laif foundation for independent photojournalism

With the “We in Europe” salon series, the non-profit Hertie Foundation (in cooperation with Deutsche Postcode Lotterie) deliberately creates spaces in which the question “What is European identity and why do we need it?” is not only discussed publicly among experts and prominent voices, but also across generations – with the perspective of young people at the center. Further stations are Bremen, Leipzig, Essen and Berlin! Link to the => program

At the first “We in Europe” salon in Augsburg, the audience was able to experience this through photographic works by local students.

Created as part of workshops with laif photographer Erol Gurian, the images reveal how young people think about Europe: about belonging, memory, opportunities and responsibility.

The perspectives of young people will remain central to the entire series.

Europa Salon Augsburg

Students from the Dr. Max-Josef-Metzger-Schule in Meitingen and the Leonhard-Wagner-Gymnasium Schwabmünchen spent three weeks working with their teachers on how they wanted to visually express their thoughts, feelings and attitudes towards Europe.

Our photographer Erol Gurian designed and led the workshops and was inspired by the participants’ stories. Their images and texts reveal how young people perceive their continent – as a space of opportunities, encounters and shared values. The result is an archive of young perspectives on Europe.

At the final exhibition, it became clear just how moving her work is:
The photos picked up the audience emotionally and opened up a personal level that wonderfully complemented the political debate on the podium and led to lively discussions in the foyer.

Europa Salon Augsburg

Space for participation

What a great project – a huge thank you to everyone who took part!

Teacher Isabelle Schuhladen believes that this is exactly what made this project so valuable.
When young people are given space, more happens than just “participation”.

– You think differently
– You ask different questions
– You bring in perspectives that we lack

Europa Salon Augsburg

The Europa Salon “We in Europe” was created in cooperation with the Augsburger Allgemeine.

Here you can find the link to the article.

If you are a teacher, trainer or youth work specialist and are interested in our workshops, you can find more information under the following link or send us an e-mail at info@laif-foundation.org