„My Witten, Shaping the Future“
The project „My Witten, Helping to Shape the Future“, which was launched in May 2020, was a complete success and offered young people the unique opportunity to actively take part in shaping their environment and to engage intensively with political topics. The aim was to strengthen the young people's personal commitment and to spark their interest in political decision-making processes. The participation of those involved was at the centre of everything – they largely designed the project themselves and developed their ideas on their own responsibility.
At the beginning of the project, the participants met in a one-day workshop to get to know one another and to gain an overview of the project's goals and course. In a second, two-day workshop, they were introduced to legal topics such as the right to one's own image and personality rights, and received sound training in the use of video and photographic technology – a solid foundation for the work that followed.
In six further two-day workshops, the young people deepened their knowledge in the areas of design and dramaturgy, storyboard creation, shooting planning, footage review and editing. Two five-day workshops, which took place during the summer and autumn holidays, enabled the participants to put their ideas into practice: they shot films, took photographs, conducted interviews and realised their creative visions.
At the end of the project, the results were presented in a large presentation, which formed an impressive conclusion to the joint work. The young people were able to proudly present their projects and share their experiences with others.
A central goal of the project was not only to convey technical knowledge and creative skills to the young people, but also to foster their social and democratic competencies. By actively helping to shape the entire project, the participants developed important skills in the areas of teamwork, communication and democratic decision-making. They were able to experience and strengthen these values in practice, which supports them in their role as committed and responsible members of society. We would like to sincerely thank the Landschaftsverband Westfalen Lippe (LWL), whose funding made it possible for us to carry out this valuable project.
