Based in the Berlin district of Moabit, the High Five project has increased political awareness among local 15-25-year-olds through the organisation of year-round weekly workshops, 14-day summer schools and two annual youth assemblies in autumn. These events helped young people recognise opportunities for political participation and gave them a platform on which to express their views – in some cases directly to politicians.
- 10 July 2020
On the basis of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, we make young people aged 15 to 25 aware of their own needs and enable them to inform themselves politically, exchange ideas, form well-founded political opinions and learn about democratic processes and participate in their own environment. We put them in a position to actively campaign for their rights.
High Five workshops provided a forum for discussion of the contemporary political situation, issues young people encounter in their daily lives and historical political topics.
Subjects covered at weekly workshops included children's and youth rights, the climate, links between the national socialist past and current disenchantment with politics, and the precarious housing situation for young people in Berlin. The topics were considered in more depth in creative workshops during the summer schools and at the youth assemblies.
‘Nobody is listening’
One of the foundations of High Five was the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Building on the principles underpinning the convention, the project worked with young people to help them become socially responsible adults.
Due to negative past experiences, many people invited to take part expressed the view that ‘nobody is listening to us’. The project tried to counter these experiences and provide participants with a framework within which to discover their own political interests, identify problems and work to solve them.
Socially disadvantaged young people, including those with disabilities and from migrant or refugee backgrounds, were an important target group. High Five looked to help them deal with discrimination and make positive use of their life experience.
The diversity of the groups that attended the activities fostered tolerance and respect, a sense of equality and a realisation that everyone, whatever their origins, can engage in their communities and uphold rights and obligations.
Linking politics to young people’s lives
High Five’s weekly workshops were organised in such a way as to stress the relationship between political issues and young people’s lives. For instance, many workshops in 2019 focused on the Fridays for Future climate movement.
The summer school format allowed political topics to be integrated into creative, craft and sporting activities. One example was an upcycling sewing workshop in which the making of new t-shirts from the material of old ones was accompanied by reflections on the throw-away society.
At the assemblies, the young people – many of whom had never attended a conference before – put their concerns to politicians of all parties, including some from the Berlin Senate. Conclusions were drawn on topics discussed over the year and subjects for the following year were considered.
At the first assembly, it was agreed that young people should have a right to affordable housing. The second identified racial profiling as a theme for 2020. Both assemblies promoted the project to people from outside Moabit.
High Five formed part of the Education in the Quarter programme, a component of Berlin’s Future District Initiative. Education in the Quarter supports educational actions that use existing resources to improve quality of life and increase participation in society for residents of disadvantaged neighbourhoods.
Total investment and EU funding
Total investment for the project “High Five! Jugendrechte im Quartier” is EUR 148 060, with the EU’s European Regional Development Fund contributing EUR 103 642 through the “Berlin” Operational Programme for the 2014-2020 programming period. The investment falls under the priority “Sustainable urban development”.