— Midweek Meditations:
thoughts, inspiration and encouragement
from ACF community members —
Should we place hope in young people? Certainly not!, many learned ancients would have answered. ‘O tempora, o mores’, bemoaned the 1st century BC statesman Cicero his times and customs. He saw a dangerous decline of standards and morals in contemporary Rome in, among other things, children no longer obeying their elders.
In Freiburg today, many parents and teachers are in contrast affected positively by the surge in tolerance, activism, and internationally mindedness among our youth. ‘The kids are all right.’ This generation, the ‘Gen Zers’, is generally more liberally oriented, socially engaged, and globally concerned than previous. Personified by the teenage campaigner Greta Thunberg, they have called out harmful and unjust policies and practices, demanded a transformation of ways of life, and resolved, above all, to stop global warming (if necessary, by radical means).
Given that our own generation has painfully shown itself unable to deal with this existential threat, we should facilitate more meaningful engagement of youth in politics and decision-making. Indeed, global warming implicates their future more than it does ours, and we should actively include young people’s points of view, ideas, imagination, and energy in political processes going forward. (A significant first step would be to lower the voting age.)
For a young person to become a hoped-for ‘changemaker’, however, requires a certain upbringing and training. At UWC Robert Bosch College, where I teach, education is considered “a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future”. The school’s intent is to help the roughly 200 students aged 16-19 from 90 nations develop the tools and skills as well as the intrinsic motivation to face complex global challenges and to contribute to a better world. (Concretely, some teachers have advised students about how to make their participation at past ‘Fridays for Future’ protests more effective.)
To my mind, empowering young people also involves inculcating in them certain imperatives that complement UWC’s intent. These are based on personal observations from working in civil society and informed by my Christian education.
- First, don’t try to meet too many agendas. Prioritize your concerns and focus your efforts on one issue, that which you consider the most important.
- Act ethically because it is the right thing to do, and not out of consideration for tangible results. The former expresses the goodness we are capable of and brings deep joy; the latter will fuel feelings of futility and despair.
- Remain idealistic. Our ideals are necessary and highly important: they are what drive us in our efforts and should be the compass for our actions.
- Anticipate mistakes and failures in your campaigning. Respond by trying to learn from them – at least not to repeat them.
- Don’t let your passion, righteousness, and certainty as activists alienate your audience and shut down the conversations that you want to have. Vilifying opponents will not win them over.
- Work with adults. Learn what you can from their experiences and expertise and make them see the empowerment of youth not as a threat to their own power or position but as positive and mutually beneficial.
The ACF Midweek Meditations
are written by a diverse group of our church members with the intention to seek God’s fingerprints in our lives. They range from somber to humorous and are inspired by all facets of live and faith. Written by ordinary people from all walks of life, they reflect a wide range of Christian backgrounds and spiritualities.
Each week’s text portrays the individual viewpoint of its author. They might not always resonate with everyone, and are not meant to be understood as representing the Anglican Church Freiburg as a whole. Yet, as a church that is aiming to ‘Build a Community of Grace’ we seek to practice learning from and listening to one another.
We pray that these humble ponderings add a small spark of blessing to your week.
Freiburg Anglican Church 