Lanterna Futuri

Lanterna Futuri is a vibrant cultural and educational project for youth in the German-Polish-Czech border region, bringing together young people from all three countries. At its heart is the idea of enabling connection, open discussion, and creative collaboration across national and language barriers. Rather than acting as a traditional educational institution, Lanterna Futuri is an open network that brings together art, culture, and social issues, giving young people the perfect space to grow and bring their own ideas to life.

The core idea of the project is to give young people the chance to actively explore the present and shape the future through international workshops and activities. Key topics include social change, environmental issues, identity, and community life. Instead of focusing on theory, Lanterna Futuri relies entirely on hands-on, creative pursuits.

Alongside international workshops, Lanterna Futuri hosts up to six themed Workshop Weeks (Werkstattwochen) each year. These events bring together students from partner schools across the Czech Republic, Poland, and Germany for a full week of creative collaboration. Working in fields like theatre, music, film, writing, photography, design, and performance art, those taking part also explore key social and political issues, and at the end of the week they showcase their final projects to the public.

"Summer Specials", meanwhile, are something a bit special. This format brings together up to 50 young people for two to four action-packed weeks. Working in various creative fields, they collaborate on joint projects before hitting the road for a presentation tour across Germany, Poland, and the Czech Republic. The goal is simple: to meet new people, let their creativity run free, and enjoy an unforgettable summer.

Lanterna Futuri also hosts the dedicated NFF Film Workshop in collaboration with the yearly Neisse Film Festival (Neiße Filmfestival). Participants team up to write, shoot, and edit short films, all under professional guidance. Their final works are then shown on the big screen in cinemas as part of the official festival programme.

So essentially, Lanterna Futuri is a universal youth initiative. The project's creative and international formats spark meaningful connections, boost cultural exchange, and give young people the ultimate platform to grow and bring their shared ideas to life.