During the last years, the transatlantic relationship was facing many challenges, and perception of German-American partnership has changed on both sides of the Atlantic, especially among the younger generation. The year 2021 brings major changes to the political agenda of both countries offering a window of opportunity to revitalize the transatlantic collaboration. In order to do so in a sustainable way, an awareness of the past achievements of the relationship is as much needed as an openness for new ways to fill it with fresh perspectives. This process cannot be pursued without the involvement of the general population, and especially youth.
TAR 2030 will engage young Germans aged 15-18 in thinking about how Germany and the USA can work together on national and global challenges. Participants will get to know about the history and current status of the transatlantic relationship, analyze existing advantages and challenges of the partnership, and based on that will develop their own Vision 2030. Moreover, active involvement of young people from rural and urban areas will give them spaces and opportunities to express their interests, get hands-on experience in participation and decision-making processes, and reimagine the existing patterns of transatlantic relationship.
Project Goals
Within the scope of diverse and interactive activities, the project aims at enhancing comprehensive understanding and appreciation of the transatlantic relationship among German youth, and creating the youth-led future of the transatlantic relationship.
Target Groups
The project will involve German youth aged 15-18 from rural and urban areas. Through the process of creating a facts based vision for the transatlantic relationship and the involvement of the U.S. Embassy representatives, the perception of young people as actors of change among local stakeholders will also be raised.
Activities
The following activities are taking place within TAR 2030 project:
1. Online Quiz
As a starting point of the project we are developing an online quiz on the history, milestones and current state of affairs of the German-U.S. relationship. Its content will be interactive and engaging to make the topic appealing to our target audience, but also informative and comprehensive, letting the participants get acquainted with the topic in a playful manner. Altogether, the quiz will be conducted by school teachers in at least 20 classes, engaging a minimum of 400 young people of 15-18 years old.
2. Online Simulation Game Workshops
Based on the results of the quizzes, we will develop a tailor-made simulation game that will address the main current global issues that transatlantic relationship has to deal with, and confront players with challenges that require problem-solving capabilities and cooperation from both sides of the Atlantic. Players will also reflect on the values Germany and the USA share, what threatens them, and what potentials, challenges of the transatlantic collaboration are there. The simulation game flow will initiate a dialogue process where all involved participants feel welcome and secure to raise their voices.
Together, the online quiz and the simulation game will set a solid base for the participating youth in getting a comprehensive understanding of the transatlantic relationship, and will serve as a starting point in finding a new vision for the future transatlantic cooperation.
3. Idea Competition
Participants of the simulation game will be invited to engage in idea competition, aimed at critically addressing the status quo of transatlantic relationship. Based on their view on, and understanding of strengths and weaknesses in current policies, participants will develop and submit their ideas regarding a vision for the transatlantic relationship in 2030.
4. Future Lab and Final Event
Based on the submitted proposals, 25 young people will be selected whose ideas for the transformation of transatlantic relationship will be clustered into subcategories (e.g., security policies, environment, culture, etc.). Together, participants will develop concrete scenarios and recommendations for each topic to shape the future of the German-American cooperation, and its potential political and geo-political environment. The results will be presented to and discussed with the U.S. Embassy representatives, and then the feedback will be incorporated in the final version of the common Vision 2030.
In the end, participants will present their final Vision 2030 and engage into discussions about it with the invited guests – U.S. Embassy representatives, Members of Parliament, think tanks, educational actors and others. Bringing in as many voices and angles as possible will diversify the debates and strongly benefit the discussion. Letting the younger generation influence long-term strategies and bringing them and relevant stakeholders together, we will also set a base for lessening the feedback loop between policymakers and German youth, and bring closer the two sides of the Atlantic.
Outcomes / Achievements
As a result, the project will enhance comprehensive understanding and appreciation of the transatlantic relationship among German youth by increasing the knowledge about the history and current status of it, raising the recognition of transatlantic cooperation and identifying challenges in dealing with current global issues. Moreover, the youth-led future of the transatlantic relationship will be created through development of Vision 2030 for the transatlantic relationship based on issues important to the participating youth and promotion of the younger generation’s vision among relevant stakeholders.
