Why do you want to participate?

The Youth Freedom conference will give me the platform and connections to "save Lommel from going bust." I won the 2023 German Federal President's History Competition and eventually published my findings (ISBN 978-3-9821831-8-3) on WWII Polish PoW and exiled soldiers' situation in Northwest Germany. Since, I've engaged in many remembrance projects, which eventually led me to the German war cemetery in Lommel, Belgium. The German war graves commission pulled their support in 2024. Since then, I've been advocating and lobbying for the continued existence of the pedagogy work at this sight. I've written dozens of letters to politicians, made hundreds of calls, and utilized every political connection that I've got. My entire free time is devoted into keeping Belgium's largest German cemetery with over 40,000 soldiers from being forgotten. I've gotten some success in my endeavour, yet what I've achieved up until now is not enough, certainly not if I don't engage with more political actors. The remaining funding can only last until the end of 2025, yet the raison d'être of Lommel hasn't been realised yet: The Youth wants to remember and needs to remember the trauma of war from a multiperspective lense. Such initiatives are rare and have to be pushed. Therefore, I plead that you will see my application also as a way in having a lasting contribution towards the uncertain future of the pedagogy learning center in Lommel.

What does freedom mean to you?

Freedom does not wait for anyone. What inspired me to write the book on Polish PoW in Northwestern Germany was the parallels towards the history of my grandparents, who fled communist Vietnam in search for a future free from fear. The Polish PoW and exiled soldiers also seeked this. Freedom starts from our doorstep and extends to every neighbourhood. The mere fact that we are free of hunger, thirst and needs manifested my blindness towards the past suffering of Poles and Soviet soldiers in my hometown. Having lived in Vietnam myself, I understand the worth of freedom of expression. Advocating for freedom is the backbone of my social and political engagement. I see freedom as a result of earnest and inclusive discussions. Discussions which include voices that are unheard before. The youth is only truly free when all voices are heard, regardless of their educational background. With the rise of populists around the globe, marginalized voices, different opinions, and diverging life-paths form the push for us to reconsider the "blindness" against freedom within our immediate surroundings. Freedom is not the absence of rules, but the right to say "no" towards the wrong path. My advocacy for Lommel and my research project point this truth out: How much freedom does an individual have when faced with collective pressure? Therefore, presenting this question will be my foremost objective in engaging with other perspectives. It is the first step in making the unthinkable thinkable. In a certain way, even that is freedom - We can choose to make the unthinkable thinkable despite the societal pressures placed upon us. Freedom doesn't wait for the perfect moment - It requires us to actively seek it out.

What are the biggest challenges?

Uncertainty is the word to describe everything that has happened since the start of the 2020s. Without a doubt, freedom is not just limited to the freedom of one's own capacity to create and live their own lives; Freedom can also mean the freedom from something. I believe that the Youth of today doesn't have to freedom from being confronted with uncertainty. Despite of the improvements that are present in our every day, a gloomy sense of uncertainty confronts us daily, be it via social media or the general mood of the public. What shocked me most was when I talked with a group of my sister's friends recently. These 5th graders knew nothing of German politics, except that there is a right-wing extremist party called the AfD that says foreigners are out to get them. I wish I invented this story, but the truth is: Social media algorithms are forcing us to watch what we don't want and the dopamine-kick is preventing young children from turning it off. The apparent lack of social and educational offers in rural regions, like mine, underline the need for offline opportunities to actually engage with their communities, nation and beyond. The Youth needs to win back the freedom to feel secure against uncertainty again. I believe that is only achievable if institutions are serious in funding programs that give the youth the feeling of certainty again. We need a future that is bright - not just in it's conception but also in it's public image.

Do you have a message?

I understand that the Youth Freedom Conference is looking for university-educated individuals. I'm 20 and am not in university until this summer, because of one teacher's opinion in 7th grade to demote me to a trade school. I have engaged eagerly in civil societies, government organisations and now for Lommel - To simply not take me because of the educational requirement would discard the true impact that my work has done in the fields of advocating for youth remembrance culture, and Polish-German-Belgian dialogue as a whole. I understand if my application might not be perfect, however, I urge you to consider me for this opportunity to truly advocate for Lommel all the way towards the highest level of NATO and the UN. The youth deserves to have multi-perspective and international learning and remembrance centers like in Lommel - My work directly contributes to the stated mission of the Youth Freedom Conference, and will be elevated through the Youth Freedom Conference. The greatest struggle in all of my advocacy work is the dismissive nature of older people against the apparent lack of lines in their CV. I want the needs of young people be heard and the struggle of us to be studied, just as we young people have to hear and understand the struggles of the past to reflect on the future. Often times, it is the dissection of the past that leads us to confront the future in new way. I wish for you to sincerely take into account my established achievement with Germany's highest-endowed history research competition, my published book, my intensive high-impact advocacy in Lommel, locally, and beyond. Freedom affects all people, university-educated or not, and advocacy requires the voice of the many.