Training seminar for student representatives at the wannseeFORUM
From September 1st to 7th, 2014, 45 students met at the WannseeFORUM for a training seminar for student representatives. The participants, aged 12 to 18, were students from the Hector-Peterson-School in Kreuzberg, the Fritz-Reuter-School in Lichtenberg, and the Goethe-Gymnasium in Wilmersdorf. The seminar aimed to strengthen student representation at the local level and to explore the topic of diversity in everyday life and at school. To approach the topic artistically, the students could choose from theater, video, photo story, black and white photography, and weblog groups. Working in mixed-school groups, they prepared their projects for a final presentation on Friday. Parents, teachers, and school administrators from the participating schools were invited to this presentation, where to an audience of approximately 50 people Theatersaal presented in the WannseeFORUM's theater group presented a collage entitled "Kaleidoscope," exploring the theme of diversity in everyday life. The photo story club showcased several picture stories that addressed the diversity of shoes, different eyes, and landscapes. The black and white photography group presented individual photo series on the theme of diversity in a separate exhibition. Under the title "From Gray to Colorful," the video group a video that highlighted the diversity of opinions. The afternoon concluded with the weblog grouppublishing background research on diversity in society online and documenting the work of the other groups on a dedicated weblog. Afterwards, everyone enjoyed coffee and cake before resuming their work in the various working groups.
On Saturday, the students, with the support of the teaching team, independently conducted a role-playing exercise on student government. In preparation, the moderators were coached for their roles, and the students discussed the fundamentals of effective discussion. Then, in two parallel groups, a meeting of the entire student council was simulated, using proposals prepared by the students themselves. These proposals addressed the topic of diversity at the school and ranged from redesigning classrooms and adding greenery to the schoolyard to organizing project days on democracy and diversity. Each scenario concluded with a vote to determine whether the proposal received the students' approval and should be submitted to the school conference.
The seminar concluded with an evening buffet and a party.
Further information can be found in the weblog at kultimultiplicity.wordpress.com and in the article by two students from the Goethe-Gymnasium.