Yes, there are times when I feel like losing all hope.
An escalating conflict between Hamas and Israel with civilians in the crossfire, populists gaining more and more traction in Germany and across the EU, the loss of thousands of lives in an ongoing war in Ukraine… and that's just off the top of my head.
But over the last month, I also felt a different feeling: A feeling of belonging, a feeling of energy, and a feeling of hope.
Why?
Because I had the chance to attend four events that made me realize that while there is a lot of conflicts in the world, there’s also people striving for good.
Event No 1:
You might know JoinPolitics, the incubator for political talents which, no matter your affiliation, supports young, democratic candidates in their campaign. Two weeks ago, they presented their new cohort of talents:
Anna Peters: Fighting for a just tax system across Europe together with the Fiscal Feminist Hub.
Javed Lindner: Ramping up the political support for patients suffering from endometriosis.
Marie Glißmann: Raising awareness for the opportunities of Europe’s democracy in Brandenburg.
Johanna Röh: Helping self-employed craftswomen in getting state support during motherhood.
Phil Hackemann: Engaging young Europeans to grab their chance in voting at the age of 16.
Event No 2:
The second was the Social Impact Award, which awarded the winners of the current batch for social startups from all over Germany:
CrowdRecht: Providing justice by helping low income citizens to cover their lawsuit expenses through crowdinvesting.
Senior Connect: Bringing new purpose to people in retirement by connecting them with their community via a platform.
BeeCharitable: Turning professional gaming tournaments into awareness platforms for NGOs.
ReBe: Making second-hand cloth shopping even cooler by finding the piece you are looking for online.
Event No 3:
A team event by Teach First Deutschland, an organization selecting and developing leaders in change and learning. Seeing the team growing into an organization continuously questioning their role and opportunities in the education system, makes me proud to be a part of their alumni network.
Event No 4:
And last, but not least: Meeting many of my favorite people from the Media Lab in Munich, a community who fosters innovation in the one place crucial in upholding democracy: Journalism. At the Medientage München, I had the pleasure to not only discuss tech trends, but also found a lot of resonance in one notion: Curing societal division by getting down from our pedestal and engaging in honest, purpose-driven interactions.
Thank all of you for your hard work. To me, you are role models, striving for a better world, and I am in awe just thinking about the good you do. To be honest, you are one of the reasons I remain optimistic about the future of our society!
Commentaires