Since 1994, a wonderful network of 20 schools from European countries has been working together on projects in the IBZ st. Marienthal (Czech Republic, Germany, Latvia, Italy, Spain, Lithuania, France, Great Britain, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Bosnia and Herzegovina). They are not just using their classrooms to study individual European topics, but they make st. Marienthal twice a year to a place where Europe grows together from its very base!
The Network St. Marienthal aims to foster a sense of unity in Europe by creating a ‚small-scale European educational area‘, encouraging young people to connect personally and sparking their interest in the personal, economic, political and environmental challenges across borders. Back in 1994 and 1996, teachers from the partner schools met annually at the convent of St Marienthal to plan joint activities and brainstorm ideas for future international meetings of pupils, all related to projects. In 1997, they successfully organised two projects: a music workshop and a central meeting with participants from all Network St. Marienthal partner schools. This meeting centred on the ecological and economic issues of energy production from burning brown coal in the area between Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic. Focusing on current problems and inspiring young people to take initiative was also key during the second central international meeting of pupils at St Marienthal in 1998. The history workshop explored ‚From the Second World War to the House of Europe‘. Following a project in 1999-2000, they developed a concept for an ‚Ecological house‘ to accommodate disabled people, built sustainably with special attention to their needs. In 2001 and 2002, they worked on a project called ‚European theatre‘. Finally, in 2003 and 2004, they addressed intercultural conflicts in the seminar ‚European film‘. Back in 2005 and 2006, we looked into ‚Democracy and media‘ and ‚Right-wing extremism‘. Then, in 2007, we explored ‚Together for Europe – 50 years of Roman Treaties‘.
Since 2002, we’ve held a yearly network meeting with the theme ‚reminding you of the past to bring on the future‘. Young people from network schools spend six days with concentration camp survivors, discussing their experiences and learning about dictatorships in their countries. These projects cover various subjects to appeal to diverse backgrounds and skills. International work groups stay in touch online for a year to collaborate on tasks. Seminars show young people in Western and Eastern Europe eager to connect, listen, and work together creatively in a supportive environment. Sharing personal stories from international meetings is crucial for success, so we’ve made efforts to spread the word through presentations, slide shows, films, exhibits, and media contact. Also because it isn’t possible to listen to witnesses of these events, it’s switched its topic to an inter religious seminar since 2016.
Over the years, Network St. Marienthal has grown into a vibrant community that helps schools work together in new ways. We’ve built connections among teachers, launched student exchange programmes and even allowed individual pupils to gain work experience in nearby European countries, all thanks to our partner schools. The international meetings of pupils at St. Marienthal convent are still the highlight of the project, sparking new ideas and activities by bringing together the best from partner schools.
This project presents many challenges, but we’re hopeful that overcoming them will enhance communication, increase the range of activities and boost support for projects among the pupils of partner schools.
Finally, we must acknowledge that a network like this needs the support of friends. We’re grateful for all the material and ideal support we’ve received so far. We especially want to thank the EU, the Free State of Saxony, the Robert-Bosch-Stiftung and the Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt (German Foundation for the Environment) for generously funding the network’s activities.
