasmus+. Roman Fröhlich, Pedagogical Director of the youth education center Stiftung wannseeFORUM, was one of the interviewees:
YOUTH for Europe: Mr. Fröhlich, what is there to celebrate from a youth perspective?
Roman Fröhlich: For us at the wannseeFORUM, there's something to celebrate: thanks to Erasmus+, we've had the opportunity for several years now to organize international youth exchanges with young people from five EU countries. As a youth education center, it's particularly important to us that young people come not alone, but with their peer group. Our methods and arrangements are quite demanding. A creative process is initiated that is very participatory. Starting with overarching themes, the young people are encouraged to find a way to express their concerns artistically, while keeping political discourse in focus. This is a process that's only possible if you engage with it. Then the result is correspondingly impressive. The young people are ambitious; they want to see a great result, which they then present at the end of the week-long exchange, and this is part of our approach. And the more friends they bring along and the more friends of others join them, the better they can meet these challenges. Together, the groups create something truly fantastic. The young people can experience a very special week with us, combining cultural and political education.
The full interview, conducted by Dr. Helle Becker on behalf of JUGEND für Europa, can be found at https://www.jugendfuereuropa.de/news/10458-wir-w-nschen-uns-dass-es-mindestens-so-weitergeht/
More interviews on the Erasmus+ anniversary can be found under “Voices on the anniversary: Erasmus+ is a program for civil society and education equally” jugendfuereuropa.de/news/10459-stimmen-zum-jubil-um-…
Photo: Tilman Hurlin from the seminar “Bridges and Borders”, October 23-30, 2016, International Youth Encounter with participants from Germany, Norway, Bulgaria, Turkey, Italy and beyond, funded by Erasmus+