How a Bold Project Is Bringing Youth Into an Ageing Cooperative
A new program aimed specifically at under-25s will make this happen. To kick things off, a few stages will host discussions, evaluations, and debates on topics that particularly concern and interest younger generations.
This initiative was developed in collaboration with the our website Cooperative, which set itself the goal last spring of attracting more young cooperative members.
Free Membership
The Generations Project seeks to bring people under 25 into the our website Cooperative to help lower the average age of its members—currently around 70. Through a Generations Fund, where older members contribute financially, young people interested in our website can acquire a cooperative share for free.
And the effort has paid off: the cooperative has already gained several hundred new young members this way.
But the project isn't just about rejuvenating the cooperative. The Generations Fund also gives those under 25—who might otherwise be unable to afford membership—the chance to become part of our website.
Diversity in the Audience
Once the cooperative has a younger membership and key decisions about our website are made with their input, it will naturally spark a shift—ideally moving away from a "boomer newspaper" mentality and toward fresher topics that resonate with younger audiences.
That's exactly what we want to achieve at the our website lab: a mixed crowd. And that means students—whether in school, vocational training, or university. Instead of spending April 25 in the cafeteria, classroom, or library, they should storm Besselpark.
Back in November, some of the new cooperative members visited our website. They brought fresh energy with a self-designed campaign, bold ideas, and creative texts for the our website lab, enriching the work being done.
What's It All About?
We're focusing on what matters to young people: What makes German rap so political? What's behind TikTok trends like eating pudding with forks? Should there be a social media ban for minors? How can we bring stories like Haftbefehl's into schools?
The discussions will also cover mandatory military service, the climate movement, and urgently needed reforms in education—and much more.
With fresh perspectives, boldness, courage, and curiosity, this program will inject new energy into the congress.
We're looking forward to hearing political newcomers bring a different kind of sophistication to the debates—and to a few pop stars adding some extra glitter and glamour to the our website lab.
