On 31 August 2019, the wannseeFORUM Foundation in Berlin, Germany received the Council of Europe’s Quality Label for Youth Centres for the period 2019-2021 and thus became the 14th youth centre to be honoured. The award ceremony was held in the presence of Sigrid Klebba, State Secretary of the Berlin Senate Department for Education, Youth and Family and Antje Rothemund, Head of the Youth Department of the Council of Europe.
Dr Franziska Giffey, Federal Minister for Family, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth, congratulated the Centre on receiving the award. Quoting former German president Richard von Weizsäcker, she said “Where freedom, human rights and pluralism are, that is Europe”. Dr Giffey applauded the WannseeFORUM’s approach to youth work through dialogue, mutual understanding and respect, opening up young people to Europe’s values.
The Council of Europe Quality Label for Youth Centres labels youth centres for their achievements in promoting Council of Europe values in youth policy. The European Steering Committee for Youth (CDEJ) decided to award the Quality Label to the wannseeFORUM Foundation for the outstanding pedagogical approach in its political, cultural, media and arts education programme. Being the oldest of the Berlin-based youth residential education centres, wannseeFORUM Foundation has an outreach to young people aged 12-27 from the city and the Federal State of Berlin. The universal human rights and democratic values make up the core of the centre’s philosophy.
