Youth in the US
Different realities as a conceptual basis The Offenbach team already had several years’ expe - rience in international and intercultural youth work, including collaborations with Arbeit und Leben Hessen . A project in the US, however, and specifically with Indig - enous peoples of America, was uncharted territory for everyone. But the trips in 2000 and 2002 as well as their prior experience with voluntary human rights work gave the youth workers sufficient foreknowledge of the living conditions, life perspectives, and interests of the young residents of the Pine Ridge Reservation , which they were able to draw on for their work. Social workers and teach- ers on the reservation had also engaged in an active dialogue with the Offenbach team since 2002. The Pine Ridge Reservation 2 represents the territory allocated by the US government to the Oglala Lakota people in South Dakota in the late 19th century. The reservation is con- sidered one of poorest counties in the US. For young people, this means growing up with poverty, unemploy- ment, lack of perspectives, racial discrimination, and undersupply of basic services. In the 1970s, People on the Pine Ridge Reservation staged mass protests against the continued repression and discrimination. It was also the site of civil war-like turmoil and fighting sparked by a corrupt Oglala tribal leader, who terrorized his own people with the help of state institutions. 3 Together with the traumatic consequences of centuries of colonization, genocide, and ethnocide, 4 it is hardly surprising that in many young Indigenous people this manifests psycho- logically in the form of (self-)destructive violence. Mean- while, there is also enormous potential for creativity, artistic skill, and a commitment to sport. Whether rock or Hip-Hop, dance, painting, media productions or sculp- tures, horse riding, basketball or track and field, sport and culture have always been an important means for many young Indigenous peoples of America to express their strength and resilience. So, it seemed an obvious decision to design the program for the youth exchange along these lines, in the knowledge that music, media, and sports are among the top leisure activities of young Germans, too.
From project development to imple- mentation During the development phase of the project, various methodical elements of experience-based youth work were considered: international youth work, youth cul- ture work, political education, sport, adventure educa- tion, media education, and group work. 5 These elements produced an interesting mix of workshops, project vis- its, presentations, sports activities, discussions, and excursions, with each tour taking place under a differ - ent thematic focus (for example Save Mother Earth , or Native Lives Matter ). During the two-week-long activities, approximately 28 young participants completed an action course lasting up to 16 hours each day. In their spare time, the young participants exchanged ideas on all kinds of subjects such as fashion and music, dreams for the future, sport and movies, friendship, and life in their respective home countries. Meetings with a lasting impact – on both sides The emotionally charged moments occasionally experi- enced during the exchange prompted the German project participants, in particular, to take a closer look at the real- ities of Indigenous populations. Many participants incor- porated their experiences and knowledge in school proj- ects and exams, or later in their college essays and theses. Some became involved in human rights work, while oth- ers kept in touch for years via social media and later even studied in the US. Similar observations were made among the young Lakota . Some later came to Germany, partici- pated in collaborative projects, and visited their German friends. Others took part in exchanges in the US over a period of several years, later becoming involved in local youth centers as volunteers. Requirements for US-German cooperation While the overall concept and its versatility were undoubtedly key to the success of the projects, other factors also played a role. The projects were carefully prepared in advance. Not only did the Offenbach team have a sound knowledge of US-American history and geography, including the history of Indigenous life in the US, they were also able to lead rock, Hip-Hop, and media workshops. Their prior involvement in human
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