At 17 ... Young People in Paderborn

The exhibition project “At 17 … Young People in Paderborn” offers young adults the chance to talk about their city. What is it like to live in the microcosm of Paderborn? What freedoms do young people enjoy here, and what constraints must they endure? How do they navigate between the reality of life in the rural region of East Westphalia and their virtual lives in the global youth scene via Internet and smartphone? The Museum Paderborn would like to bring young people into the museum and establish itself as a place where one can discuss life-relevant issues.

The project focuses on youngsters around the age of 17 from various cultural and social backgrounds. As experts in youth culture, they plan to develop themes and media for the exhibition and set them in relation to specific items in their museum collection. Starting with a search for historical evidence, the project will organise workshops with local partners, such as cultural associations, the university radio station and a publisher, to portray how young people envision themselves and their world in Paderborn today. The participants could, for example, go to the museum and investigate the biographies of young Paderborn inhabitants of the past. Or they could creatively express their views of Paderborn in photo and writing workshops, or talk about people or places in Paderborn that are meaningful to them on a radio programme.

The working process and project structure will be developed in collaboration with the Youth Welfare Office which has years of experience with working with young migrants and refugees. In addition to the special exhibition, the city museum’s permanent exhibition and collections will offer young people and visitors the possibility of suggesting new perspectives and negotiating issues of memory and identity in a heterogeneous urban society.

Partners: Paderborn Youth Welfare Office, Zwischenstand e.V., Lektora Verlag, Paderborner Kreaturen e.V. and others