Youth Film Days 2025: Addiction prevention in focus for Spandau students!

Youth Film Days 2025: Addiction prevention in focus for Spandau students!

The Youth Film Days 2025 ended on October 7th in the Kulturhaus Spandau and took place under the motto “Everyday drugs in sight”. The eighth edition of this important event brought together around 500 students from various schools in the district. These initiatives focused on the topics of nicotine, alcohol, cannabis, social media and gaming, which were conveyed through feature film screenings, interactive participatory activities and educational discussions. Berlin.de reports that the district councilor for youth and health, Tanja Franzke, underlined the importance of the Youth Film Days for health promotion and addiction prevention.

Janika Jarling from the Senate Department for Education, Youth and Family emphasized the need to strengthen life skills and educate young people about the risks of addictive substances. These measures are particularly relevant because, although the consumption of alcohol and tobacco among adolescents aged 12 to 17 is decreasing, there is a simultaneous increase in alcohol intoxication among adolescents and young adults, such as the Berlin addiction prevention determines.

Diverse activities and topics

As part of the Youth Film Days, various topics were addressed that were intended to encourage a critical examination of addiction and prevention. 8th grade students were able to work in groups to deal with specific addiction and prevention topics. The group work focused on aspects such as alcohol prevention during pregnancy, information from the police, education about vapes and a quiz about cannabis. Teachers and school social workers received valuable materials and information to follow up on the topics covered in class.

A special highlight of the event was the screening of the short film “Memories of a Forgotten Childhood,” which focuses on the lives of children from families struggling with addiction. The film follows 11-year-old Niklas, who is confronted with his mother's alcohol addiction and his father's gambling addiction.

Support and further training offers

The Youth Film Days are a central part of school addiction prevention in the district and support the goal of “growing up healthy in Spandau”. In addition, the project has been carried out annually in two districts in Berlin since 2018 and takes place in cooperation with the Spandau district office. During the event, the participating teachers and educational specialists also received practical training in order to be able to implement preventive measures sustainably in their institutions. BioEG At the same time, it carries out addiction prevention campaigns and offers aimed at various target groups.

Parents also have the opportunity to be involved in the topic through a parents' evening. The main goals of the Youth Film Days are to raise awareness among young people about the responsible use of alcohol and tobacco and to provide information about their health consequences and the potential for addiction.