Founded in 2008 by Arend Oetker, Young DGAP is a platform for students and young professionals to explore a wide range of foreign policy issues and debate developments of global concern.
Its more than 900 members hail from throughout Germany. In addition to its headquarters in Berlin, Young DGAP has six regional branches: Baden-Württemberg, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Saxony. Hosting around 120 events per year, the platform is run “by its members for its members” to create compelling opportunities to engage with experienced foreign policy practitioners from the fields of politics, academia, culture, and industry.
Through a variety of innovative event formats – including Ambassador Briefings with hosts such as China, USA, or Russia, which provide access to intimate off-the-record debriefs; or Fish Bowls, which illuminate the work of key decision-makers such as the Federal Ministry of Defence’s group on cybersecurity – our discussions aim to challenge and inspire.
The Young DGAP has a Mentoring Program, which has successfully matched over 200 Young DGAP members with professionals from DGAP’s extensive network. Since 2018, it also has a Fellowship Program. This initiative gives young people – who have been chosen through an application process – the opportunity to work closely with the DGAP research program to create events and develop ideas.
The Young DGAP has established specialized working groups. These are aimed at members with interests in specific areas, such as climate policy, security policy, democracy, and the MENA region. In these groups, members can exchange ideas and share and discuss research results.
Young DGAP has grown steadily over the years and is a success story. In order to give the organization more structure, to formalize the structures that have grown and to adapt them to the size of the organization, committed members, regional leaders and the board of Young DGAP have come together to form a task force. In a year-long process, this task force developed a governance document. This document was coordinated with the management and the board of the DGAP and serves the transparent and sustainable further development of the Young DGAP.
Contacts
Young DGAP Office
Young DGAP Steering Committee
Young DGAP Regional Team
Hauptstadtforum
Alma Gretenkord
gretenkord@junge.dgap.org
Sena Staufer
staufer@junge.dgap.org
Dr. Joseph Verbovszky
verbovszky@junge.dgap.org
Regional Forum Baden-Württemberg
Iven Schwerdtfeger
schwerdtfeger@junge.dgap.org
Thomas Zhou
zhou@junge.dgap.org
Regional Forum Brussels
Leopold Gritschneder
gritschneder@junge.dgap.org
Nora Tischmann
tischmann@junge.dgap.org
Regional Forum Frankfurt
Charlotte Krische
krische@junge.dgap.org
Jonathan Lessing
lessing@junge.dgap.org
Jasmin Macha
macha@junge.dgap.org
Regional Forum Hanseatic Cities
Lina Grob
grob@junge.dgap.org
Leena Harmuth
harmuth@junge.dgap.org
Bennet Woyciniuk
woyciniuk@junge.dgap.org
Regional Forum Munich
Natalia Valeria Müller
n.mueller@junge.dgap.org
Svenja Bounin
bounin@junge.dgap.org
Regional Forum NRW
Marcel Aksoy
aksoy@junge.dgap.org
Gregorios Kudunelis
kudunelis@junge.dgap.org
Xenia Schöder
schoeder@junge.dgap.org
Regional Forum Saxony
Matti Otten
otten@junge.dgap.org
Florian Schulz
schulz@junge.dgap.org
Young DGAP Fellowship
Young DGAP Fellows develop their own policy projects that align with a thematic focus of DGAP‘s Research Institute. Through their affiliation with (Young) DGAP, they have the opportunity to help shape internal debates there. They can also represent Young DGAP externally by, for example, organizing and participating in panel discussions or by giving keynote speeches. The fellowship can serve as a springboard to make one’s expertise known to a larger professional audience and to gain experience in think tank work. A fellowship at DGAP offers a variety of opportunities to deepen one’s knowledge in the field of foreign policy and to expand one’s network in politics, academia, and civil society. In all of this, one can draw on the experience, expertise, and networking of DGAP’s Research Institute. More information about past fellowship cycles can be found here.
