RevierUPGRADE 2.0. Young minds for a life-enriching future in Cottbus and Halle

With the decision to phase out lignite, structural change is in full process in Central Germany and the Lusatian mining region, raising the question of how the future of these regions will be shaped. In Cottbus, Halle, and many other places, intensive negotiations are currently underway that will have a decisive impact on the development and future opportunities of the younger generation. Although new projects and initiatives are being launched in many places, the perspectives of young and socially excluded people are taken into account still too rarely or insufficiently. Social and ecological aspects are also often given low priority. Many young people want to actively co-create these processes of change, but encounter barriers: lack of information, lack of opportunities for participation, complicated words (such as “structural change”) and processes, lack of support and too little freedom. Moreover, often they are not being taken seriously, and they gain the impression that they have little or no influence on political decisions.   

This is exactly where the RevierUPGRADE 2.0 project comes in. For the project team from BUNDjugend Brandenburg and UfU, it is important to strengthen young people’s ideas and visions for socio-ecological development. The project builds on the experiences of the “RevierUPGRADE. Wir. Jetzt. Nachhaltig.” project and once again focuses on the cities of Cottbus and Halle (Saale). Together with teenagers and young adults between the ages of 16 and 27, we want to experiment, learn from each other, and show how aspects of change can be realized ecologically, socially, and fairly at the local level.

The project focuses on the topic of water (justice): Water is the basis of our lives and, in times of climate change, a key to future-oriented urban development, biodiversity, and quality of life. Especially in regions where groundwater levels have been lowered by former coal mining and new water-intensive industries are emerging, ideas for the responsible use of this resource are needed. For example, almost half of the Spree river still consists of water from lignite mining. The foreseeable future shortage continues all the way to Berlin, Germanys capital.  

We ask ourselves: What can a climate-friendly and livable future look like in Halle and Cottbus? What does structural change mean in concrete terms in our neighborhoods? What will actually happen to the open-cast mining areas? How can we take the future into our own hands? What responsibility do we all bear for the conscious use of water as a precious resource?  

We address this and many other questions in a variety of formats. In two-day Future Labs, participants get to know regional change agents, take part in inspiring excursions, and discover their own ideas and new forms of engagement. In practical hands-on workshops, small areas are ecologically enhanced together, for example through flower strips or climate beds. A series of discussions on the topic of water provides space for knowledge, exchange and new perspectives. And with a digital structural change action map, we highlight where change is already happening in both cities and where young people can get involved. Along the way, we learn that mapping methods offer great potential for a different approach to understand and engage with space.  

The aim is to gradually strengthen the network of young people who want to and are able to help shape their city.