Future Fund promotes German-Czech projects

The German-Czech Future Fund is supporting more than 220 new cross-border projects. At its most recent meeting, the Board of Directors made more than 1.4 million euros available for this purpose, as a spokesperson for the Future Fund announced in Prague on Thursday. Part of this will go to projects on the theme of the year "The Generation of our Century". The aim is to enable young people to creatively express their dreams and hopes as well as their doubts and fears.

Pupils exchange ideas

The Elsenfeld secondary school in the Lower Franconian district of Miltenberg and the Christian Doppler Grammar School in Prague have opted for a literary approach. Using works by Franz Kafka and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, pupils will ask themselves questions about self-perception and current issues, according to a statement.

Pupils from Kranichfeld in Thuringia and Uhersky Brod in the Czech Republic will also meet for five days. They will have the opportunity to compare their perspectives with those of their peers from the neighboring country. At the end, they will create a joint manifesto for their generation.

From glass art to paragliding

A glass symposium for children is also planned, which will provide hands-on experience of the craft under expert supervision. On the German side, the municipalities of Zwiesel and Frauenau in the Lower Bavarian district of Regen are involved as partners. Other funded projects include an international youth fire brigade camp in Behringen in Thuringia and several paragliding meetings in the Bohemian Central Mountains, which are expected to attract more than 100 paragliding enthusiasts.

Question of further funding

The Future Fund was founded in 1997 to contribute to understanding between Germans and Czechs. This year, the parliaments in Berlin and Prague are to decide on the continued financing of the fund from 2028. A few days ago, the Future Fund therefore presented its activities at a parliamentary evening in the Bundestag. "Strengthening the Future Fund is an investment in stable bilateral relations on which a strong Europe is based," said Stephan Mayer, Chairman of the German-Czech Parliamentary Group. The CSU politician is also President of the Association of Expellees.