It is necessary to have spaces in which it is safe to experiment, to try out new things and discover and
show yourself. These free, open spaces are created through appreciative, confidence-building approaches.
KunstRaum Goethestrasse xtd gladly addresses and creates these spaces, as shown in the video production
for the pro mente Jugend Symposium on the topic “Übergänge im Leben junger Menschen” (EN: Transitions in
the lives of young people).
What if qualities make heroes? Young people from pro mente Jugend‘s various programs and young people
who had already completed these activities were invited to talk about heroes in the KunstRaum Goethestrasse xtd: Who are their heroes? What role do they play in their lives? Which characters do they connect with in
their lives? The questions were posed for personal reflection and then addressed in a group discussion. The
answers were transformed into images by the workshop leaders and further developed by the young people.
These images were presented in settings at different places, whereby the young people were able to take
on different roles and tasks. In further sessions, the participants engaged in drawing and experimenting with
finding their voice and expressing themselves.
The end product of this workshop series was a video, which was shown at the beginning of the conference.
At this moment in the conference, a plea was to be made for the young people, and they were able to speak
for themselves in all of their diversity through their statements in this video. The previous transitions and
fractures in the lives of these young people between 15 and 25 years were shown. Furthermore, the video
expressed their wishes, dreams and hopes for the future and offered insights into their relationships with and
the support networks of pro mente Jugend. The video productions(9) of KunstRaum Goethestrasse xtd aim
to tell stories by and about people. They are based around a theme and rooted in cross-media strategies, and
in their entirety they function as much more than just documentaries