Passau Tourism
The Youth Lobbyist
Lena Moser is a woman of action. When you listen to the 26-year-old, you quickly realize that she is bursting with ideas. The Passau native has been volunteering at the Zeughaus youth centre for over ten years. She is part of the permanent team of volunteer contact persons who are there for the young people alongside the full-time staff. Handing out food and drinks, handing out pool balls and board games, and answering questions: these are a few of Lena Moser's tasks. But her most important, she says is: "having a sympathetic ear."
For Lena Moser herself, this place was an important part of her youth. She recounts, "I went to school just around the corner and the street worker introduced the Zeughaus to our class. Then one afternoon I just went with them here." Soon she was coming regularly. At some point, she was asked if she would like to help out in the volunteer group. "I've been a part of it ever since," she says. With the team, she organizes clothing exchange evenings, concerts, and join-in activities. And she takes care of "Stufenlos," an inclusive project in cooperation with the German self-held association Lebenshilfe, which promotes cooperation between young people with and without disabilities.
It is important to Lena Moser to counteract the social narrative that young people only look at their cell phones. "How do you know what they're looking at on their phones? Maybe a video about politics, about LGBTQ, about mental health." In general, she says, she's found that political issues generate a lot of interest among the current generation visiting the Zeughaus.
Soon, Lena Moser wants to train as an educator. And then work professionally in the youth sector. She's looking forward to that, because: "I think, no - I know, that that suits me."
