On Monday, October 5, the exhibition “Girls’ Worlds—Diversity Instead of Prescribed Norms” opened in the atrium of the city hall in Salzgitter-Lebenstedt. About 45 visitors took the opportunity to explore the exhibition, discuss the lives of girls, and get creative themselves. The art exhibition was organized by the Salzgitter Girls’ Working Group.

Among the guests were members of the Youth Parliament, visitors from the Hamberg and Thiede Children’s and Youth Centers (KJT), and the Forellenhof Youth Culture Workshop (JKW). Students from Fredenberg Middle School and other interested individuals also attended the opening.

Following a welcome address by Angelique Bekurts from the Salzgitter Girls’ Working Group, several speakers gave talks that provided a thematic introduction to the exhibition.

A special moment during the opening was the joint viewing of a video in which visitors to the Forellenhof shared their personal perspectives on what it means to be a girl. In the video, the young people speak for themselves and demonstrate just how diverse their experiences, wishes, and ideas can be. In this way, the exhibition’s themes were directly linked to the real-life experiences and perspectives of young girls.

Afterward, Hannah Pottrick from KJT Hallendorf and Alexandra Leszczynski from the City of Salzgitter’s Youth and Democracy Education Team led a tour of the exhibition and provided insights into the works on display as well as the related themes. Over drinks and light snacks, attendees had the opportunity to deepen their discussions in a pleasant atmosphere and engage in conversation with one another.

In addition to the works on display, there were also various creative activities that were enthusiastically embraced by the visitors. Dania Mrozek and Annu Korkia-aho from KJT Hamberg invited visitors to design their own magnets. Inga Wolter offered the opportunity to creatively capture, on two canvases, how the participants see themselves.

The resulting works will become part of the exhibition in the future. In this way, the exhibition continues to grow throughout its run and is enriched by the personal perspectives of the visitors.