With its diversity of people, cultures and landscapes, the Danube Region can generate impulses that set an example for the entire European Union. It holds opportunities that young people want to and are able to seize. Sustainable, long-term development of the Danube Region depends on the multifaceted commitment of young people and young adults.

The conference “Danube.Youth.Europe. Perspectives for the Danube Region” aims to provide a space for this commitment. The conference, organised by the Baden-Württemberg Foundation together with the State Ministry of Baden-Württemberg and the Danube Office, is a “search for future perspectives for the Danube region”. The event will take place within the framework of the International Danube Festival 2022 on 6 July 2022 at the Edwin Scharff House in Neu-Ulm (Germany).

The conference particularly targets young people from the Danube Region, project promoters and participants in the programme “Perspective Danube”, as well as interested citizens and actors from civil society. In the morning, a plenary discussion will shed light on the topic of environmental protection. Among others, Volker Schebesta, State Secretary in Baden-Württemberg’s Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, the “swimming professor” Dr. Andreas Fath, representatives of the Regional Union of Youth Associations (Landesjugendring) and international project partners will exchange views. Afterwards, individual aspects will be examined more intensively in smaller groups in a “World Café” format in the afternoon.

Guided tours, interactive workshops, discussions and film presentations will focus on questions that deal with the future prospects and thematic diversity of the Danube Region: How will people live together in the Danube Region of tomorrow? How can we ensure a region worth living in for the long term? How
can we attain this goal in a resource-conserving and sustainable way that does justice to people, animals and the environment in equal measure? How can we achieve successful participation of young people and what are the possibilities and opportunities for appreciative voluntary work? What can we do for social cohesion and the inclusion of disadvantaged groups? In order to highlight the diversity of the Danube Region, there will also be activities on art and culture as well as networking in the digital space.

The multifaceted nature of projects within the “Perspective Danube” programme will be reflected not least in the diverse World Café stations. After two years of pandemic and digital exchange, the Baden-Württemberg Foundation, together with the State Ministry and the Danube Office, is looking forward to welcoming all project promoters live again, especially for networking, and to start exchanging with one another.