Berlin/Frankfurt am Main, September 17, 2025. “Democracy needs courage!”, this was the message of the 3rd IB Congress entitled “Together! For Diversity, Participation, and Democracy.” Last weekend, the hybrid event organized by the independent provider of youth, social, and educational services brought together experts from practice, academia, politics, media, and public administration in Berlin. In addition, it attracted around 300 participants.
A key priority for the organizing team was ensuring that children and young people present were able to represent their interests and contribute their positions equally. The IB President Mrs. Petra Merkel opened the congress, emphasizing the importance of social cohesion. She stressed that it must be actively shaped. Democracy, she said, does not live from watching, but from taking part. She quoted former Federal President Christian Wulff: “Democratic diversity may sometimes be exhausting, but its opposite is narrow-mindedness.”
In his keynote, journalist and author Dr. Ronen Steinke criticized the myth that institutions like the IB should not take political positions because they receive tax money: “You can and should always stand up for this Basic Right. In fact, I expect it from you,” he emphasized.
Hugo, six years old, founded the “Ice Cream Party” and won the election in his kindergarten
The IB presented several of its many practical projects for democracy: Six-year-old Hugo from Jena reported how he founded his own “Ice Cream Party” and won the election to his KITA parliament with it. He explained how important shared goals are in politics, in Hugo’s case, eating ice cream together. Nine-year-old Elijah gave insights into his everyday life at the IB children’s home “Tim Täumel” near Leipzig. Students from the bunta Education Center for Health and Social Services at the IB in Rostock spoke about their participation in the “School without Racism” initiative. Representatives of the IB voluntary services pointed out that a Voluntary Social Year must not be a privilege reserved for children from wealthy families.
Other topics of the IB Congress included the framework conditions for foreign skilled workers in Germany, the needs-based implementation of inclusion in educational support services, digital education, and gender equality.
Prof. Karim Fereidooni of Ruhr University Bochum explained in his contribution on young people’s understanding of democracy, with and without migration backgrounds: “Racism is not a struggle between people with and without a migration background, but a question of culture.” Many recordings and presentations will soon be published for all interested parties at www.kongress.ib.de