Welcome
Minister of State Müntefering on the start of funding for the federal programme “Young People Remember International” promoted by the Federal Foreign Office and the Foundation “Remembrance, Responsibility and Future”
Minister of State Michelle Müntefering issued the following statement today (8 December) on the start of funding for 25 projects within the framework of the “Young People Remember International” Programme:
In the coalition agreement, we made a commitment to enable more young people to visit memorial sites in future. In this way, we hope to help a young generation find its own way of engaging with our history. With the federal programme “Young People Remember International”, we want to make places of remembrance into places of learning in and beyond Europe. Places where young people can discuss the crimes of National Socialism, but also Europe’s shared past, thereby building bridges to the future – whether physically or virtually.
Adding to this, Dr Andrea Despot, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Foundation “Remembrance, Responsibility and Future”, stated:
Young people who are aware and capable of critical thinking are vital to our efforts to live together in a democratic society. Knowing the facts on and addressing National Socialist injustices make us more resistant against antisemitism, antigypsyism and racism. This is where “Young People Remember International” comes in. Moreover, the projects also tell the story of sites of extermination that are less well known, such as Maly Trostinets in Belarus, and direct our attention to ‘forgotten’ groups of victims.
Background information
From 2020, the Federal Foreign Office is providing a total of 1.65 million euro for 25 international projects within the context of the international part of the federal programme “Young People Remember”. The Foundation “Remembrance, Responsibility and Future” is implementing the programme in collaboration with the Federal Foreign Office. The aims of “Young People Remember International” are to foster bilateral and multilateral encounters among young people at historical sites of National Socialist persecution, to strengthen the international exchange of ideas among experts and to help develop digital formats for educational and remembrance work.
The German Government included the federal programme “Young People Remember” in the coalition agreement of 2018. The programme encourages young people to visit memorials and is intended to counteract growing antisemitism and antigypsyism.
You can find out more about the projects and the virtual launch of “Young People Remember International” on 11 December 2020 on the website of the Foundation “Remembrance, Responsibility and Future”: https://www.stiftung-evz.de/presse/