A week ago, Kilian Winhart was elected deputy state chairman in Unterschleißheim. In May 2020, the 17-year-old founded the Freising trainee and student union. With his new office, he would like to advocate ongoing classroom teaching and better communication between politics and youth during the pandemic, as he did in conversation with the SZ Freising told.
SZ: Mr. Winhart, you have been elected deputy state chairman of the student union. Why did you stand up?
Kilian Winhart: A new era is now beginning at the state level. Most of the previous state executive had been in office for more than four years and had already finished studying or training. In an organization for trainees and students, this is not really ideal. In this respect, my aspiration, but also the aspiration of all candidates, was to rejuvenate. We succeeded: We now have almost only students and trainees on the state executive board. So we finally live up to our name. We also wanted to realign ourselves in terms of content, I think it’s always good when you bring a breath of fresh air with new heads.
With your new office you will have new responsibilities. Which visions would you like to implement?
Two topics are particularly important to me. On the one hand, that we get more attention again. At the moment it is like this: In the last few years the media have not noticed anything about the student union at state level. If you google “Schüler-Union-Bayern”, then nothing comes up at first. Politics in particular lives from being in public. If you as a really strong voice – we are by far the largest political organization that explicitly takes care of the interests of students and trainees – are not even heard in the media, then that is a big problem. And on the other hand, we want to become stronger again in terms of content. If we have nothing to offer in terms of content, then there is no public interest.
Corona is and will remain an important topic: The number of cases is higher than ever, the hospital traffic light is red. New measures will follow. What are you now asking of politics?
What is very important to us and what we have now decided in the form of the “Unterschleißheim Declaration” last Saturday is a commitment to face-to-face teaching. In a dynamic situation, no one can seriously promise that schools will definitely be kept open. But we would like it to be clearly stated that there is at least the will to keep schools open as long as possible. And if it is then inevitable and measures, such as partial school closings, have to be taken, then we expect clear and timely communication. This is particularly important for the graduating classes.
How did the lack of face-to-face teaching affect the students?
That is certainly very different and that’s where I see the biggest problem. There is a part who got along with it very well, who had no problems and who received appropriate support from their parents. And which, very importantly, had the technical equipment. And then there are families with several children who were having digital lessons in one room at the same time and perhaps were only in an online meeting on their smartphones. It is only evident that they cannot be up to date with the others. Not enough care has been taken to bring it back into line.
Does your new office also affect your function as district chairman in the Schüler-Union?
For us as a district association this is also a big step, it shows that we have done a good job. We started with 27 members, today we are 71. And now comes the next step, as a result of which we will also have a transformation process at the district level. We will bring new heads into positions of responsibility and, above all, will fall back on younger people.
How do you get school and political commitment under one roof?
(laughs) The key is good time management. It is already feasible. There are the student representatives, the offices in the student union, the youth district day. Time is tight, especially in the exam phase. In addition, I think it takes stamina, and that means sometimes saying on Friday or Saturday evenings: “Now I’m not going to a party, I’m going to get involved.” That is the compromise that has to be made. But the commitment gives me a lot and is very fulfilling.
How should things go on for you and are you aiming for further political offices?
I want to study law and economics and then plan to get into the field Mergers and Acquisitions to go. It is mainly about company mergers and IPOs, which are then accompanied from a legal and economic point of view. That’s why I’m now concentrating on my Abitur exams and the application phases for the course that will soon begin. It is also clear, however, that a new federal executive board is expected to be elected in March. You have to see how the situation develops by then.