Young people from Spandau experience exciting adventures in Wittgenstein!

Young people from Spandau experience exciting adventures in Wittgenstein!

As part of the annual school sports exchange between the Spandau district in Berlin and the Siegen-Wittgenstein district, 22 students from Spandau recently visited Wittgenstein. The young people traveled from the Lily-Braun- und Kant-Gymnasium and the secondary school at Jungfernheide and spent almost a week in the Wittgenstein adventure village in Wemlighausen. The exchange program has been running since the 1950s and has since become an important part of the partnership between the two regions [siegener-zeitung.de](https://www.siegener-zeitung.de/lokales/wittgenstein/bad-berleburg/bad-berleburg-jugendliche-aus- the twin city of Spandau in Wittgenstein at the school sports exchange 4OVPBT6Q3VDQ5KPAREQ2P2RQKQ.html?outputType=valid_amp) reported.

The program included exciting activities and explorations in the region, including visits to Siegen and Winterberg. The highlights included a night hike through the Wemlighausen forests, a visit to the Kappe adventure mountain in Winterberg with its summer toboggan run and panoramic bridge, and a tour of the Raumland slate mine. Particularly from a sporting perspective, a day of competition between the Spandau residents and students from Bad Berleburg was a highlight, in which the young people competed against each other in basketball, football and volleyball. The group was officially welcomed by Deputy District Administrator Ursula Belz in the Lÿz Cultural Center, where the students had lunch together.

Insights into Spandau's twin town

In another school sports exchange, 15 students from the Ludwig-zu-Sayn-Wittgenstein School in Bad Berleburg traveled to Spandau in June 2024. Accompanied by teachers Monika Kruschwitz and Clemens Urban, the students not only learned about the sporting abilities of Spandau, but also their political and cultural circumstances. The program included a city game to explore the old town of Spandau and a visit to the Bundestag, where the students could enjoy an impressive view of Berlin from the dome. The exchange also had an important political component: an information discussion with Bundestag member Luiza Licina-Bode made it clear to the young people about local challenges and their importance for the region.

The reception by the district mayor Frank Bewig in the Spandau Citadel and a convivial evening on the Olympic site by the Siegen-Wittgenstein-Spandau-Havelland partnership association underlined the friendly ties between the two cities. From a sporting point of view, the Spandau team ended the football tournament against Bad Berleburg victoriously, which led to a second leg in September 2024 in Bad Berleburg.

Commitment to youth

A particularly important aspect of such exchange programs is the creation of opportunities to bring young people together across national borders. Initiatives such as the European Solidarity Corps play a central role here. It enables young people between the ages of 17 and 30 to get involved in charitable projects abroad, as bundesregierung.de highlights. These programs are closely related to the goals of promoting international understanding and strengthening social cohesion. During their engagement, participants can gain a variety of experiences that support their personal and professional development.

The school sports exchange between Spandau and Siegen-Wittgenstein is more than just a sporting competition, it promotes friendship and understanding between cultures - a valuable asset in today's globalized world.