Fifty young Europeans to discuss regional history and identity at Second Baltic Sea Youth Dialogue in Olsztyn
From 2 to 9 September 2015, the Polish city of Olsztyn will welcome fifty young Europeans from 21 countries for the Second Baltic Sea Youth Dialogue. “Homeland reconsidered – new loyalties and redefined identities in Europe” is the topic of the youth dialogue, in which the Körber Foundation and the Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS) continue the cooperation they successfully started with the First Baltic Sea Youth Dialogue in Estonia and Russia in 2014. The 2015 programme in Olsztyn is run in partnership with the Warmian-Masurian Voivodship and is implemented by the Borussia Foundation in Olsztyn. The aim of the Baltic Sea Youth Dialogue is to gather young Europeans in border areas of the Baltic Sea region, to create a sense of shared belonging and identity based on a critical approach towards the local and regional past.
The 16 to 19 year old participants come from Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Israel, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovenia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the Russian Federation including Kaliningrad, Ukraine and the United Kingdom. They were recruited either from EUSTORY, the history network for young Europeans coordinated by the Körber Foundation, or from the networks of the CBSS. All participants share an in-depth commitment to questions of history and identity; they have all proven their competence for on-site research and the transfer of knowledge from historic context to current affairs.
The 70th anniversary of the end of WW II is at the core of the Second Baltic Sea Youth Dialogue. Seventy years ago, due to the aftermath of the Second World War and the decisions of the Potsdam Conference, borders of European countries were redrawn, forcing millions of people to move. Olsztyn, a city in the North-East of Poland and the capital of the Warmian-Masurian Voivodship, exemplifies the major challenges of border regions in post-war Europe.
What strategies did the new and former inhabitants of Olsztyn develop in response to the resettlement? How did it influence their national, regional and personal identity? Which challenges did cities have to address in the process of integrating people with different patterns of backgrounds and traditions? Is it possible to foster new identities, for example with regard to the Baltic Sea area? These are some of the questions, the young Europeans will address during their week long programme that contains interviews with eye witnesses, excursions, lectures and interactive sessions with representatives of the local government, civil society and the Euroregion Baltic. The results of the Second Baltic Sea Youth Dialogue will be documented in form of video, photography and a daily blog.
“For the Körber Foundation, the Baltic Sea Youth Dialogue is an innovative concept to help young Europeans transcend national frontiers and understand Europe and its varying narratives of the past as an opportunity for intercultural dialogue. By exchanging with peers from more than 20 countries, representatives from public life, journalists, eye witnesses and experts, they come to terms with the underlying patterns of European identity and citizenship. We are particularly happy to organise the Baltic Sea Youth Dialogue together with the Council of the Baltic Sea States and in partnership with the Warmian-Masurian Voivodship; this cooperation supports us in our mission”, underlines Gabriele Woidelko, responsible for European activities at the Körber Foundation.