"With us!"

The Young Experts Team (JEx-Team) of the Bertelsmann Stiftung accompanied the study “The Needs of Children and Young People for a Successful Upbringing”, conducted by the Institut für soziale Arbeit (ISA) e. V., from the very beginning. They provided support by selecting the topics and developing and testing the questionnaire, as well as by discussing and interpreting the results. Out of this process, an editorial team was formed. It has brought together the key aspects of the discussions and the resulting political implications and has published them in this “With Us!” brochure. In the brochure, the young people explain and comment on the study’s findings from their own perspective. In their own words, they highlight the needs that matter most to them and comment on the findings with personal quotes and videos. They make it clear what matters to them: they want to experience school as a place for living and learning, with genuine participation, where they learn skills for life and receive individual support. They need their own financial resources to spend time with friends, to belong, and to take part in youth culture. In addition, they demand greater awareness and stronger measures to support their mental health. The young people also make clear how frustrating it is when adults do not take them seriously and make decisions about them without involving them. That is why they issue a clear demand in this brochure: “Now. With us. Not about us.”