Youth Assembly titled "Votes for Tomorrow: Our Time Matters Now!" in Wartburg district for minors and teenagers

The third conference in a series aimed at giving children and adolescents a voice in politics took place on September 20, 2024, in the city of Chemnitz. The first conference, held in Berlin last November, was a precedent-setting event, and the conference in Eisenach continued this tradition.

The conference, organised by the youth organisation "Jung und Naiv," attracted 70 young people aged 11 to 18. Workshops on various topics, including education, child poverty, health, and region-specific issues, were conducted throughout the day.

Politicians and administrative staff showed openness to the concerns of the participants, with many expressing surprise at the ideas presented. Some politicians even stayed beyond the official event's end to discuss the conference format for regular participation of children and youth in Eisenach and the Wartburg district.

Central topics discussed during the conference included the extreme teacher shortage, bullying, discrimination, lack of safety in public spaces, prevention of drug consumption, inadequate public transport network, lack of open meeting points for young people, and spaces for learning.

In a closing plenary, children and youth presented the results of the workshops and addressed specific questions or demands to the politicians. The politicians promised to incorporate the themes discussed during the conference into their work.

The scientific accompaniment and evaluation of the project were carried out in cooperation with Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, with Nadja Althaus serving as the scientific employee involved in the project's evaluation.

The project, titled "Family and Education: Thinking Politics from the Perspective of the Child," was supported by the Wartburgkreis and the city of Eisenach. A guide is being developed to enable municipalities to conduct the conference format themselves.

Overall, politicians had a positive response to the demands presented by the participants. The conference in Eisenach marks an important step in giving children and adolescents a platform to voice their concerns and influence policy decisions that affect their lives.