The public relations department conducted an interview with Timon Conrad on the subject of "youth assessments":

Who came up with the idea for this "youth report"?

The ideas were developed at a planathon in November 2021 with other young people from the three coal mining regions. The whole thing was organized by Leuphana University as part of the German government's youth strategy.

Why did you decide to take part in the Planathon?

As a region where I was born and grew up, Lusatia is very close to my heart. I want young people to have the same or even better opportunities in the future. Be it in education, training, leisure, participation and co-determination. Above all, I would like to see co-determination structurally anchored so that everyone can actively participate in it. I am committed to this.

How did you approach the project?

I initially went into the Planathon event with a relatively open mind. I had already taken part in other events, such as 'Mission2038', which were more about smaller projects that each participant could implement. However, the Planathon was about a vision with more possibilities. That was what particularly motivated me to take part.

How did the report ultimately come about?

The "Youth Report" was written by the Planathon's youth editorial team over the course of several additional virtual meetings. The recommendations for action were worked out and the ideas revised. Many of the ideas, which are listed in the appendix of the long version and serve as the basis for the summary, came from the Planathon, which was also attended by Marcus Wöckel, who studies Electrical Energy Systems at the HSZG. The Planathon brought together around 50 young people from the three coal regions of the four federal states across Germany. Marcus Wöckel was there for the Central German coalfield and I was there for the Lusatian coalfield. Selected people then attended the handover of the report to the respective state governments. Marcus was in Saxony-Anhalt and Saxony, I was only in Saxony. The report has not yet been handed over to the federal government.

Who can support the implementation of your ideas and recommendations?

I discussed the "Youth Report" with Professors Dzienis, Kornhuber and Schmidt at our university. Together with them, I am currently trying to tackle ideas that seem feasible for the HSZG, such as the climate-neutral campus. I am in lively discussions with Lukas Müller from Görlitz, who is also involved in the HSZG's University4Future process as an external consultant. Together with Annekathrin Kluttig and Florian Reß from the climate protection management team, we are looking at how our ideas can be anchored in the university's climate protection concept. I also really like the project work of Prof. Kunick and student Jonas Pfeiffer, who are currently trying to make the Görlitz campus more "climate-neutral" in the area of heating. In general, anyone who is interested can support us with ideas and energy.

What was it like for you in the State Chancellery when it was time for the handover?

It was nice for me to be able to talk to politicians. Above all, I was pleased that there was another appointment, that we were able to go through the ideas step by step and not just hand over the report itself.