In February, we still hoped for a last-minute rescue of the youth education center. Now, all that remains is an obituary: We endorse the statement issued by the Kaubstraße youth education center:
Ver.di is closing its youth education center
The ver.di youth education center Konradshöhe will have to cease its long-standing political education work at the end of March 2017, as the union has terminated its lease.
We would like to express our displeasure and incomprehension here: In our opinion, it is a fatal signal that ver.di is sending by closing its political youth education center in Berlin Konradshöhe – in times when nationalism, right-wing populism and racism are becoming increasingly socially acceptable in Germany and many other countries, political education that is geared towards diversity and democracy must not be abandoned!
Berlin's youth education centers are a crucial component of political education in the city – they offer young people the opportunity to engage with social structures and create spaces where they can examine their perceptions and opinions about others. The centers support young people and young adults in standing up against exclusion and for democratic processes. We see this work as an urgent necessity in the fight against social exclusion and right-wing populist tendencies.
By terminating the lease and thus closing the youth education center, ver.di is destroying important political youth education work!