Written by Nadine Kaczmarek
Everything is not as usual. The qualification of the youth guides in the district of Tübingen was also not spared from Corona. Instead of a three-day excursion to Alsace to the memorial site of the former concentration camp Natzweiler-Struthof, it was first online. This year’s class, a group of almost 30 youths and young adults, got to know each other for the first time on the computer screen. Unusual but not uninteresting. In three video conferences at the end of May, basic tools for dealing with historical content were taught, including how to weave a red thread into one’s presentation.
The kick-off was followed by a phase in small groups with experienced youth guides as tutors. The young people from different places in the district worked out biographies and events on the topic of the deportation and exclusion of Jews during the Nazi era. These regional stories were translated into podcasts and videos, a new and exciting form for some.
From July, real meetings in small groups were possible again. The first event was a jam-packed weekend with a seminar and a bike tour. Under the guidance of a peace educator, the new youth guides learned to act authentically, to position themselves on the topic of NS and to deal with groups as presenters. Those who did not listen attentively in the seminar sat on their bikes. A second group cycled a section of the “Tour of Remembrance” from Reusten to Hailfingen-Tailfingen under the leadership of district archivist Dr Wolfgang Sannwald. Beforehand, two youth guides had each prepared for one of the stations along the route. Here, as in the seminar, there was the opportunity to present live in front of a group for the first time and to receive feedback.
After the summer holidays, two thematic workshops followed. In September, the new youth guides went on “Traces of the Stumbling Stones” in Tübingen’s old town or dealt with the role of the university during the Nazi era, especially its institutes at Hohentübingen Palace. Both workshops were immediately followed by a public tour of the city, where the young people were able to pass on their acquired expert knowledge directly to their audience.
In October, the focus was once again on the “Tour of Remembrance”. At the official opening with District Administrator Joachim Walter, the youth guides once again got involved and were able to draw on their knowledge from the summer. Spread out between Reusten and Hailfingen-Tailfingen, they explained their stations in teams of two and answered the questions of the cycling audience. Well-equipped and committed, they braved the grey weather.
And then Corona came again. On-site workshops on other topics, such as hereditary health and euthanasia, had to be cancelled due to restrictions. A planned excursion to the Central Office for the Investigation of Nazi Crimes in Ludwigsburg could not take place either.
Now, as at the beginning, it’s meetings only in virtual space. Before the youth guide qualification comes to an end in January 2021, the last workshops will take place in video conferences. But the spring has shown that this is not a problem either.
EvO 20200011 en
Categories: Youth Guides / Qualification 2020
