Economy Camp
Once a year, since 2015, students from all over Germany come together with exchange students from the United States to discuss exciting and newsworthy economic topics.
The EconomyCamp usually happens to be a physical meeting. The participants come together near Hamburg for 4 days to meet and discuss relevant topics. Due to the Covid-19-Pandemic, this year’s Camp will take place as a digital conference, but still in a BarCamp format. The now 80 participating students decide for themselves which topics they want to discuss.
The only restriction: it needs to be about economics.
Whether the students want to talk about free trade agreements, wage differences between women and men or sustainable consumption is totally up to them. During the so called session planning they make suggestions of topics which can later be discussed in smaller groups. The students themselves are responsible for moderation and documentation of the sessions which last 30 to 60 minutes each. To do so, they are asked to use new digital media.
The interaction and joint inputs by the students – sometimes in German, sometimes in English – make the EconomyCamp a special experience. If nothing else, due to their different cultural experiences, the students get to know differences between economic systems and policies and experience different points of view on economic issues.
After many good discussions, making new friends and getting a broader perspective on economic issues, the BarCamp participants often describe their experience as "awesome", "inspirational through motivation'' or an „unexceptional experience “.
When does the digital EconomyCamp 2021 take place?
The seventh EconomyCamp will take place purely digitally this year due to the Corona pandemic:
13th May from 16:00 hrs until about 19:30 hrs (CET) and
14th May from 16:00 hrs until about 19:30 hrs (CET).
Participation is free of charge.
How does the digital EconomyCamp work?
We start with a digital presentation round and exciting expert input on current economic topics. Before and during the camp you can suggest topics that you would like to talk about. What topic you propose, whether it will be climate change, stock market or the economic impact of the Corona crisis, is entirely up to you – only it should have a connection to the economy. The topics proposed by you and other participants on 13 and 14 May we will discuss together in a relaxed atmosphere in small groups. For this purpose, we meet in digital conference rooms. Find out how to suggest topics and join the conference rooms by our email we are sending after you sign up successfully.
In addition, if you like it, you will be assigned a tandem partner in advance in order to exchange ideas before the camp. We will send you the materials for this after your confirmed application.
What technology and software are needed?
To participate, you need an internet-enabled device with microphone and speaker or headset. Whether smartphone, PC, laptop or tablet, is up to you. A camera is an advantage, but not a must. You decide for yourself whether you want to participate with audio and video or only with audio. As software we use the video conferencing tool Zoom. Tips and support for using Zoom will be available after you have signed in.