Unsere Schülerinnen und Schüler hatten in den Herbstferien die Gelegenheit, am Projekt „Youth Action for Europe“ teilzunehmen, das vom Landshuter Verein Europas Erfolg organisiert wurde. Bei der Abschlussveranstaltung hielt unser Schüler Leon Zuleger eine wirklich schöne und eindrucksvolle Rede, über die wir uns sehr gefreut haben.
Hello everyone,
First of all, I want to say that I am really happy to be standing here today. But to be honest, I am also a little bit sad. Because today is the end of a very special week. A week full of beautiful moments, new experiences, important lessons, and most importantly, amazing people.
When I arrived here at the beginning of the week, I didn’t really know what to expect. I knew that we would learn about peace, history, and Europe. And I knew that we would meet people from France and Germany. But what I didn’t know was how much this week would mean to me.
Because we started this week as strangers. Then we became a group. And now, only a few days later, I feel like we have become really close friends. And I think that is something truly beautiful.
During this week, we learned so many important things. One of the most emotional experiences was our visit to the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site. It was not an easy visit. We learned about the terrible things that happened in the past, and it reminded us why peace, freedom, and human rights are so important.
We also had the opportunity to listen to Gabriel Berger, who was born in 1944. He shared stories about his family and their experiences. Listening to him was very special, because history is not just something we read about in books. It is also about real people, real families, and real lives. And I think it is our responsibility to remember the past and learn from it.
But this week was not only about the past. It was also about our future, and what we can do to make the world a better place. We talked about peace and learned about historical people who worked for peace.
We also had a workshop about nonviolent communication. We learned how important our words are. Another very interesting workshop was about fake news. We learned that we should not believe everything we read or see on the internet. We learned why it is important to look at different sources before sharing something. Because false information can spread very quickly, and sometimes it can create fear, hate, and conflict. And I think this is also an important part of peace: being responsible with the information we share and the words we use.
One of the most important things I learned this week is that we don’t have to do something big to make a difference. Sometimes, a small action is enough. A kind word. Listening to someone. Helping another person. Showing respect, even when we have different opinions. Peace doesn’t always start with big decisions. Sometimes, peace starts with us. And I think that is a very important message that I will take home with me.
But of course, this week was not only about learning. We also had so much fun together!We visited Munich, explored the city, spent time together, and made some really beautiful memories. And we also explored Landshut! One of my favourite activities was our Mission Impossible challenge. We had different missions around the city. We had to take funny pictures, find different colours, and complete it together in groups. It was such a fun way to discover Landshut, work as a team, and get to know each other better. And of course, we laughed a lot!
We also had two wonderful cultural evenings. One German evening and one French evening. We learned about each other’s countries, cities, traditions, and cultures. And I think it was really beautiful to see how much we can learn from each other. And then, of course, there was another very important cultural experience… Our French friends tried Döner in Germany! And I think some of them really loved it! Maybe that was one of the most important German cultural lessons of the whole week! (…)
And I think these are exactly the moments that make a week like this so special. Not only the big activities or the important workshops. But also the small moments. The jokes that only we understand. The evenings we spent together. The conversations, the laughter, the funny pictures, and all the little memories that we created. These are the moments I will remember. And these are the moments I never want to forget. (…)
Before I finish, I also want to say a very big thank you. Thank you to all the organizers, the teachers, the team leaders, and everyone who worked so hard to make this project possible. Thank you for giving us this opportunity. (…) And thank you for bringing us together. I really hope that this project will continue for many more years. Because I wish that many other young people will have the chance to experience what we experienced this week. To learn about peace. To discover new cultures. To make new friends. (…)
This is not goodbye. This is just… see you again! Thank you so much!
Wir bedanken uns herzlich bei den Förderern – dem Deutsch-Französischen Jugendwerk, dem Bayerischen Jugendring, dem Bezirk Niederbayern und der Stadt Landshut –, die durch ihre Kofinanzierung solche wertvollen Erfahrungen ermöglichen. Unser Dank gilt auch dem Verein Europas Erfolg für die Organisation des Projekts und die Einladung an unsere Schülerinnen und Schüler, daran teilzunehmen.
