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About us
About us
- Profile
  The AGYI strengthens the exchange of young people from African countries and Germany.
- Initiators and Partners
  Partners from Germany and three African countries support the African-German Youth Initiative (AGYI) together.
- Partnership and Cooperation
  The AGYI network includes clubs, foundations, associations and other non-governmental organisations.
Activities
Activities
- Expand youth exchanges
  Under the umbrella of the AGYI, African-German youth exchanges are being expanded both quantitatively and qualitatively.
- Autumn School
  The Autumn School is a one-week qualification programme within the framework of the African-German Youth Initiative (AGYI) for young people from Germany and African countries.
News
News
- Latest news
  Activities and events.
Network
Network
- Data base
  Find organisations active in German-African youth exchange.
Advice
Advice
- Organising a youth exchange
  Organisations and groups that undertake youth exchanges receive advice and support from the AGYI
- Participating in a youth exchange
  The AGYI provides information on exchange programmes and opportunities for voluntary work for interested young people.
- Alumni
  Alumni networks in Germany and in African countries
Media center
Media center
- Voices of AGYI
  Here you find interviews with partners, stakeholders and alumi of AGYI.
- Videos
  Fascinating insights into the African- German youth exchange and the work of the individuals involved.
- Publications
  In-depth information and publications on German-African youth exchange.

Testimonial

Lea Sophie Kolle, weltwärts participant from Braunschweig in Germany

A young woman wearing a blue hoodie and holding a camera looks into the camera and laughs. The sky in the background is cloudy and the sea and cliffs are visible. — Lea Sophie Kolle, weltwärts participant from Braunschweig. Photo: Elias Link

AGYI: Where exactly did you get involved?

Lea Sophie Kolle: I went to South Africa in 2015/16 with the Allgemeiner Sport-Club Göttingen von 1846 e.V. as part of the weltwärts volunteer programme. I spent time in a children's home called Coram Deo – Places of Care – near Coffee Bay in the Eastern Cape province, as well as at Mount Packard Junior Secondary School, where I supported the structuring of activities for pupils in their spare time and taught them different kinds of sports.

AGYI: What moments do you remember the most?

Lea Sophie Kolle: A lot of my nicest and most intense memories were with children in the children's home. For example, one of the babies was just starting to talk and could only say 'mama' as well as my name, Lea, and the name of my colleague from the weltwärts programme, Elias.

AGYI: What was your biggest realisation about living abroad?

Lea Sophie Kolle: That you really don't need a lot to be happy and you should learn to enjoy the small things in life more.

AGYI: How did your experience benefit you personally?

Lea Sophie Kolle: I learnt a great deal about myself, my strengths and weaknesses, and gained a lot of independence. Like how to change a tyre, for example.

I also learnt a lot about children and young people and how they behave, as well as about education. Although we were not responsible for the children's education, it's still necessary to have common rules in place.

AGYI: What does intercultural exchange mean to you?

Lea Sophie Kolle: For me, it means breaking out of your own cultural circle, looking at other cultures and being part of their daily life. It also means taking part of this new culture back with you to your old life. It's the only way to see that your own culture is not the 'one true' culture, but that others can be completely different in every respect and exactly as valuable.

The swimming lesson was in the nearby river and the children looked forward to it for days.

AGYI: Thank you for providing this interesting insight into your life and work.