Longing for Freedom – Youth Freedom Conference

On 16 June 2023, pupils from Saxony, Poland and the Czech Republic will meet at a historic site, the Bautzner Straße Dresden Memorial, to actively explore the concept of freedom.

For them, who grow up in free countries and only know communist regimes from stories or lessons, this day will certainly be particularly exciting.

In various stations, the pupils can deal with the topic in different ways and creatively. A giant graphic and a mail art project are planned. There will also be an opportunity to visit the memorial and talk to contemporary witnesses.

Schedule

from 10:30 Arrival

11:00 Welcome by Christian Piwarz (Minister of State for Education Affairs)
Introduction to the conference by the moderator

11:30 a.m. Open offers
Workshops, presentations, talks with contemporary witnesses or historians, guided tours of the house with audio guides

12:30 Young people in resistance to dictatorships. What is freedom worth to me today?
Minister President Michael Kretschmer in conversation with Dr Nancy Aris (Saxon State Commissioner for the Reappraisal of the SED Dictatorship), Klaus-Rüdiger Mai (author) and Saxon pupils

13:30 Lunch

14:00 Open offers
Workshops, presentations, talks with contemporary witnesses or historians, guided tours of the house with audio guides

15:00 Project presentations in plenary session

16:00 Conclusion

An event organised by the Saxon State Chancellery in cooperation with the Bautzner Straße Memorial, the Saxon State Commissioner for the Reappraisal of the SED Dictatorship, Aktion Zivilcourage and Kultur Aktiv.

The project “zusammen.Halt” is run by the Bautzner Straße Memorial and in cooperation with Kultur Aktiv. It is funded by the federal programme “Jugend erinnert” (Youth Remembers) to come to terms with the injustices of the GDR and will run until the end of 2023.