From Reunion to Real World Impact:

Goethe-Institut’s Exchange2Change – Alumni Edition 2025 turns past participants into today’s changemakers

London, 4 July 2025 – This September, alumni of the Goethe-Institut’s youth programmes will reunite – not just to reconnect, but to collaborate. As part of Exchange2Change – Alumni Edition 2025, young changemakers from the UK and Germany will team up to co-create and deliver a week-long series of creative, bilingual workshops in schools across the UK.

The initiative transforms a reunion into a mission: to bring global perspectives into classrooms and empower pupils through hands-on, youth-led learning.

From Participants to Peer Educators 
Having once taken part in Goethe-Institut programmes such as Exchange2Change and the Young Goethe Ambassadors scheme, these alumni experienced first-hand the value of international exchange: meeting peers from another country, sharing cultures and building friendships across borders. These encounters enriched their lives, fostering intercultural understanding, confidence and a global mindset.

Now, they return as facilitators. After reconnecting online in spring, they have been working in cross-cultural teams to design engaging workshops that explore themes like identity, mental health, sustainability, and global citizenship through poetry, theatre, street art and storytelling. They will bring their shared experiences into the classroom, sparking meaningful conversations and inspiring the next generation.

“This is about turning shared experience into shared impact,” says Jenni Rall, Project Coordinator at the Goethe-Institut London. “Our alumni are stepping up as role models, showing what youth collaboration across borders can achieve.”

Programme Snapshot
Dates: 29 August – 6 September 2025
Activities: Alumni-led, bilingual workshops in UK secondary schools
Themes: Identity, global citizenship, mental health, sustainability
Format: Creative, interactive and co-designed by UK-German teams

Fully funded and part of the Goethe-Institut’s GIMAGINE initiative, the programme champions youth empowerment, intercultural dialogue and language learning through real-world collaboration.
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NOTES TO EDITORS
Exchange2Change is the Goethe-Institut’s flagship youth exchange programme, connecting young people from the UK and Germany through creative collaboration. Aimed at 14–17-year-olds and young adults in vocational training, it explores key themes through different pathways.
Participants engage in a mix of online and in-person activities – from arts projects and cultural excursions to bilingual workshops – fostering intercultural dialogue, language learning and youth leadership. Each exchange culminates in a showcase, allowing participants to share their work and insights with wider communities.
Fully funded and guided by trained staff, Exchange2Change supports inclusivity, sustainability and youth empowerment.

Wider Initiatives: The Goethe-Institut in the UK also runs a wide range of innovative programmes that promote German language learning and intercultural skills. From digital education and STEM-integrated projects to creative clubs and career-focused events, these initiatives highlight the relevance of German in today’s global landscape and support the next generation of learners and leaders.
www.goethe.de/gimagine

The Goethe-Institut is the cultural institute of the Federal Republic of Germany with a global reach. With 150 institutes in 99 countries, it promotes knowledge of German abroad, encourages international cultural exchange and conveys an image of contemporary Germany. The Goethe-Institut’s ties with partner institutions in many other places give it about 1,100 points of contact around the world.
Engaging audiences interested in culture, language and education, the Goethe-Institut London has been operating since 1962. It is located on Exhibition Road in South Kensington, offering a broad variety of scope and spaces with nearby access to world-class institutions.
www.goethe.de/uk

For more information please contact Christiane Eck, Communications Manager, Goethe-Institut London at christiane.eck@goethe.de.