At Never Such Innocence, we want to encourage young people to engage with their shared history and heritage, and create their own cultural and artistic legacy to mark the centenary of the First World War.

Together: A UK-German Centenary Project

During this final year of the centenary, we are embarking on a youth-centred UK-German creative arts project with kind support from the British Embassy in Berlin, Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge, and UK-German Connection.

We are inviting schools and educational groups to participate in our project, Together, which provides the opportunity for young people aged 9-16 from the UK and Germany to work in partnership, or independently, to produce poetry, art or songs that are inspired by our shared history. We are inviting the custodians of the future to draw on the events of the First World War and create messages of hope and unity.

There are a number of ways you might like to embark on this project:

  • As a project within your school, youth group or educational organisation as a group or individually. This could be a classroom, after-school or homework activity
  • Partner with a school in another country to work on a submission together, e.g. a school in Germany partners with a school in the UK, or a school in the UK partners with a school in Germany. This would include online collaboration and/or exchange trips
  • You may submit work you have already produced that is inspired by the First World War, hope and unity

We want those that participate in Together to take pride in their contribution and so every entrant will receive a personalised Certificate of Commendation. Winning entries will be published in the Never Such Innocence Legacy Book and winners will be invited to a very special event at the British Embassy in Berlin this November. At this event, winners will be presented with their certificate by a VIP and have the opportunity to showcase their work to a distinguished audience. Discretionary funding for travel and accommodation is available.

Deadline for entries is Friday 15th June.

Winners will be announced no later than Friday 22nd June. Winners will be chosen from UK-German partnered projects, German-only projects, and UK-only projects.

How to get started on your UK-German centenary project

We have produced a resource that has been designed as a child-friendly journey through the First World War that may be used as a starting point for your submission. Teachers may request two free copies of the resource by emailing enquiries@neversuchinnocence.com and referencing Together. The resource is also available as a free download via this link. We have worked with Embassies, High Commissions and historians internationally to offer multiple perspectives on the War, including country profiles on Germany, Russia and Ireland.

If you would like to partner with a school in the UK or get together with your partner school to work on a submission and would like to organise an exchange to do so, you might be eligible to apply for UK-German Connection’s flexible funding scheme. Activities must be joint and bilateral [UK-German], with a high level of relevant interaction between the young people including discussion and reflection. Funding is available for grants of between £500 and £5,000, depending on the scale of activity. See UK-German Connection’s website for more details: http://www.ukgermanconnection.org/flexiblefunding

Submissions will be accepted by individuals or groups. Art can be in any medium, we accept photographs of artwork if you prefer not to send originals. Poetry and song may be in English, German, Gaelic or Welsh. Our In the Classroom website page has a number of lesson plans and suggested activities to accompany our resource, along with ready-made PowerPoint presentations. 

If you have any queries or would like to team up with a school in Germany or the UK on a joint-centenary project, please contact Lucy Kentish via lk@neversuchinnocence.com.