Location
Chemnitz, St. Johannes Nepomuk Community Centre
St. Johannes Nepomuk Community Centre, Hohe Straße 1, 09112 Chemnitz
Our society is facing profound demographic changes - and with them the question of how to deal with old age, ageing and the stories it brings with it Particularly in cities like Chemnitz, one of the demographically oldest cities in Europe, this question is becoming a touchstone for social cohesion and cultural self-image.
The "History of citizens" project has embarked on a special journey: Young people interviewed contemporary witnesses about their lives in the 20th century - about upheavals, new beginnings, losses and finding meaning again. The conversations were recorded, artistically processed and presented in a variety of formats.
The evening event will provide an insight into the experiences, challenges and learning successes of this intergenerational work. What happens when a young person aged 17 meets an 80-year-old contemporary witness? What do they learn from each other? And how does this change our understanding of history, age and European identity? Because in the life stories of others, not only courage and dignity can be discovered, but also sources of strength to strengthen one's own resilience - in dealing with personal and social changes.
The event invites you to listen, ask questions and empathise - and shows how personal life stories can become a collective memory.
Panel guests:
- Dr Ulrike Lynn, Representative of the Catholic Church for the European Capital of Culture Chemnitz 2025, employee History of citizens
- Lisa-Maria Mehrkens (moderator), project manager History of citizens, employee Kulturkirche 2025
- Fr Benno Schäffel, Provost of the Catholic Parish of St Mother Teresa Chemnitz
- Alexandra Takats, Head of Team Generations with Participation of Older People for the Capital of Culture gGmbH
- Constanze Gruber, art teacher at Pablo Neruda School
- Paolo Cecconi, Head of Chemnitz City Archive
- Anja Diering, interviewee in the project
The event is being organised in cooperation with the Catholic Academy, the Catholic parish of St. Mother Teresa Chemnitz and the Capital of Culture Chemnitz 2025 and is part of the Capital of Culture project "Generations in dialogue about change, ageing and Europe"
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