Meeting of the Council of the German-Polish Youth Office in Warsaw

The Council of the German-Polish Youth Office met in Warsaw on February 19 and 20, 2026, to adopt the budget and annual planning. Furthermore, a new thematic focus for the years 2027 to 2029 was discussed, which is intended to shape upcoming program work. Tim Scholz (SJD-Die Falken) participated on behalf of the German Federal Youth Council (DBJR), while Lena Bloemacher (DBJR Board) attended the meeting representing the German Bishops' Conference. On the sidelines of the meeting, an exchange took place with the Polish national youth council, PROM.

International youth work is one of the core areas of responsibility of the German Federal Youth Council. Within various committees, the DBJR advocates for favorable conditions in international youth exchanges, ensuring that as many young people as possible have the opportunity to gain experience meeting peers from other countries and that youth policy is conceived across borders.

In addition to organizing youth encounters and professional exchange programs, engagement in the field of international youth policy also includes close cooperation with specialized agencies and funding bodies for international youth work. This includes the German-Polish Youth Office / Polsko-Niemiecka Współpraca Młodzieży (DPJW). The DBJR is represented both in the highest decision-making body, the Council of the German-Polish Youth Office, and in the "Funding Guidelines" working group. The latter develops recommendations for the further development of the framework for funding German-Polish exchange programs, which the Council then decides upon.

Cooperation with the Polish Youth Council PROM

The DBJR has been a close partner since the founding of PROM. One of the largest joint projects was the trilateral seminar "Common Memory, Common Future," which took place from January 24–27, 2015, on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. The seminar, whose main theme was the role of youth education 70 years after the Holocaust, was organized by the DBJR together with PROM and the Council of Youth Movements in Israel, CYMI.