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C-H Student Forum encourages youth activism

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Karen Mansfield/Observer-Reporter

Dominik Wrobel, of Bonn Germany, was a presenter at the 2022 Student Forum held at Chartiers-Houston and Upper St. Clair high schools. Wrobel encouraged youth activism in the face of global challenges.

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Karen Mansfield/Observer-Reporter

Dominik Wrobel, of Bonn, Germany, left, with Ines Teisseire, right, who works in the Public Diplomacy Department at the German Embassy in Washington, D.C.

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Courtesy Ballpark Scholarships Inc.

Dominik Wrobel, center, with former state Rep. Leo Trich, left, and U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, in Washington, D.C. Wrobel, of Bonn, Germany, was hosted by Ballpark Scholarships Inc., in coordination with World Affairs Council in Pittsburgh and was a presenter for the 2022 Student Forum.

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Courtesy Ballpark Scholarships Inc.

Dominik Wrobel of Bonn, Germany, attended a Pittsburgh Pirates game during a 10-week independent study program hosted by Ballpark Scholarships Inc. in coordination with the World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh.

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Courtesy Ballpark Scholarships Inc.

Dominik Wrobel visits the 171st Air Refueling Wing in Pittsburgh during his 10-week stay in the United States.

Greta Thunberg and Malala often grab the headlines, but for every young leader who appears on a magazine cover, a growing number of youths are working tirelessly across the globe for causes they believe in, like climate change, human rights, and economic change.

Count Dominik Wrobel of Bonn, Germany, among them.

Wrobel, 23, who earned a degree in economics and minored in political sciences at the University of Manheim, recently visited Chartiers-Houston High School and will visit Upper St. Clair High School today for the 2022 Student Forum hosted by Ballparks Scholarships Inc. in cooperation with the World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh.

His message to students: become engaged in the important issues facing today’s youth locally and globally, and work together to find solutions to them.

“(Our generation) didn’t do any of this. We didn’t mess up the planet as much as other generations. We didn’t start the war in Ukraine. We didn’t cause systemic racism. But I think we’re probably the biggest part of the solution for all of it because we are going to be the one in charge in a couple of years,” said Wrobel.

The student forum at Chartiers-Houston included an international panel of presenters who participated virtually, including members of the German Embassy in Washington, D.C., and Shawn M. Reming, World Affairs Council’s Youth Programming Coordinator for Digital Engagement and Education.

Wrobel, a member of Germany’s Green Party – which promotes, among other issues, environmentalism, participatory democracy, and social justice – says today’s youth have even more at stake than their parents and grandparents. Decades of carbon pollution already have baked in some effects of climate change; continued inactions almost certainly will make it worse.

For example, a high school senior graduating this year will turn 65 in 2069, and climate scientists estimate that if greenhouse emissions don’t fall, one-third of the global population likely will be living in areas as hot as the hottest parts of the Sahara.

It’s a global issue, Wrobel said, that heightens the importance of transatlantic alliances and activism by young people.

“I think we can do the most if we focus on a global scale. And I think at some point, we’ll have to do things globally, especially regarding climate change,” said Wrobel. “That’s not something we can face alone in our own country. If Germany is climate-neutral, it doesn’t matter if 20 other countries are not.”

Wrobel’s interest in world affairs began when he was 11 years old, when he began paying attention to current events.

“Once you pay attention, you start caring,” said Wrobel, citing the rise of nationalism worldwide and global hunger as growing concerns, too. “In these times right now, there are things at stake that are so instrumental to the way we live that I think everyone has to care.”

Wrobel served as an intern at the European Union Parliament and volunteered at the COP23 United Nations Climate Conference in Bonn in 2017. He also participated in the French and German Youth Exchange.

He is wrapping up a 10-week independent study program hosted by Ballpark Scholarships Inc. and coordinated by World Affairs Council member and former state representative Leo Trich of Washington, in cooperation with the WAC.

Trich, a recent guest participant in the EU Parliament Trans-Atlantic Goodwill project, said it’s critical for high school students and young adults to interact internationally “because the issues the world is going to face are your issues, and no one country is going to be able to fix them on their own. We’re counting on young people to become more engaged, to start paying attention so you can begin dealing with those issues.”

During his trip, Wrobel met with government officials at the county, state, and federal level, and local and international organizations and businesses.

“It’s been amazing. I’ve gotten more experiences than I could ever ask for,” said Wrobel, whose travels during his stay took him across Pennsylvania and to New York City and Washington, D.C.

Wrobel said youth activism also includes peaceful protests, noting the Fridays For Future youth-led and youth-organized movement that began in 2018 after Thunberg and other young activists sat in front of the Swedish parliament every school day for three weeks to protest against the lack of action on the climate crisis, and Black Lives Matter protests.

During the forums, Wrobel encouraged students to pay attention to the importance of voting rights, and how voting is essential to a meaningful democracy.

“The single most important piece of activism is the vote. Democracy only works when people vote,” said Wrobel. “Democracy is strongest when most people vote, so the act of voting and voting rights are the centerpiece of a democracy. Get out and vote. I’m not telling you how to vote, just vote.”

Concern and frustration over the issues the world is facing are contributing to the growing youth activism movement, but young adults’ advocacy is also resulting in another reaction: hope.

“The greatest achievements we have made in humankind are when we work together,” said Wrobel. “I am optimistic that, together, we can do a lot of good. Doing it alone or ignoring it is not the way to go. I don’t want to see children die from hunger. I don’t want this many people to die every year from the effects of climate change. Today, more than ever, everyone is needed and everyone needs to do their part.”

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