Voluntary work
Expertise – Team Spirit – Working Time
Through great voluntary commitment, a study project became a social enterprise with which we reach many (young) people every year.
Many reliable volunteers donate their time and bring different abilities to all areas of the association: proofreading texts, finding network partners, internal volunteer management, editing the interviews with contemporary witnesses, developing the publications, supporting online and outdoor events, designing the online-shop and its products, designing and maintaining the website as well as the social media presence, board work and consulting within the advisory board.
In my now almost 4 years at ZWEITZEUGEN, the best moment for me was when I could finally listen to the first episode of our ZWEITZEUGEN podcast "Geschichten, die bleiben". I am already looking forward to working on the next episodes!
I would like to stand up actively for an open and tolerant society without discrimination, racism and without anti-Semitism. The work and the exchange with young people means a lot to me. Through the many different teams, I have the opportunity at ZWEITZEUGEN e.V. to combine this with my main interests. It is really nice and a lot of fun to pursue common goals with so many other and very different people.
Hearing the survival stories of the contemporary witnesses and working with them is a special honor for me. Their stories must never be silenced and I am happy to play a part in ensuring that they are heard more.
In the association I can bring in my personal strengths to make a relevant contribution to a better society. All this together with a fantastic team of dedicated people has inspired me since I joined in 2017.
I got to know ZWEITZEUGEN in my professional life and was impressed by the idea of the association and the spirit of the people. It was immediately clear to me that I would get involved as soon as I had more time after retirement.
I have long asked myself what will happen if at some point there are no living witnesses of the Holocaust. When I discovered ZWEITZEUGEN, I was impressed by the way in which exactly this question is addressed here and a possible solution is found in order to also inform future generations in an empathetic way and to motivate them to act themselves.
I am very proud that through us the contemporary witnesses and their stories continue to exist in the next generation. We use the stories to make a difference in our society.
As a part of ZWEITZEUGEN, I can make a small contribution to promoting and maintaining a lively and true culture of remembrance in our society.
With ZWEITZEUGEN, I feel like I'm supporting important goals. A commitment to tolerance and against anti-Semitism and racism. From the beginning it was clear to me that the association works very professionally and that the commitment is seen and heard. And every time I hear and read the words of the contemporary witnesses or edit those words in a clip, it touches my heart.
I am involved with ZWEITZEUGEN because, on the one hand, I find it incredibly rewarding to learn so many stories from contemporary witnesses and to share them in our educational projects. On the other hand, it's just great to get creative with so many motivated people in the association.
A special highlight during my time with ZWEITZEUGEN so far was a get-to-know-you conversation with an interested party from South America. It impressed me that people from so far away wanted to get involved with ZWEITZEUGEN. This made me aware of how great the reach of our association is.
I am very proud to be a part of ZWEITZEUGEN, because it means that the stories of our contemporary witnesses are not dying out, but that we collectively ensure that the individual life stories are passed on. The philosopher George Santaya once said: "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it"; that is why I, together with everyone involved in the work of ZWEITZEUGEN, am fighting against forgetting.
Some volunteers have been supporting ZWEITZEUGEN for years, others only recently, and every single one of them is a great asset. In 2021, 142 people from all over Germany were involved in the association. We are all united by our shared commitment to effective Holocaust education, especially for young people, and thus against forgetting the Nazi era as well as the fight against anti-Semitism and other forms of discrimination in the present.
Get involved!
If you would also like to support us, then we look forward to getting to know you! We will discuss with you which position in the organisation would suit you best and support you until you are firmly established in a team or task.
"I like working with ZWEITZEUGEN so much because the tasks are so varied and I learn so much myself, and of course because the team is so great."