Next year, the German Children and Youth Foundation celebrates its 25th birthday. But instead of reminiscing, the educational foundation looks to the future. With the initiative 25next.
What must education do today so that young people can lead a good life in 25 years? The German Children and Youth Foundation is asking itself this question on its own 25th birthday next year. The Future Initiative 25next wants to find answers to these questions and give impetus so that the necessary changes in the education system can succeed.
Starting shot in the castle Bellevue
At the kick-off of the initiative, around 130 attending educationalists gathered inspiration from futurologists and trend researchers. On 3 July, Elke Budenbender, Patroness of the DKJS and wife of the Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, invited to the Bellevue Palace on behalf of the German Children and Youth Foundation – to the Future Day, the kick-off for 25next.
There, five future experts gave the microphone a hand: in ten-minute impulses, they created visions of the future on the stage that made the audience think. This is how Dr Florina Speth that children born in these days have a statistical life expectancy of 100 years. How will you celebrate your 100th birthday? Andreas Reiter from the ZTB Zukunftsbüro Wien provided insights from research on urbanization. He called for more creativity in rural areas so that they would not lag behind the growing cities. Trend researcher Birgit Gebhardt drew a new picture of work in her presentation. She pleaded not only to look at the economic aspects of digitization but also to look at the possibilities digitization for interpersonal networking and decentralized work. Dr Maja Gopel, secretary-general of the WBGU, spoke in favor of shaping the future together, despite all differences within society. One must also be able to withstand that there will be uncertainties. Lastly, Hanno Burmester from the Progressive Center Berlin took a look at our understanding of democracy. What has to change and what will change in the future? He, too, drew a positive vision of the future – if society can agree together on a request for this time. How do we want to live in the future, was his central question? to shape the future together, despite all differences within society. One must also be able to withstand that there will be uncertainties. Lastly, Hanno Burmester from the Progressive Center Berlin took a look at our understanding of democracy. What has to change and what will change in the future? He, too, drew a positive vision of the future – if society can agree together on a request for this time. How do we want to live in the future, was his central question? to shape the future together, despite all differences within society. One must also be able to withstand that there will be uncertainties. Lastly, Hanno Burmester from the Progressive Center Berlin took a look at our understanding of democracy. What has to change and what will change in the future? He, too, drew a positive vision of the future – if society can agree together on a request for this time. How do we want to live in the future, was his central question? What has to change and what will change in the future? He, too, drew a positive vision of the future – if society can agree together on a request for this time. How do we want to live in the future, was his central question? What has to change and what will change in the future? He, too, drew a positive vision of the future – if society can agree together on a request for this time. How do we want to live in the future, was his central question?
Seven different future designs
Inspired by the impressions of the Future Day, the employees of the DKJS have in recent weeks engaged in an extensive participation process with their own ideas of the future. What does the good life mean in 2044, when the foundation turns 50? What questions will young people face then? The result is numerous profiles of interesting fictitious personalities. The question of strengths and abilities to help characters master their daily challenges was at the center of the 14 workshops attended by the College nationwide. In the next step, the education experts of the foundation have summarized these numerous profiles,
As a result, the foundation now has seven personas, ie fictitious but typical personalities. These are very different. There is, for example, Yuri, who lives in a student housing estate in Dresden, which has meanwhile grown into a metropolis. He is involved in a neighborhood initiative, lives communal participation and fights against fake news on the Internet. Gamer Luca-Rasputina faces a difficult challenge. She has reached the top in e Sports and can only improve with the help of gene doping. Should she undergo the little-researched and illegal procedure? Social issues such as the nursing emergency are also important in the fictional personas. Mo, the nutrition expert, has to decide whether to support his parents so that they do not have to go to a nursing home. But he would have to sacrifice points from his own climate account, which decides in this future scenario on whether he may board a plane or build a house. His peer Johanna-Marie, on the other hand, has just started a start-up for exchange in the care sector. She wants to preserve humanity in this profession, which is already partially performed by robots.
What kind of education does the future need?
So entertaining and sometimes fantastic read the leaflets – the challenges described could be quite true for young people in the future. Therefore, adults are already faced with the task of thinking and providing educational programs in such a way that they prepare for these future scenarios. How can children acquire the strengths and skills that will make them capable of young adults in the future? This question will be answered in the next step of the 25next initiative. By January 2019, the foundation invites educationalists to 9 regional discussion formats. The resulting Persona profiles will serve as inspiration for the exchange of education.
Become part of the Zukunftsinitiative!
Within the framework of 25next, a future vision of education is being created, which the DKJS will present in the anniversary year 2019. The German Children and Youth Foundation is still looking for partners to implement visionary educational projects together. Support the Zukunftsinitiative and shape the future of education in Germany.