Over 30 students from Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Germany and Poland climbed into the tree house on Wednesday, June 15 with group leader Karo Pietraho from Wedding. They were part of a 12 day youth exchange for people from 12 to 25 years old called “Jugend in Aktion“. The EU project aims to strengthen the role and profile of youth mobility and democratic education in youth work in the participating EU and partner countries in Central Asia. The main aim of the project is to motivate young people to participate in civil society and to shape their environment actively. Civic commitment is a sign of a vibrant democracy.
Das Baumhaus serves as an example where people from all fields of life and nationalities get together voluntarily to create something meaningful. Our intern Margarita could even welcome our guests in Kazakh, a language she learned while growing up. “Dobrze!”, project manager Anna also remembered some relicts from her Polish class while explaining how the Vertical Gardens work. Eventually, Scott elaborated on the concept of sustainability and answered many questions.
“Why don’t you use compost toilets?” “What about installing a webcam so everyone can see how the plants grow?!” We were happy for the questions and advice people in the group had for us. It was an afternoon of mutual inspiration.
