Retrospective
Exhibition "What to do with the Youth" with the FHP Mobil
"What to do with the youth?" – The first semester of the Social Work degree programme at the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam began in 2024 with this question.
Over the last few decades, the housing market has become increasingly tight, which is particularly noticeable for people on low incomes or in challenging life situations. Affordable housing is also hard to find for young people in Potsdam. What this can mean for the start of a self-determined life is conceivable and yet a reality that is quickly forgotten.
In order to show this reality and the perspectives of young people without a home or shelter, the Department of Social and Educational Sciences has organised an exhibition in cooperation with the "Junge Wilde" housing project of the AWO district association in Potsdam. In addition to the reality of young people's lives, the exhibition also explores the opportunities, possibilities and challenges of the "Housing First" concept.
The exhibition was opened on the 24th of June at 2.00 pm on the square in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Brandenburger Straße with a day of action and was on display there around the clock in the FHP Mobil until the 27th of June.
On the 8th of July 2020, the results of the project were presented to young people affected by homelessness in the casino of the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam and discussed with social work experts, the Potsdam city administration and city politicians. Michael Schmidt was present on behalf of aNDERE, Mathias Kaiser for the CDU and Isabelle Vandre for the LINKE. Mr. Svejda from the housing department took part in the discussion on behalf of the state capital of Potsdam. Two social workers from the "Junge Wilde" (AWO) residential group and two employees from the AWO Potsdam care leaver project were also present. Sylvia Swierkowski took part on behalf of the Stadtjugendring Potsdam; she is also the lecturer at the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam who initiated this project at the FHP and worked on it with the students. The cooperation partners will now remain in contact with the young people concerned in order to further advance the topic of "affordable housing for young people", especially for young people affected by disadvantage in terms of youth policy. A first, important step has been taken.
