Activities

More than 60 school pupils met at Europa-Park to complete an educational project carried out over the course of the whole academic year as part of a cross-border cooperation agreement reached with the Académie de Strasbourg.

29 pupils from the Collège de Kochersberg in Truchtersheim and 30 from the Rotteck grammar school in Freiburg alternated between remote exchanges via the eTwining platform and several in-person meetings, during which they delved into onomatopoeia, i.e. painting pictures with the sounds of both languages, and staged small sketches. During the whole joint project, great advances were made in mastering the language of the neighbour country, in broadening digital skills, in learning independence, the development of togetherness and the ability to cooperate between the students.

The joint excursion to Europa-Park allowed the young people to make the sounds they’d found resonate in a rally around the park, coordinated educationally by the Académie de Strasbourg.

Michael Mack was happy about this enormous opportunity to develop the linguistic competencies of young people creatively and to awaken their curiosity as to their neighbour’s culture and otherness at the same time

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Michael Mack welcomed around 40 students from the Collège de Coutances in Normandy and the Gymnasium in Ettenheim, alongside their teachers, as part of a Franco-German school exchange.

The Franco-German school exchange, supported by the Franco-German Youth Office (DFJW), allowed young people to make unique cultural discoveries by sharing their day-to-day lives with one another and to work on a project together. On the 60th anniversary of the Elysée Treaty being signed, the promotion of the partner language was once more put at the centre of bilateral cooperation. Staying in one’s neighbouring country is a particularly suitable means of learning its language and gaining indispensable intercultural skills.

Michael Mack was pleased to offer the pupils a unique environment for this approach, allowing them to exchange ideas as to their history and culture and to embark together on a journey of discovery through Europe’s cultural diversity.

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Every year, the discovery day invites businesses and institutions to get involved in the mobility between France and Germany of young people. Several secondary school classes for the hotel and restaurant industry in Guebwiller and Gérardmer were invited by the Honorary Consul to learn about the industry and professional opportunities in this area in the middle of Europa-Park.

School pupils studying for the French vocational qualification for the hotel industry and gastronomy could visualise the variety and scope of professions with representation at the Europa-Park resort.

The 4* theme hotels ‘Kronasar ─ The Museum Hotel’ and ‘Bell Rock’ were chosen as the venues for these encounters. A cycle of presentations, discussions between students and their teachers and, finally, a professional tour of the facilities took place there.

The Honorary Consul rejoiced in a day many new things could be learnt in. The discovery day ended with an afternoon at the theme park free of charge.

Further information:
https://www.ofaj.org/actus/journee-decouverte-sous-le-signe-de-l-hotellerie-a-europa-park.html

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This year, eleven young secondary school students from France and Germany on either side of the Rhine, chosen after qualifiers, were invited to provide, in the language of their neighbouring countries, their point of view as to the following question they were assigned: ‘You’re being invited to think about the improvement of Franco-German cohabitation in the Rhine border region. What measures would you take?’

The final took place in Strasbourg, capital of the Grand Est region. Rector of the University of Strasbourg, and the French Consul General in Stuttgart, Gaël de Maisonneuve, were present as guests of honour and welcomed this initiative to develop learning of the neighbour language to fluency, wishing the young people the best of luck with their commitments.

The finalist had provided a number of proposals: the creation of places in schools for Franco-German interaction, training ‘language ambassadors’ or setting up teacher-led online seminars … The young people were able to present all these initiatives engagingly and with talent, thereby winning over both audience and jury.

The first prize in the Oratory Competition was awarded by the Honorary Consulate to Paul Caruyer, student at the Wagenburg Gymnasium school in Stuttgart, and Valentin Buche, student at the Collège Jean Sturm in Strasbourg.

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Michael Mack welcomed around 40 students from the Collège de Coutances in Normandy and the Gymnasium in Ettenheim, alongside their teachers, as part of a Franco-German school exchange.

The Franco-German school exchange, supported by the Franco-German Youth Office (DFJW), allowed young people to make unique cultural discoveries by sharing their day-to-day lives with one another and to work on a project together. On the 60th anniversary of the Elysée Treaty being signed, the promotion of the partner language was once more put at the centre of bilateral cooperation. Staying in one’s neighbouring country is a particularly suitable means of learning its language and gaining indispensable intercultural skills.

Michael Mack was pleased to offer the pupils a unique environment for this approach, allowing them to exchange ideas as to their history and culture and to embark together on a journey of discovery through Europe’s cultural diversity.

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In the border region, the Rhine is not a border but a connecting link. 40,000 people currently work in the neighbouring country. The family business La Baguette in Freiburg, the French entrepreneur Guy Tonnelier in Kehl and the company Ernst Umformtechnik in Oberkirch discussed the obstacles they still encounter in their daily lives. The event was supported by the Honorary Consul, who is the managing partner of a company where more than a quarter of the employees come from France.

“Links with France and Alsace are of the utmost importance for the skilled crafts sector, which make up a large part of the economy in South Baden. As our industry is mainly organised on a regional basis, France is very important for us as a market and partner”, emphasised Dr. Handirk von Ungern-Sternberg, member of the board of the Freiburg Chamber of Crafts, to an audience of representatives from business and politics, various institutions, research and students from the region’s Franco-German courses. “There are almost 3,000 German companies working with the French economy. That is why we are committed to promoting relations with France and minimising bureaucratic hurdles”, added Dr Dieter Salomon, Managing Director of the Southern Upper Rhine Chamber of Industry and Commerce. “The developments of the last 60 years prove time and again that we have something to be proud of. There are numerous initiatives, cooperations and investments on both sides of the Rhine, and the governments and administrations are working to further strengthen cross-border relations”, emphasised Gaël de Maisonneuve, French Consul General in Baden-Württemberg.

