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10th Sakyadhita International Conference on Buddhist Women Program
Ulaan Bataar, Mongolia Program Workshops Conference Payments accepted through PayPal. Click on logo! 
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Engaging the Younger Generation: Experiences at Two German Institutes Rotraut (Jampa) Wurst Living in Germany means living in the West. Compared with other countries of the world, Germany is quite a rich country. However, this wealth does not mean that the people are happy, peaceful, engaged or mindful. On the contrary, many people, especially young people, are unsatisfied with their lives. They are unhappy, depressed, self-destructive, stressed, and often aggressive. Many have no concern for others, the environment, or self-reflection. Instead, they are consumed with parties, drugs, alcohol, having fun, and making money. Many have no self-respect or respect for others, and being mindful and engaged holds no interest for them. If young people are like this, how can we manage to engage them? Teaching in the two institutes that I have created, I have learned from experience that young people need role models. To live or work with young people is a great responsibility. The younger generation is very alert to hypocrisy. They are looking for meaning for their lives and they watch adults to see whether they are authentic. I have found that young people become engaged when their role models are. In this paper, I will explore some methods for engaging young people and what it means to be authentic in the way we live and work with them. |
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