CHARITY

The German-British Forum acts to advance charitable causes dedicated to promoting education in Germany and Britain. Some of our recent activities include:

"The Queen und Ich" school film project 2007

‘Britain has been a refuge for many German-speaking intellectual and political dissidents among them people like Marx. Yet ultimately our customs, habits and ways of looking at life on a day-to-day basis are different, sometimes strikingly so. This film is a light-hearted attempt to examine these differences’.

These lines from the beginning of “The Queen und Ich” capture the spirit of this school film project conducted by students and teachers of the German School, London, and the Tiffin School, Kingston-upon-Thames, and sponsored by the GBF.

The film consists of short sketches and interviews and highlights the cultural differences between Britain and Germany. The students explore German-British stereotypes in an exaggerated and entertaining way, which makes this piece an interesting lesson on British-German differences in behaviour and thinking.

DAAD “Don’t mention the war” essay competition

The GBF is a co-sponsor of the DAAD’s “Don’t mention the war” essay writing competition for British university students. Students are invited to submit reports on personal experiences of contemporary Germany, written in either English or German. Prizes include media internships with Deutsche Welle, Handelsblatt and WDR, Air Berlin flights and summer course scholarships at German Universities.

This initiative, now in its second successful year, is supported by John Cleese, the originator of the infamous goose-stepping German parody featured on British comedy classic “Fawlty Towers”.

 “I’m delighted to help with trying to break down the ridiculous anti-German prejudices of the tabloids, and clowns like Basil Fawlty, who are pathetically stuck in a world view that’s more than half a century out of date”, said Cleese in support of the competition.

For more information please see http://london.daad.de/

Trautmann Foundation – Award and Academy

The German-British Forum provided support for the establishment of the “Trautmann Award”, which recognises social and personal achievements by stars from the world of football. In 2005, the first ever award was presented at the British Embassy, Berlin, to Uwe Seeler, honorary captain of the German national team. Throughout his career, Seeler has been a role model for younger players and on retirement founded the Uwe Seeler foundation, which supports people with physical and mental disabilities. He received his award from Tony Woodcock, former England international.

The GBF also provided a further donation in support of the Trautmann Foundation’s “Kick and Think” Academy, an initiative which brings together young soccer players from Britain and Germany both to play in a tournament, and to discuss the broader issues of sportsmanship in football such as courage, fairness and team values. A schools writing competition has been launched to encourage pupils across the UK to explain the values of sportsmanship in football. Winners will be announced in October 2006.

For more information please see http://www.trautmann-foundation.org/

Please click here for information on how to apply for a GBF charitable donation.