They save refugees from the Mediterranean, develop useful apps or use creative ideas to make everyday problems smaller: We introduce students who are making the world a better place through their commitment.
Sema designs fashion “at eye level”
“My biggest inspiration is my cousin Funda,” says student and fashion designer Sema about her work. “She loves beautiful clothes, but as a small person she has problems getting pretty, fashionable things.” Sema wants to remedy this with her collection. Under her label “Auf Augenhöhe” she designs fashion for people of short stature. “The most important thing is to understand body shape. The proportions are different than those of people without short stature, which makes the cut complicated.” She is therefore planning to create the first international clothing size chart for short stature people and is measuring short stature people in Germany and abroad.
“I want to finally give everyone beyond standard sizes the chance to buy off-the-rack fashion that fits. Not just the usual outfits, but also shoes, gloves, tights – and wedding dresses.” The response has been overwhelming, reports the 26-year-old, who is currently doing her master’s degree in fashion design and clothing technology at the University of Technology and Economics in Berlin. “Now even parents of small children come to me and ask about clothes for their offspring. And I receive more and more inquiries from abroad asking whether and where my clothes can be bought. However, I am still in the middle of the development process and am working on optimizing the cuts.”
Subsequent marketing is also planned, including via an online shop and retail stores. She is currently looking for sponsors and is happy about anyone who wants to support her in her project. “The social aspect of my work is important to me. I consciously want to create fashion that doesn’t just serve pure surface aesthetics, but also makes sense.”
Isa saves refugees from drowning
“2016 is already the deadliest year in the Mediterranean. “European governments and society largely ignore this problem,” says Isa from the “Jugend Rettet” association. “We want to counteract this situation with something very concrete and urgently needed.” That's why the association bought a ship in May, put together a crew and has since been traveling on the Mediterranean between Libya and Italy to help refugees who use this route to get to Europe to get there, to save from drowning.
Students on a rescue mission in the Mediterranean
When hundreds of refugees lost their lives in a boat accident off the Libyan coast in April 2015, the two founders and chairmen of “Jugend Rettet”, Lena Waldhoff and Jakob Schoen, decided to do something about the deaths on the Mediterranean. The members of the core team, which consists of ten students and graduates from various disciplines, came together through private contacts and club meetings. When planning, they were able to draw on the expertise of Greenpeace, other private sea rescue organizations, the Bundeswehr and the authorities in Lampedusa.
The seventh rescue mission this year is currently underway. Both the helpers who coordinate the missions from Berlin and the crew on the Dutch fishing trawler that the students converted and named IUVENTA (Latin for “youth”) work on a voluntary basis. Some members of “Jugend Rettet” are also on the move with the experienced crew, which mainly consists of boaters and doctors. After the first week in the operational area, they were able to rescue 1,228 people in distress.
The association wants to persuade Europe's politicians to take action
Over the last year and a half, the association has also managed to build an ambassador network with over 50 committed people across Europe. “We try to put pressure on European politics with our political work, because we actually see the task we are carrying out as a state task and not as one that has to be carried out by students,” says Isa, who studies German and English in Potsdam Studied sociology. “Balancing studies, work and club work is a big challenge for all of us. It is not uncommon for us to be under a lot of stress and find it difficult to find enough time for all tasks. Sometimes your studies or job also suffer.”
Without the support of donations, the work of the association would be unthinkable. Isa and the other helpers are currently collecting money to have renovation work carried out on the ship in the winter so that it can set sail from Malta again in the spring. “We all believe that if you really want to change something or are dissatisfied with the political situation in your country, you can achieve it,” said the 24-year-old.
Intern Manuela is a beacon of hope
“I grew up very privileged in Germany, in peace, with all the necessary care and in an intact family,” says Manuela. It was only when she was away from home that it really became clear to her that things look very different in many parts of the world. “During my year abroad in Zambia, Africa, I realized how well I was doing,” said the 23-year-old, who is studying business administration and social management at Heilbronn University.
She wanted to get involved and help change something - as an intern at “Hoffnungsträger” she found exactly this opportunity. Following the motto “Don’t just talk, do it!”, the foundation has been committed to helping people in need since 2013, offering help to children of prisoners abroad and setting up houses of hope for refugees as well as children and young people in socially disadvantaged areas in Germany.
Sponsorships can also be taken on as a team
In addition to her internship, in which Manuela supports her colleagues primarily in the areas of finance and donor communication, she has also taken on a sponsorship herself. “Together with my two roommates, I have a team sponsorship. Our godchild is called Nobody, is three years old and comes from Colombia. His father has been in prison for several years, which makes it very difficult for his mother to care for him and his siblings. Our sponsorship ensures his nutrition, medical care, education and pastoral support.”
What would she like to do after her studies? In any case, continue to contribute to making the world a better place. “Seeing a deeper meaning behind my work – that’s really important to me,” says the student.
