Looking back: The Young Constitutional Talks inspire enthusiasm for the rule of law and the Basic Law

Last Saturday, 10 August 2024, young people and young adults came to Karlsruhe's market square to talk to Federal Prosecutor General Jens Rommel and ARD legal expert Dr. Frank Bräutigam, among others, at the Young Constitutional Talks. In bright sunshine and accompanied by a varied supporting program, the open-air stage offered space for dialogue and the topics of the young participants.

To mark the 75th anniversary of the Basic Law, Karlsruhe 2024 will be all about law and the rule of law. From the Karlsruhe Constitutional Discussions in May to the Schlosslichtspiele, which begin this week: Our constitution will be celebrated in a variety of ways and will be the starting point for exchange and discussion. Last Saturday, around 350 people came together on Karlsruhe's market square for the Young Constitutional Talks. During the five rounds of talks, teenagers and young adults discussed with experts the question of how our constitution can meet not only the present, but also the challenges of the future.   

The President of the Baden-Württemberg State Office for the Protection of the Constitution Beate Bubethe Karlsruhe Police Commissioner Caren DennerFederal Constitutional Court judge Dr. Peter Frank, Attorney General Jens Rommel, Dr. Christiane SchmaltzJudge at the Federal Court of Justice and Thomas Weber, head of Bruchsal Prison, answered the young people's questions and provided insights into the work and institutions of law and justice. In addition, the legal and media expert Dr. Frank Bräutigam and the two "law fluencers" Clemens Pfeifer and Felix Flaig from the funk TikTok channel "Die Juristen" (The Lawyers) presented the media's perspective and were impressed by the commitment of the young panelists.

"I think it's very good that we had the opportunity to make our voices heard today," says the young participant Aia M. the course of the talks on Saturday evening. Your sister and fellow campaigner Shahd M. adds: "Even if we have not been presented with any simple solutions: The main thing is that we talk about what concerns and interests us as the younger generation." And she also expresses her expectations: "Now those responsible should use the opportunity for dialog and take our concerns seriously, i.e. work on the problems."

Also Dr Cord Brügmann, Director of the Stiftung Forum Recht, draws a positive conclusion: "The input from the participants is extremely important and valuable for us. Formats such as the Young Constitutional Dialogues help us to understand how young people perceive the law. This is good for the debate on access to justice."

The young participants had prepared for the challenges of the big stage in small groups and underwent intensive workshops, training and even a school competition in some cases. The five rounds of talks on the big stage thus formed the impressive highlight of a joint mediation and event project by the Stiftung Forum Recht, the Stadtjugendausschuss e.V. Karlsruhe and KME Karlsruhe Marketing und Event GmbH with the support of dm-drogerie markt, the ZEIT publishing group and SWR, which is funded by the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth as part of the federal "Live Democracy!" program.

Further links:

Interview with Kathrin Schön, Head of the Program and Events Department of the Forum Law Foundation: What do young people want from the constitution?

Interview with Thomas Stelzl, Head of the Mediation and Education Department of the Forum Recht Foundation: In close contact with the rule of law