Osnabrück inspires: Youth Empowerment Lab in the race for the culture prize!

Osnabrück inspires: Youth Empowerment Lab in the race for the culture prize!

With a lot of enthusiasm and creative energy, Osnabrück has drawn attention to itself with the “Youth Empowerment Lab” (YEL). This initiative, which is part of the anniversary program “375 Years of the Peace of Westphalia”, was carried out in cooperation with the Global Diplomacy Lab (GDL). At this workshop, young people from 27 different countries came together to develop practical solutions to current global conflicts. The event managed to create a platform for intercultural exchange and joint problem solving.

First City Councilor Wolfgang Beckermann expressed his delight at being nominated for the nationwide future prize for cultural policy “Culture Shapes”. This award is a remarkable recognition of the YEL and the city of Osnabrück's outstanding commitment to cultural policy. "I am pleased that our application was successful. This nomination sheds a positive light on the city of peace Osnabrück," said Beckermann.

Recognition for innovative cultural policy

The “Culture Shapes” competition is organized by the Cultural Political Society based in Bonn and honors outstanding and visionary cultural projects in Germany. The criteria for the competition are diverse and include the development of cross-departmental and cross-disciplinary strategies, the risk of structural and content experiments as well as the definition of groundbreaking demands and innovative approaches.

Patricia Mersinger, head of the culture department and project manager for the 2023 anniversary, emphasized that the inclusion of numerous partners from politics, culture and business not only enriches the project, but can also serve as a model for future cultural policy initiatives. “The positive feedback and our nomination confirm this,” she emphasized.

Of the 23 projects nominated nationwide, seven are from municipal institutions. An independent jury will now select the winners, who will be honored on November 20th in Hanover. The prize, which is endowed with 15,000 euros, is intended as support for a future-oriented cultural policy. The Youth Empowerment Lab was also able to count on the support of the Federal Foreign Office as well as the youth sponsorships of 13 companies from Osnabrück and the surrounding area.

The nomination for the Future Prize not only underlines Osnabrück's innovative strength, but also the importance of cultural initiatives that address global problems. This project powerfully shows how young voices can influence the shaping of their future and encourages collaboration across borders. More details can be found in the article oskurier.de be read.