Florian developed a stair-climbing racing wheelchair
Taking the stairs in a wheelchair? It sounds absurd, but mechanical engineering student Florian made it possible. Together with a team of students from the University of Applied Sciences in Rapperswil, Switzerland, the 26-year-old competed in the first Cybathlon in the fall. In the international competition, organized by ETH Zurich, participants with physical disabilities compete against each other in various disciplines. This also includes a course with obstacles that wheelchair users encounter every day.
The participants' companions are anything but ordinary: The teams equip them so that they can also master steep ramps, uneven surfaces or steps. “The Cybathlon is not just about using technical means to overcome obstacles in everyday life - but also about arousing public interest and accelerating the development of such aids,” explains Florian, who is specializing in mechatronics and engineering during his studies specializes in robotics.
Development in just 16 weeks
“Our goal was for our pilot Florian Hauser to have an unforgettable day. However, due to the very short development time, we never expected to be so successful.” Florian developed the stair climbing mechanism with which the team was ultimately able to secure first place in their discipline. “The biggest challenge was the short development time. We designed and built the functional model of our racing wheelchair in just 16 weeks. We couldn’t afford any mistakes, everything had to work right from the start.”
How did that succeed? “Our common goal of making the world a better place for people with physical disabilities motivated us all.”
Jonathan is improving water supplies in Tanzania
After his community service, Jonathan looked for a way to continue to be involved in society - and came across “Engineers Without Borders” . He has been active for the organization for seven years. Why? “Because I am convinced that with adapted technology we can improve the living conditions of other people in the long term.” Based in Berlin, Jonathan is currently working on three water projects in Tanzania and Uganda. "In the project that I coordinate, we are working with our Tanzanian partner organization to set up the water supply for a girls' boarding school," he says.
“Together we have further developed the design of the rain cisterns so that residents can collect clean water in long-lasting containers directly at the house. This particularly relieves the burden on children and women who are traditionally responsible for fetching water and spend a lot of time that they do not have for learning and working,” explains the 27-year-old, who is studying industrial engineering in Berlin.
The goal: the independence of the partner organization
If technical challenges arise, they are solved during trips to the project region or with the help of Skype or email. Jonathan and the other engineers are not just concerned with improving local living conditions. “Our big goal is to make ourselves, so to speak, superfluous so that our Tanzanian partner organization will eventually be independent of us. Ideally, the local water supply should continue to exist and grow on its own, so that more and more people have more time and money for education.”
By the way: Not only engineers, but students of all disciplines can get involved in the aid organization.
Andrea makes her university more sustainable
Andrea (left in the picture) and her fellow students have been working towards this for two years, and now the time has finally come: the photovoltaic system they planned is being installed on the roof of the central library of the Technical University of Berlin. The university will purchase the solar power that will be generated by the system in the future and use it to cover part of its energy needs.
The students named the project “Sun Promotes Education”. The money they earn from the system goes to non-profit educational projects in the areas of environmental technology and renewable energies. “The TU has a lot of unused roof space and a high energy requirement. Our vision is to eventually fully cover this need with renewable energy,” says the aspiring industrial engineer.
In order to achieve the goal, you need assertiveness
The idea for the project came about in a seminar on energy. After carrying out a feasibility study, Andrea and the other project members created a project concept and founded the non-profit organization “Solar Powers” . As chairwoman of the association's board, she is responsible, among other things, for contact with supporters and sponsors. The 24-year-old quickly learned one thing: “Working with a large university is often not easy. We had to wait a long time for the contracts with the university and also with the companies.”
The financing phase is almost complete and the team was recently awarded the Student Environmental Prize from the German Environmental Foundation. “Our concept could also help in countries like my home country of Guatemala, where solar radiation is very high but the level of education is lower. Maybe I’ll do something like this professionally later.”
Daniel has developed an app that makes it easier for refugees to arrive in Germany
When Daniel was asked by a fellow student whether he would like to work on an app for refugees, the software engineering student didn't have to think twice. “I can get involved socially and combine work with my hobby,” says the 25-year-old from Munich, who has been developing apps in his free time for a long time.
The Integreat app helps refugees to find their way around their city more easily and, for example, contains information about the asylum procedure. Using a central system, municipalities and cities, aid organizations, associations and clubs can fill the application with current information, which can then be accessed on the smartphone. “The many different information channels differentiate us from other applications that deliver the content themselves. We provide, so to speak, the basic framework that the cities can then set up according to their wishes.”
The multilingual app is well received: “We started with Augsburg as a pioneer, and we now receive dozens of inquiries from other cities. The feedback from users is also positive. They often also help us by translating texts.” Daniel leads mobile development and ensures that the app runs on all smartphones. “In the first few months we worked intensively on the requirements and programmed an initial prototype.” The developers worked closely with municipalities and refugees. “We started with a team of five people, and now we have around 40 volunteer developers, designers, PR consultants, translators and helpers from a wide range of areas.”
From refugee aid to app development: students make the world a better place with their ideas.
