This years seminar is taking place from 21th to 28th of September 2025 in IBZ Marienthal. We expect more then 60 students from Vrchlabi and Jilemnice, both Czech Republic, Vasteras/Sweden, Liepaja/ Latvia, Hannover/Germany, Banja Luka/Bosnia, Sieradz/Poland, Madrid/Spain and for the first time: students from the “Altiero Spinelli”-School in Torino. The general topic for the Intercultural Seminar is this year „Europa & EU – What’s next“ The topic gives plenty of space for your perspectives, feelings and ideas towards Europe.
Activities during the week
- Sunday Evening: Welcome Session, Information
- Monday 9:00: Get to know each other – games & First, short meeting of the Workshop groups (Lunch at 12:30)
- Monday 14:30 Debate Club . Afterwards start of the creative workshops, which will run the whole week.
- The evenings will be dedicated to the national presentations. Please provide us with some surprising insights of your country, games, food etc. you would like to share!
- Thursday afternoon the whole Seminar will go by train to Görlitz . Some workshops may use the opportunity also for their work (i.e. shooting photos, or a scene for the spots or the short film)
Workshops
- Seminar reporter – Karolina (PL) & Petr (CZ)
- Photography – Urban, Art teacher from Sweden
- Video spots – with Olav Gievald, media teacher from Görlitz, Germany
- Short film with Chris (tv director) & Oliver (drama teacher)
- Drama workshop with two students from Sweden
- Band workshop – Vitek, student from CZ
- Drawing workshop – Michalina, student from Poland
- Creative Writing – Aneta, Vrchlabi, Czech Rep
- Origami and Geometry – Arts and Mathematics in movement with Debora Vaona & Stefania Serre from Torino/Italy
On Friday afternoon/Saturday: Cooking, baking and preparing everything for the ultimate farewell party on saturday evening – with Linda & Sanita (Latvia)
Workshop descriptions
Drawing with Michalina: “We will learn the basics of drawing together and create a mini vernissage”. Needed: Sketchbook or set of sheets of paper A3. Pencils: 2b 4b 6b 8b. Pencil sharpener, kneaded eraser, eraser, black fineliner pen. Optional : medium you are already familiar with.
Photography: Urban from Sweden will teach you the basics of photography and then go on excursion to find new perspectives – with or without persons – artistic, stylish and yes also some times also funny. If you have a camera: please bring it with you. Laptops are also welcome.
Seminar Reporters with Karolina (PL) and Petr (CZ): The seminar reporters are into writing texts, doing video and text interviews and “press photos”. They’re using different multimedia to document the essence of the seminar – All will be published on our website, our instagram and youtube account. Some evenings they might present fancy slide shows. The workshop works highly specialised, it needs text journalists and social media reporters; photo and video reporters; one photo editor + instagram content creator; one video editor (behind the scenes video, interviews). If you like this and/or have new ideas how to report, you are welcome to join. If available bring a Camera or a laptop.
Band with Vitek from Czech Republic: The band workshop is rehearsing 2-4 songs within the week, which will be presented on final presentation Saturday afternoon. Please bring an instrument, if possible, if you want to join. A Piano and an electrical piano are in Marienthal.
Short film workshop, Chris + Oliver (Germany): The students from Germany have been/are working on a script, which will the base for the short film which we will be shooting and editing during the week. As shooting a film is a highly specialised team work, we need students who are interested in camera/light, sound recording, Editing, Set design/Costumes directing and producing. No extra equipment needed.
Spots Workshop , Olav (from Görlitz). You work in teams of 3-4 persons on a non-commercial video spot for the European idea. No extra equipment needed.
Drama Workshop. Two students from Sweden will offer drama practices, follow the flow of the group, aiming for partly written, partly improvised scenes, which will be presented in Saturday afternoon.
Creative Writing – Aneta from Czech Rep will offer a Creative Writing Workshop.
Workshop: Origami and Geometry – Arts and Mathematics in movement with Debora Vaona & Stefania Serre from Torino/Italy. Origami, the ancient art of paper folding, is a bridge between creativity and mathematics. We propose a trail that unites creativity, science and art, suited also for people with no experience in origami and for brave mathematicians, to make them discover how origami tangle themselves with geometry to achieve the beauty. The topics in the workshop are for example: Dynamic Geometry (Dynamic models that transform themselves or put themselves in movements), The maths of the origami envelopes (Elegant and practical applications in the folding), Tessellations (repeating patterns that combine aesthetics and symmetry), Fractals (chasing the infinite), Geometry in space (how to go from the flatness of the sheet to three dimensions)
Who will be in what Workshop?
The final decision who will be in what workshop, will probably be taken in Marienthal. But it helps a lot to know in advance who is coming and who is interested in what workshop. So that we see e.g. how many musicians or actors we will have and can bring the right props/equipment to Marienthal.
Notabene: To evoke the intercultural exchange, not more than two participants from one nation will be admitted into the same workshop. So to take one friend into a group is okay, two would be too much 😉
IMPORTANT: Let us know, what workshop you would like to join via this form https://forms.gle/TBf6C58w5HeyoYXQ9
Debate Club – Monday Afternoon
This Years TOPIC is: to be announced
As an example: last years topic was “Should the Social Networks be regulated by the EU?” In times of the threatening of European democracies by disinformation campaigns, of augmenting problems with cybermobbing in schools and elsewhere and the more often seen problems with the lack of self-esteem (of especially young persons) because of the heavy use of Social Media: Isn’t it time to think about a stricter regulation of the Social Networks through laws – or is the freedom of speech endangered if governments, with their political agendas, are trying to regulate Social Media?
The Rules: Every School prepares one proposition speaker/team and an opposition speaker/team. Each team has 3 Minutes for the speech. After the speeches, all speakers will continue the discussion within a panel discussion.
If you never participated a “Debate Club”-Debate, or need some help ow to prepare a debate speech check this
FEE for the participants is this year: 100€ for the participants from eastern Europe and 150€ for those from the western part.
New in 2025 because of feedback from participants: We will mix the rooms internationally. So don’t think about with whom, you wish to be in the same room (apart he/she/they is from another nation). The reception of the International Meeting Center St. Marienthal will play lottery.
If you need any more information do not hesitate to ask us via Email: chris30453 @ icloud.com
Looking forward to meet you soon,
Chris and Oliver from Hannover (Germany)