Christine Jablonski, HR Manager for the French market at Europa-Park, was also invited to talk about the company’s strong Franco-German recruitment strategy and the solutions found to overcome the obstacles encountered (help with CV writing, integrated language courses, support for cultural understanding between the two nationalities).

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In der Grenzregion stellt der Rhein keine Grenze, sondern eine Verbindung dar. 40 000 Menschen arbeiten heute im Nachbarland.  Das Familienunternehmen La Baguette in Freiburg, der französische Unternehmer Guy Tonnelier in Kehl und das Unternehmen Ernst Umformtechnik aus Oberkirch sprachen über die Hindernisse, die ihnen im Alltag noch begegnen. Eine Veranstaltung, die vom Honorarkonsul unterstützt wurde, der geschäftsführender Gesellschafter eines Unternehmens ist, in dem mehr als ein Viertel seiner Arbeitskräfte aus Frankreich kommen.

„Die Verbindungen zu Frankreich und dem Elsass sind für das Handwerk, das einen großen Teil der Wirtschaft in Südbaden ausmacht, von größter Bedeutung. Da unsere Branche vor allem regional organisiert ist, ist Frankreich als Markt und Partner für uns sehr wichtig“, betonte Dr. Handirk von Ungern-Sternberg, Mitglied des Vorstands der Handwerkskammer Freiburg, vor Vertretern aus Wirtschaft und Politik, aus diversen Institutionen, der Forschung und aus Studierenden der deutsch-französischen Studiengänge der Region. „Fast 3.000 deutsche Unternehmen interagieren mit der französischen Wirtschaft. Deshalb setzen wir uns dafür ein, die Beziehungen zu Frankreich zu fördern und bürokratische Hürden zu minimieren“, fügte Dr. Dieter Salomon, Hauptgeschäftsführer der Industrie- und Handelskammer Südlicher Oberrhein, hinzu. „Die Entwicklungen der letzten 60 Jahre geben uns immer wieder Recht, stolz zu sein. Es gibt zahlreiche Initiativen, Kooperationen und Investitionen auf beiden Seiten des Rheins, und die Regierungen und Verwaltungen arbeiten daran, die grenzüberschreitenden Beziehungen weiter zu stärken“, betonte Gaël de Maisonneuve, französischer Generalkonsul in Baden-Württemberg.

Christine Jablonski, Referentin für Personalwesen Frankreich im Europa-Park, wurde ebenfalls eingeladen um  über die entschieden deutsch-französische Einstellungsstrategie des Unternehmens zu sprechen und Lösungen zu präsentieren, die zur Beseitigung der aufgetretenen Hindernisse gefunden wurden (Hilfe beim Verfassen des Lebenslaufs, integrierte Sprachkurse, Unterstützung des kulturellen Verständnisses zwischen den beiden Nationalitäten).

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Over 120 people were present to listen to the remarks made by Daniel Cohn-Bendit, invited to reflect on Franco-German cooperation on the eve of the 60th anniversary of the Élysée Treaty being signed.

The event was organised as a collaboration between the three Franco-German Societies (DFG) in Baden-Baden, Freiburg and Colmar, supported by the City of Baden-Baden and the Honorary Consul. It provided the opportunity to highlight the importance to Europe of Franco-German collaboration. The former MEP drew from personal experience, pointing out that the Élysée Treaty being signed was an ‘important act’, not so much because of the agreements reached therein, but above all because of its acceptance by the population. ‘We have learnt to appreciate one another,’ he emphatically repeated.

In the discussions that followed, the still noticeable deficits in the collaboration between both countries were addressed, but also the rôle these have to play in the aftermath of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. Waning language skills on either side of the Rhine were also lamented by the numerous participants in attendance.

The celebration, supported by the Honorary Consul, was part of a series of events on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Élysée Treaty.

Further information:
https://www.dfg-baden-baden.de/

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The Mack family has continued with its commitment to Franco-German friendship, supporting the creation of a bilingual learning kit on the topic of World War I for primary and secondary school pupils.

New learning materials for 8- to 14-year-olds, provided by the Committee for the National Memorial at Hartmannswillerskopf (CMNHWK), could be launched thanks to the Mack family’s social engagement and Europa-Park sponsorship.

This interactive ‘toy chest’, which helps explore the history of the First World War, has been conceived as a commemorative initiative to ‘address the war and remember all the realities of this crisis, to ‘weather conflict’ and to celebrate ‘Franco-German friendship’, as Jean Klinkert, CEO of the CMNHWK, pointed out, accopanied by Olivier Faron, Rector of the Académie de Strasbourg. The fully equipped case is available in four forms, which are kindly made available to school classes in Germany and Alsace.

Further information:
https://www.memorial-hwk.eu/fr/actualites/60-ans-traite-elysee-54

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The Youth Council of the City of Strasbourg, bringing together 75 school pupils aged between 11 and 14 (38 girls and 37 boys), was officially received by Jeanne Barseghian, the Mayor of Strasbourg. After an initial training and integration at the European Youth Centre (CEJ) in Strasbourg, during which the elected young people familiarised themselves with how this new entity functioned, they determined their priorities as to their actions in the coming months at Europa-Park. At the close of session, the young people had access to the whole theme park, alongside youth councillors to have previously served, free of charge.

Michael Mack stressed the commitment of all these young people to making their projects a reality.

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