On November 11, 2026, 300 school students took part in a panel discussion on war and peace at the Hofheim Stadthalle. PRIF researcher Niklas Schörnig was among the panelists. The new format for young people was developed by the Catholic parish of St. Elisabeth and the Protestant Johannesgemeinde at the suggestion of the city of Hofheim. Around Remembrance Day (Volkstrauertag) on November 15, the aim was to connect remembrance culture with current debates.
The discussion rounds focused on three central topics: “Me and military service,” “Which values are worth fighting for?” and “How to secure peace? Strength or diplomacy, or both?” Moderated by war reporter Sophia Maier, the panel consisted of Pastor Sabina Jarosch (Zentrum Ökumene), Hanna Teschner (Pax Christi), Norbert Altenkamp (Member of the Bundestag), Lieutenant Colonel Jan Volkmann (German Armed Forces) and Dr. Niklas Schörnig (PRIF). The latter emphasized: “For almost 200 years, democracies have not waged war against each other – and no other group of states can say the same. That alone shows that democracy is something special and worth protecting.”
Space was deliberately created for the opinions, thoughts and questions of the young people. Students from the Main-Taunus-Schule, the Konrad-Adenauer-Schule and the Montessori-Schule had prepared for the topics in advance in their religion, ethics and history classes. Throughout the event, they had many opportunities to get involved: with voting cards, they could express agreement or disagreement, or take a seat on the panel themselves on one of the two chairs set aside specifically for students. Mayor Wilhelm Schultze and Enrico Wagner, pastoral worker of the parish of St. Elisabeth, were delighted with the lively participation of the students, who actively contributed to the discussion with thoughtful statements.