From February 16th to 20th, 2026, the students of the
Willi-Graf-Gymnasium, the Paulsen-Gymnasium and the Friedenauer Gemeinschaftsschule to explore the topic of "voting and being elected" and learn about upcoming elections in schools, districts and Berlin.
On Monday, the students arrived at the seminar, got to know each other, and explored various aspects of the upcoming week through a series of activity stations. At one station, the students created a collage of their ideal school using magazines and other materials. Another station focused on the schools themselves, their current topics, problems, and projects. At a third station, the students tried out a card game in which they pitched project ideas for different challenges facing schools, thus promoting student participation. Finally, at a final station, the students tested their prior knowledge of elections in Berlin and at their school. In the evening, they had another opportunity to get to know each other better through some longer icebreaker games.
From Tuesday to Thursday, the participants had ample time to explore the theme of "voting and being elected" in their respective workshops through artistic expression. In the dance theater workshop, they rehearsed a collaborative choreography; in the analog black-and-white photography workshop, they developed compelling images; in the stop-motion group, they filmed an interesting movie; in the creative writing workshop, they crafted captivating texts; and in the rap workshop, they produced a collaborative song
On Wednesday at noon, the seminar group received a visit from SPD member of parliament Orkan Özdemir. Everyone had previously prepared questions and topics they wanted to discuss with the politician. These included how one becomes a politician and what daily life in the state parliament is like, but also sensitive issues such as conscription, discrimination, and education policy. This insight into a broader dimension of politics was then processed and discussed further after the meeting.
On Friday, the day finally arrived: all participants, teachers, and workshop leaders came together to see the results at the presentation. We would like to make the results available to you if possible. Below you can see what the participants accomplished in just one week.
Seminar results
"More Show Than Substance" is the title of the story developed in the "Creative Writing" group. The authors collectively explored what might happen if only the most popular people were chosen, without considering the candidates' qualifications. The story was illustrated with various images to convey impressions of its fantastical world.
You can find the story and pictures here.
What would a world look like in which no one votes anymore? The participants in the stop-motion group explored this question. Over the course of a week, they worked together on set, editing and assembling the footage and adding sound. The result was the film "The Blueman Show.".
The participants in this workshop spent days taking photos, which they then developed by hand in our photo lab. Each photographer took the time to realize an idea that captured and presented the theme. At the presentation, they then jointly displayed a small exhibition of their photographs.
Click here to see the individual photo series from the workshop group.
"Planting Thoughts"
"Day and Night"
"A Snippet and the Whole Truth"
"The Beginning of the End"
After some rhyming exercises, the rap workshop participants wrote lyrics together. They then tackled the seminar's theme and showcased their skills in a live performance. The rap video also demonstrates the amount of work the group put into their project. You can watch and listen to the rap "You Have the Choice" right here.
The rap video will follow next week!
"Welcome to the Revolution" was the title of the piece performed by the dance theatre group on Friday. They rehearsed, brainstormed, and staged diligently in preparation for the performance.
At the end of the week, their piece served as a collective call for greater awareness and conscious voting.
We would like to thank all participants, teachers and workshop leaders for a successful seminar.
