Uwe Waldaestel, city youth fire brigade chief officer, and adolescents from the “Wiesbaden youth fire brigade goes east” project.
“People were willing to share what little they had with us.”
BRINGING TOGETHER SHARED INTERESTS ACROSS BORDERS
For five years, Uwe Waldaestel, who is the city’s youth fire brigade chief, has been organising the “Wiesbaden youth fire brigade goes east” international youth encounter event. Every year, adolescents from Wiesbaden and the youth fire brigade from Kirov spend twelve days at a Russian holiday camp or in Germany in alternation.
They go canoeing together, visit museums, take part in conferences and of course, visit their fire brigade colleagues in the city. They discover that the Russian and German fire brigades have a lot in common.
Even though Kirov is a rural region with little infrastructure, the German visitors are always given a big welcome. From the start, the shared experience of working in a fire brigade creates a sense of familiarity, despite the fundamental differences in living conditions and language.
The language barrier was easy to overcome, and the adolescents were able to communicate without any problem using gestures and hand signs. Every day, the group grew closer together and new friendships were formed.
“The adolescents gain so much from trips like these. They open their minds to foreign cultures, learn to overcome language barriers, and friendships develop that continue after the trip has ended.”
YOUTH FIRE BRIGADE GOES EAST 2019 IN KIROW
