April 25, 2024
Last Monday, Cathryn Clüver Ashbrook spoke to some 70 students in the auditorium of Janusz Korczak Secondary School about the US election in November and the possible implications for Europe and the world. The main topics during the event were the two US presidential candidates, Joe Biden and Donald Trump. Cathryn Clüver Ashbrook provided a detailed analysis of both politicians and their intentions and strategies, and discussed the general state of democracy in the US. The students participated actively in the discussion by asking questions about different aspects of the coming election. One question was why Trump is allowed to run for office despite being the subject of multiple criminal investigations. For many young people, the electoral system in the US is difficult to understand. In addition to the election, Ashbrook talked with the students about the media landscape in the US. At the end of the gathering, she emphasized how important it is to have a functioning democracy and made it clear how crucial each individual’s contribution is for strengthening democratic systems.
The aim of the experts’ school visits is to share detailed knowledge of various political and social issues, and enter into a dialogue with the students in order to discuss opinions, challenges and solutions. What has become clear is that during the meetings many complex topics can be explored and analyzed with the students, topics for which there is often too little time in the regular school day. The speakers’ input is well received – for one reason, because the young people are discussing the current events with outside experts and not their teachers. In addition to Ashbrook, Miriam Kosmehl and Hauke Hartmann have visited schools in Gütersloh to talk to students about the war in Ukraine and the state of democracy worldwide.
The school visits are part of the project Zeitenwende on Tour (Historical Turning Point on Tour), which the Liz Mohn Foundation is organizing this year in Gütersloh for the second time together with the Munich Security Conference. The conference series has been touring Germany since 2022. At the “townhall meetings” held throughout the country, specialists from the Munich Security Conference talk with ordinary citizens about the historic changes in Germany’s security policy. The unique aspect in Gütersloh is the age of the audience, since the event there is explicitly aimed at students in order to include their ideas and opinions in the Zeitenwende series. This year, the gathering will be held on June 24 and will take place at the Bertelsmann Stiftung for the first time. The panel of high-profile experts will include Christoph Heusgen, chairman of the Munich Security Conference, as well as students from Gütersloh’s schools, who will share their perspectives on global political events.
Pictures and further information on both the expert workshops and Zeitenwende on Tour can be found on the Liz Mohn Foundation’s social media channels: @lizmohnstiftung
