For two days, around 800 young people from schools all over North Rhine-Westphalia will take over the Düsseldorf state parliament. In this way they should experience parliament and political operations from the inside.
A quick look into the plenum, then Ben Scheffzick takes the bell in his hand and rings it loudly. Normally the student goes to the 9th grade at the Leichlingen Municipal High School. Today he takes on the role of President of the State Parliament. It’s a very exciting affair for him: “It’s pretty exciting here. I’m getting a bit pumped,” was his first reaction.
The Düsseldorf state parliament is well filled. A total of 800 students are taking part in the “State Parliament Makes Schools” project. These action days have existed since 2018. The students not only get to know how parliament works and its tasks, but they can also simulate a plenary session.
“I think it’s important that you deal with politics at such a young age, because it’s becoming more and more important now. And I was already in the youth parliament back then and became interested in it and dealt with it from an early age,” says Ben Scheffzick.
Simulation of a plenary session
His classmate Fine Geyer was initially skeptical as to whether this campaign would really do anything for her. Now she finds the trip very interesting. “I thought about it a bit and thought that it could be quite interesting to see how it all works,” says Fine Geyer.
Things get exciting when a plenary session is simulated. Divided into the five parliamentary groups of the state parliament, the students discussed whether there should be compulsory costumes in schools during Carnival. Ben Scheffzick has a clear stance on this: “I think everyone should go to school at carnival the way they want, whether they want to dress up or not. And no one should be told to do that,” is how he represents his position in parliament.
The aim of the campaign is to get young people interested in politics, says state parliament vice-president Rainer Schmeltzer (on the right in the picture).
Democracy is not of course
Mohamad Yaser Alfaraj also gets involved. At his Düsseldorf comprehensive school he is class representative and in the student council. Being able to go into parliament today and ask politicians questions is something very special for him.
Mohamad Yaser Alfaraj comes from Syria. In his homeland, life in a democracy is not a given. “I lived in a country where there wasn’t that much justice. I would like to stand up for justice. I like to stand up for a special group. As a politician you stand up for the country, as a class representative you stand up stand up for the school or class. I find that interesting,” said the 15-year-old.
Inspiring young people about politics
There is always information throughout the day: How does the state parliament work? How do you become an MP? Who is Prime Minister?
SPD politician Rainer Schmeltzer is the vice president in the state parliament. He says the aim of the campaign is to get young people interested in politics. “The students must understand that democracy is the best form that exists in a state, that they can have a say, that they can demonstrate.”
Many students have also done this in the past few weeks. “Freedom of expression, freedom of religion, freedom of the press: these are rights that do not exist in many countries around the world,” said Schmeltzer.
The path into politics is open to everyone
It is particularly important to take along those who are not yet very interested in politics. According to the vice president, the path into politics is open to everyone. He wants to motivate young people to get involved.
Fay Koeman from Düsseldorf is not that interested in politics yet. But the simulation of the plenary session piques her interest. “I think that I’m getting more and more involved in politics and when I get older, I’ll vote at some point,” said the high school student. It is important for her to know what is happening every day in the country where she lives.
The students have a total of two days to try out the parliament. Afterwards, the temporary state parliament president Ben Scheffzick becomes a 9th grade student again, but he definitely wants to stay involved in politics.