All seasons are a time of change, but spring especially so. As vivid green buds pop into existence, pushing away the bleak, gray winter, the season symbolizes growth and new beginnings, and so it’s no surprise that every spring since 2023, international schools across Europe have hosted a Changemaker Conference.
This conference is a gathering point for students from all over Europe who come together to share stories and learn from each other. The most recent one, which took place in Budapest, lasted three days and consisted of a series of workshops, presentations, and social time, allowing the participants to learn from each other, while also making new friends and connections. For Vera, a senior and a longtime Changemaker, this was the best part.
“I went not knowing most of [the people from our group], as we had a really diverse group all the way from both the Wiesbaden and Oberursel campuses,” she explained. “But they all had such great energy, and they really brought such engagement and passion with them.”
Vera has been involved in changemaking ever since the beginning, being a part of the team that created the original conference here at FIS. She and her team of fellow students worked hard to create this tradition, collaborating with faculty members, teachers, and each other in order to plan out each aspect. “It pushed a lot of students into leadership positions that they hadn’t been in before,” Vera described, “and it really created a space for the students who had that kind of drive and that passion to be able to demonstrate that.”
Three years later, and this passion still remains in the students. The whole conference was mostly student-run, reflecting its theme, which was to inspire the future generations of Changemakers.
“We are in this ever-changing world filled with tragedy and war and trauma and declining health and climate change,” Vera expressed. “But if we can teach both young people, as well as older [people]… to go out there and make the world a better place, bit by bit, then that is all worth it, and I would do anything to make that happen.”
In the end, these lessons, whilst not necessarily conventional, are priceless, as can be proved by the countless presentations made by both students and adults alike, all of whom had done something, big or small, to improve their world. And while it certainly isn’t a simple journey, it’s not one that they have to take alone. In fact, the entire conference is built for that reason: to provide young Changemakers with a support network of people who can help them along their way.
Not only that, but it’s a place where students can interact and connect with each other, from conversations started at workshops to bonds made whilst exploring the streets.
“I have met some of the most important people in my educational journey through the conference that we had here at Frankfurt,” Vera said, “and so it’s been absolutely amazing to see how even after we’ve had the conference, all of the connections, mentorships, and the relationships that we built are still continuing.”
Yet these people are just regular students, who decided to step up and make a difference. They’re people who saw a need and decided to fill it. They’re everyday human beings who decided that they weren’t going to wait for something to change for them, but that they were going to make that change themselves.
Anyone can be that person. Anyone can make a difference, if they put their mind to it. All it takes is some perseverance, hope, and a willingness to try.
All it takes is the willingness to plant a few seeds, and soon enough, spring is on its way.
