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Future of democracy: Students in Eisenach demand more participation!
International students debate democracy, polarization and shared values in Eisenach at the Wartburg Festival 2024.
Future of democracy: Students in Eisenach demand more participation!
In the heart of Eisenach, during the important Wartburg Festival of Democracy, an exciting international student forum took place in the town hall from October 14th to 18th, 2024. Students from different European countries came together to debate the alarming state of democracies in their home countries. Their joint declaration, which addresses the danger of increasing polarization, calls for a strong commitment to transparency, social inclusion, freedom of expression and human rights. “We, the students, want to stand up for these basic values,” the participants explained emphatically.
A festival of democracy in Eisenach
The Society for the Study of the History of Democracy (GEDG) and other important foundations invited people to this indispensable festival for the second time. Christian Faludi, head of the GEDG, explained the importance of the event: “Our Wartburg Festival format is intended to strengthen the democratic culture of remembrance and enable a lively discussion about the past and present of democracy.” During the forum, students had the chance to share their experiences in workshops and discussions and to develop concrete strategies to promote democratic participation.
The highlights included an inspiring visit to the legendary Wartburg and a creative workshop at the Wartburgradio. A special event was the panel discussion on October 16th in the Rokokosaal, in which local students also took part. Committed voices such as Felix Hormig from the University of Dresden and Silke van Dyk from the University of Jena came together here to discuss the challenges of polarization. Mayor Christoph Ihling praised the exchange as crucial for trust in democratic values and the need to unite different perspectives.
The week ended in the Nikolaikirche with a gripping lecture by ARD chairman Kai Gniffke about the dangers to democracy in the age of Big Tech. He emphasized the importance of respectful dialogue in order to protect democracy. The Wartburg Festival will continue in the coming years with the aim of intensifying transnational interaction and steadily increasing the number of participants. The declaration that has been developed will be published soon and is intended to enormously increase awareness of democratic engagement.