feeLit 2025: Marina Weisband – schooLit

In the organizer's words:

From June 29 to July 12, feeLit - International Literature Festival Heidelberg will be hosting its authors at halle02 for the first time. This new festival venue will be all about books and writing. This year, feeLit presents national and international literary stars and brings authors together with their audience.

Marina Weisband - The new school of democracy

Moderation: tbd

Marina Weisband, born in Ukraine in 1987, has a degree in psychology and lives with her family in Münster. As a former political director of the Pirate Party and current member of the Green Party, she is committed to democracy, education and digitalization. Since 2014, she has led the student participation project aula, which empowers young people to participate in politics.

In her book, Weisband advocates actively learning democracy - mere willingness is not enough. Schools offer too little space for participation and many young people hardly experience any self-efficacy there. Instead of taking responsibility, they learn powerlessness - a breeding ground for populism and extremism.

Weisband is therefore committed to enabling children and young people to experience democracy at an early age. For her, democracy is not a matter of course, but must always be fought for and practiced anew. Her work shows this: Those who are allowed to take responsibility develop into responsible members of society.