The 40th International Youth Meeting took place in Dachau from 30 July to 12 August 2022. Politicians, contemporary witnesses and long-standing supporters of the IYM were invited to this special anniversary. And, of course, a special programme was also on offer. This year, the event could only take place with a total of 50 participants due to the coronavirus. Right at the beginning of the IYC, the participants attended the concert by Besides at the Karmel Monastery in the concentration camp memorial. The concert, organised by Bernadetta Czech-Sailer (BDL, Dachau District Office), was an extraordinary experience for all guests.
As usual, the two weeks of the International Youth Exchange were filled with many workshops, excursions, the Day of Memorials and, of course, many programme items to celebrate together and get to know the country and its people.
Various workshops on the topics of anti-Semitism, (anti-)discrimination and racism were on the agenda for the participants during the IYC. They also learnt about the history of the Dachau concentration camp memorial and Germany’s Nazi history. The programme was livened up with yoga in the Max Mannheimer House, joint excursions to Munich and Garmisch-Partenkirchen and, of course, a visit to a beer garden for the international participants.
The IYM’s most important events are the eyewitness talks. We are delighted that Ernst Grube, Dr Borys Sabarko and Peter Gadosch took the time this year to share their experiences with the participants.
The anniversary celebration then took place on 6 August in the Max Mannheimer House. The Mayor of Dachau,Florian Hartmann, welcomed the guests and applauded their commitment to dealing with the topic of National Socialism in Dachau. This was followed by speeches from District Administrator Stefan Löwl, District Councillor Marese Hoffmann and Dr Bernadetta Czech-Sailer (Dachau District Office/Partnership for Democracy and former IYM team member). This was followed by a question and answer session on art and resistance in Russia with the artists from Pussy Riot. Marija Aljochina referred to Bernadetta Czech-Sailer’s speech and emphasised that people’s indifference is the breeding ground for the increasingly fascist Putin regime and the war in Ukraine. However, she also described the many forms of resistance, which are also punished with draconian penalties. When asked to what extent there were still remnants of a democratic order, she emphasised that under Putin, democracy was always just a façade, which has now completely fallen away.
During a trip down memory lane, Frank Striegler (founder of the IYC), Klaus Schultz (former Chairman of the Advisory Board of the Youth Guest House), Gisela Joelsen (long-time project manager of the IYC) and Birlin Kurfer (former team member) shared their experiences and memories of the early days and the first years and decades of the youth exchange.
During the day, visitors were able to visit the exhibition on the history of the IYC, pass the time with games, get creative at the graffiti stand and, of course, meet and exchange ideas. In the evening, the concert by the Kremlin-critical punk band PUSSY RIOT was a fitting end to the special anniversary. Basically, the concert is a representation of the actions and a guide to creative resistance. The choreography comes like a thunderstorm with booming sounds and gloomy images. Masha’s book Days of Uprising is the story that is impressively told in the performance. Accompanied by the punk sound and dance performance, the guests also travel to the show trials and then to the prison camp. The audience and the press were fascinated. Many of the visitors crowded round the merchandise stand afterwards, bought shirts and books, had them signed and had their photo taken with the activists. It was a special experience for everyone involved.
After this eventful day, Pussy Riot visited the memorial and in the afternoon, contemporary witnesses, participants and guests came together for a contemporary witness café.
The anniversary year was a special one. But we are also looking forward to welcoming more young people to Dachau again in 2023 – hopefully in year 1 after the pandemic.