World Youth Forum Grant

The first Herald Tribune Youth Forum was held in New York in 1947. It was established immediately following World War II out of a conviction that the best way to promote world peace was to bring young people from around the world together to get to know each other and people of their own age in the United States.
They would recognise their common humanity and aspirations for peace and democracy and, it was optimistically and ideally hoped, create ties with the United States so that when they eventually assumed leadership roles back home, the US would have friends in leading positions in countries all over the world.
In its first year, the World Youth Forum drew students exclusively from the Americas. The following two years focused on Europe especially those countries receiving Marshall Plan assistance. From then on, the field broadened to include Asia and the Middle East. As African countries began gaining independence, they too were invited to send delegates. Each country was allowed to only sent one.
Although there were variations in organization over the years, the essence of the Youth Forum remained the same. Delegates ranged in age from 16 to 18 and were usually in their last year of high school. They came to the New York area for a three-month stay, living with host families and attending schools in different locations. In between home stays, the group came together for sightseeing and travel. In most years the group went to Washington, DC, some even had a chance to meet the President of the United States. They debated world issues on television in a series broadcast to the New York Metropolitan area called “The World We Want” and later “Young Worlds”. In some years, additional funding was received and the group travelled to other countries. In 1960, for example, the delegates were invited to spend two weeks in Ghana as guests of the Ghanaian government.
Forum’s activities were expanded in 1964 to include a European Summer Program for outstanding American high school students. As successful as the World Youth Forum was, the context was changing. People were travelling more, other student exchange programs were gaining in popularity, and airlines no longer donated free airfares for delegates. The New York Herald Tribune suffered financial strain in the 1960’s and finally shut down in 1966. A new amalgamation, the World Journal Tribune, reluctantly took on the World Youth Forum, but that newspaper folded soon afterwards. The last World Youth Forum took place in 1972.

In the middle of the 1990ies, thanks to the upcoming internet, e-mailing-programs, and new means of communication enabled delegates of different years and countries to get to know each other. They undertook common study tours in South Africa, India, Italy, Boston, Asia, New York, Germany or saw each other on a private level in many parts of the world. As a basis for their activities, they founded the Herald Tribune World Youth Forum Alumni Association in Paris in 1995.

One member of the association was Marita Wessels, delegate of South Africa in 1959. Marita’s father was Albert Wessels, CEO of Toyota in SA. Her mother was Elisabeth Eybers, journalist and a famous poet of her time. Faculty 09 Cultural Sciences Marita obviously inherited a lot from her mother: she was interested in music, literature, cultural aspects, and people. She spent part of her life in China. Marita died in 2015 in the Netherlands and left a bequest to the Herald Tribune World Youth Forum Alumni Association. Most of this legacy will now be used to offer the World Youth Forum Grant (WYFG), managed by the Foundation of the University of Bremen.

Because Joachim Larisch and Rita Kellner-Stoll, German delegates of 1971 and 1970 of WYF AA both live in Bremen. Rita Kellner-Stoll has established a foundation of her own together with her husband under the roof of the Foundation of the University, the KELLNER & STOLLFOUNDATION FOR CLIMATE AND THE ENVIRONMENT. As she is a member of the board of the Foundation of the University of Bremen on behalf of the government of the Federal State of Bremen (Germany) she will remain engaged in the grant’s program as long as possible.