Blog post - 20. Jun 2025

Yes, it was warm. Yes, the days ran from Wednesday to Friday. And yet the VW trainee group was fully involved.

But let’s start at the beginning. Unlike usual, this time the project days started on Wednesday and not on Monday as usual. The programme therefore had to be adapted slightly. It started with a project day on discrimination and its consequences. It turned out that the trainees were able to incorporate a lot from their own experience into the day, especially when it came to the topic of ‘classism’. The basic principles were worked out and empathised with.

The second day was also divided into two parts. Firstly with a workshop on the topic of values and affiliations. The focus here was primarily on self-reflection on one’s own values and affiliations, but also on discussing which values are universally valid. The trainees then dealt with the dangers of fake news and AI. The trainees proved that they know their way around the digital space and were able to quickly establish self-references – incorporating their own experiences.

Fridays are often less productive than the rest of the day. Not so this time. And this despite the fact that the topic of the NSU and right-wing continuities of violence is not an easy one. The trainees investigated the history of the NSU victims and their relatives as well as right-wing terrorist attacks in Hanau and Munich. However, there was one cute little distraction on Friday. A very trusting cat from the neighbourhood of the Alter Gasometer e.V. simply wandered through the rooms and checked the quality.

Once again, the VW project days made it clear that it is not only extremely important to deal with these topics, but also that the trainees are aware of their responsibility.