A board of twelve activists younger than 27 was established to advise the leadership of German development agency Brot für die Welt on matters regarding education and development.
Members of the newly established Future Board of Brot für die Welt. Photo: Kathrin Harms/Brot für die Welt
Future Board advises Brot für die Welt leadership
(LWI) – In the future, an international board of young people will advise Brot für die Welt, a long-standing advocacy and development partner of The Lutheran World Federation (LWF). The Future Board met for the first time in Berlin in February. Through this forum, young people from around the world will contribute their perspectives to the organization’s work.
All twelve members of the Future Board are younger than 27 years. They advocate for climate justice and sustainability, human rights or youth participation in their respective contexts. The members of the current Future Board come from Brazil, Burkina Faso, Georgia, India, Cameroon, Mali and Germany and directly advise the Brot für die Welt leadership.
The Future Board sets its agenda and decides which topics related to educational work and development policy by Brot für die Welt they want to explore. The Future Board meets annually in Berlin.
“It is rather special to be part of this important initiative,” said Alice Pataxo (21) from Brazil, engaged in climate protection and decolonization. “I want to help Brot für die Welt change the realities and improve the lives of people around the world through my work on the Future Board.”
Aichate Koné (23) from Mali advocates for women’s rights and against land grabbing. Having been affected by land grabbing herself has motivated her to become an activist. “I want to raise my voice against injustice and consider myself part of a global family of young people. We have a clear goal – to initiate change to make the world a better place,” Koné said.
The president of Brot für die Welt, Rev. Dr. Dagmar Pruin, thanked the activists for their commitment: “We need the perspective of young people. We need them to challenge us. And we need them to show us blind spots. Only together will we be able to fight for a good future for all people.” Pruin announced a new global advisory body of young people at her installation in March 2021.
Brot für die Welt is the development agency of the Protestant churches in Germany and is active in nearly 90 countries around the globe. Brot für die Welt and LWF have been partners since the German agency was founded in 1959 and are currently working together on projects related to development work, theological education, advocacy, and climate justice.
