Coordination Center for German-Czech Youth Exchange Tandem

The coordination centers for the German-Czech Youth Exchange Tandem in Regensburg and Pilsen are the central specialist agencies in the Federal Republic of Germany and the Czech Republic for youth and school exchanges between the two countries. The coordination centers started their work in 1997 on the basis of a joint declaration by the ministers responsible for youth work in both countries.

organization

The coordination centers are two formally independent national institutions. The coordination center in Regensburg is financed by the Federal Ministry for Family, Seniors, Women and Youth and the Free States of Bavaria and Saxony in a ratio of 60 to 30 to 10 percent. The sponsorship lies with the Bayerischer Jugendring . The Coordination Center in Pilsen is administratively attached to the University of West Bohemia and is supervised by the Department for Strategies and European Affairs of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport of the Czech Republic. The work plan of the coordination centers is determined annually at a meeting of the German-Czech Youth Council - the highest body at bilateral level, composed of representatives from ministries and youth associations from both countries. Around 15 employees each work in both offices.

history

After the end of the Cold War and the reunification of Germany, the Federal Republic tried to regulate relations with neighboring countries to the east on the basis of bilateral agreements. In a neighborhood agreement with Czechoslovakia (1992), a chapter on youth exchanges was added. However , this did not include the establishment of a German-Polish youth organization as provided for in the German-Polish neighborhood agreement (1991) . The contracting parties merely expressed the conviction that “the future development of mutual relations depends to a large extent on mutual understanding and the active participation of the young generation” and that they “will therefore support and promote encounters, exchanges and cooperation between young people” . Following an initiative by members of the Bundestag and representatives of the youth associations, the Federal Government was asked in 1996 to set up a coordination center for German-Czech youth exchanges, which was officially established at the first German-Czech youth meeting on September 3, 1996 in Polička by the Federal Minister for Family Affairs, Seniors, women and youth Claudia Nolte and the Czech Minister for Education, Youth and Sport Ivan Pilip in a joint declaration of intent. Both sides expressed the opinion that the establishment of two national coordination centers would be the more appropriate form of institutionalized cooperation than a supranational youth organization. The coordination centers then started their work in April 1997.

task

The coordination centers promote mutual rapprochement and the development of friendly relationships between young people from Germany and the Czech Republic. The main areas of activity are:

Advice and support for everyone who is or would like to organize German-Czech encounters between children, young people and schoolchildren
Financial support for German-Czech cooperation in the field of children and young people from funds from the Federal Children and Youth Plan (since 1998) and from funds from the Czech Ministry of Education (since 2012)
Further training of specialists in youth work
Expert activity for the German-Czech Youth Council - the highest body for questions of youth exchange on a bilateral level, as well as for the responsible national ministries

literature

Alena Felcmanová: Srovnání polsko-německé a česko-německé spolupráce mládeže. Bakalářská práce IMS FSV Univerzita Karlova v Praze, Prague 2008.
Carsten Lenk: History česko-německých setkání mládeže. In: Jan Lontschar: Česko-německé setkání: příručka pro školy a sdružení dětí a mládeže. Plzeň 2005.

Web links

Individual evidence

↑ Treaty between the Federal Republic of Germany and the Republic of Poland on good neighbors and friendly cooperation of June 17, 1991, Art. 30/2
↑ Treaty between the Federal Republic of Germany and the Czech and Slovak Federal Republic on good neighbors and friendly cooperation, Art. 29
↑ Carsten Lenk: History česko-německých setkání mládeže. In: Jan Lontschar: Česko-německé setkání: příručka pro školy a sdružení dětí a mládeže. Plzeň 2005.
^ Declaration of intent by the Federal Minister for Family, Seniors, Women and Youth of the Federal Republic of Germany and the Minister for Education, Youth and Sport of the Czech Republic on the establishment of coordination offices for German-Czech youth exchanges. September 3, 1996 in Polička.

[1] Treaty between the Federal Republic of Germany and the Republic of Poland on good neighbors and friendly cooperation of June 17, 1991, Art. 30/2

[2] Treaty between the Federal Republic of Germany and the Czech and Slovak Federal Republic on good neighbors and friendly cooperation, Art. 29

[3] Carsten Lenk: History česko-německých setkání mládeže. In: Jan Lontschar: Česko-německé setkání: příručka pro školy a sdružení dětí a mládeže. Plzeň 2005.

[4] Declaration of intent by the Federal Minister for Family, Seniors, Women and Youth of the Federal Republic of Germany and the Minister for Education, Youth and Sport of the Czech Republic on the establishment of coordination offices for German-Czech youth exchanges. September 3, 1996 in Polička.