By: Belinda Nketia
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier joined young delegates from across the globe to close histoCON 2025 on a day of profound historical importance which is the Victory in Europe Day (VE Day). His presence at the event’s final day, held at Berlin’s Alte Münze, added weight to a week already rich with conversation, creativity, and critical reflection.
The youth-centered history convention, hosted by Germany’s Federal Agency for Civic Education (bpb), gathered over 100 participants aged 18 to 27 from over 60 countries. Under the theme “80 Years On: Young Perspectives on the Global Impact of WWII – Look Back, Think Ahead, the four-day event ran from May 5 to May 8, intentionally aligning its conclusion with VE Day which is the anniversary of Nazi Germany’s surrender in 1945 and the end of World War II in Europe.
A Presidential Call for Active Remembrance
President Steinmeier visited histoCON 2025 on the climax and delivered an address on the responsibility of remembrance. He urged the young generation to see history not as a closed chapter but as a living tool for shaping a more just and peaceful world. “Remembering the past is not enough,” he said. “It must inspire us to act—against hatred, against violence, and for democracy.”
His remarks came just hours after similar commemorations were held across Europe.
The president later toured an exhibition of photographs curated by participants and their relations to WWII
Learning History by Living It
From the outset, histoCON 2025 set itself apart with its immersive format. Rather than sit through lectures, participants engaged in workshops, creative labs, and citywide tours that made history tangible and personal.
Each day began with deep-dive workshops exploring themes like Holocaust memory, colonial legacies, the role of media in war, and lesser-known civilian stories. One workshop, “History on Trial,” let participants simulate a post-war tribunal, putting historical decisions and moral responsibility under the microscope. Another, “Playing to Remember,” used board games to explore the ethical complexity of wartime choices.
Afternoons were devoted to co-creative labs—smaller group sessions that invited storytelling through photography, podcast production, writing manifestos, and mapping memory in the cityscape. Participants also engaged in city-wide scavenger hunt and walking tours through Berlin including key historical:
- Rosenstraße, the site of a famous protest by non-Jewish German women demanding the release of their Jewish husbands.
- Topography of Terror, documenting the rise and operations of the Nazi regime.
- The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe and the “euthanasia” killings memorial, providing space for quiet reflection on the scale of loss and cruelty during the Nazi era.Afternoon Labs & Tours included Berlin as a Landscape of Remembrance, the Holocaust Memorial, Discovering Traces of Jewish Life, The New Synagogue under National Socialism, trauma-informed storytelling, mini-manifesto drafting, podcast production in Collecting Voices of Memory yoga session and digital archive work in The Darkest File.
Interactive Workshops
Each day from Tuesday to Thursday, histoCON ran two morning workshop sessions (9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. and 3:30–6 p.m.) covering eleven thematic strands :
- Holocaust Commemoration in Different Countries
- Colonialism and Its Links to WWII
- Untold Stories in WWII: Voices Beyond the Battlefield
- HistoCourt: How the Law Remembers the Past
- Guilt and Our “Response+Ability”
- History in Media
- Playing to Remember: Board Games About WWII
- The Winner Tells the Story? Memory, Power and Narratives
- Storytelling Through WWII Photographs
- Multidirectional Memory and Narrative Weaponization
- Filming the Past: Visual Storytelling
May 8: Not Just a Date, But a Duty
The choice to end the event on May 8 was symbolic. This date, known across Europe as VE Day, marks a turning point in world history. Aligning histoCON’s closing with this day seems to send a clear message: the memory of the war’s end must fuel not only remembrance but vigilance and engagement, especially in times of rising extremism and democratic backsliding.
As one participant shared, “We’re not here just to mourn the past, but to understand it well enough to challenge the present.”
Another also shared, We say “never again,” and this time, we mean it—not just with words, but with action, remembrance, and unity. Standing among voices from every corner of the world, I saw that history can teach us how to heal, to listen, and to build something better—together.
This year’s VE Day carried special resonance. Germany, for the first time, officially observed it as a public holiday. In the UK, the bells of Westminster rang as silence fell. And in Berlin, it was the voices of young people—from Ghana to Georgia, Brazil to Bosnia—that rang loudest.
A Platform for Global Youth
Beyond the programs, histoCON offered something less tangible but equally vital: connection. Participants gathered over food, music, and conversation, swapping stories of how history is taught—and lived—in their own countries. Some collaborated on short films and audio pieces; others sketched out future advocacy projects rooted in what they’d learned.
Throughout the week, friendships were formed, misconceptions were challenged, and a shared sense of purpose took root. It was, as one attendee put it, “history with a heartbeat.”
The convention is part of Germany’s ongoing efforts to foster global engagement with the history of WWII particularly among younger generations.
Looking Ahead
The lessons of history remain painfully relevant. And for the young people who filled the rooms of Alte Münze, the responsibility to carry those lessons forward has never felt more urgent.
histoCON 2025 masterfully blended rigorous historical inquiry, creative media practice and intercultural dialogue anchored by the profound symbolism of May 8 to empower a global cohort of young leaders. As one participant reflected, Remembersmce is not passive; it’s a living commitment we carry into the world”
President Steinmeier’s parting words echoes this sentiment: “The world needs your courage, your memory, and your voice. Because history is never just behind us—it’s always unfolding “
