The Alpha Teens program: career guidance, photography workshop and neon golf
Author
Jan Niepel, as published in Alpha1 Journal 1-2019
As every year, Alpha1 Germany had come up with a varied program for the teenagers at the event in 2019.
The event kicked off on Friday with guests from PR and video agencies, who gave the young people insights into the media industry. Denis Wolff from Neodoc led the early evening session, and together with Patrick Straub from convergo, he introduced the participants to topics from the world of YouTube, Instagram, and similar platforms. Since professional videos with Alpha-1 patients were being filmed during the information day, there was also an opportunity to speak with the camera crew and examine a professional camera up close. At just under €12,000, the camera was a real bargain.
On Saturday morning, there was a small, interactive workshop with the Alpha Teens. They were offered a choice of different media areas, each with a small task. These ranged from writing for the internet and producing short videos to creating their own podcast. However, all the young people unanimously chose a different group: the photography group. The reason given for this clear choice was Instagram. Almost all of the young people regularly use the online service to share photos and videos. So, armed with their mobile phone cameras, all the participants set off in search of photo opportunities. Beforehand, the young people were given some tips and tricks for photography. The results of the photos are impressive. One group, for example, created step-by-step instructions for breathing exercises – the photos could hardly have been bettered by a professional!
Saturday was rounded off after a delicious lunch buffet with a round of neon golf. This involves playing mini-golf in a blacklight hall, creating fantastic 3D effects thanks to special glasses.
The two days in Göttingen showed that the Alpha Teens have a lot of creativity and are already very confident in using modern media such as Facebook, Instagram and Co.
Personally, I would like to thank Alpha1 Germany for the opportunity to spend these two days together with the young people. And of course, many thanks to the dedicated young participants.
One result of the photo workshop:
A breathing exercise with step-by-step instructions for imitating.
- Step 1: Support your hand laterally in the rib area.
- Step 2: While inhaling, slowly rotate your upper body backwards.
- Step 3: Exhale and return to the front
- Step 4: Switch sides
The Alpha Teens program from a participant's perspective
I always look forward to the trip to Göttingen, a four-hour train ride away. I'm enjoying the extra time I've been able to get during the Easter holidays at the now-familiar Hotel "Freizeit In," which has a great offer. Not only the food, but also the entertainment program is a real treat. It's also always wonderful to see familiar faces from the other Alpha Teens, like when I arrived this year. There was still some time on Friday afternoon before the first activity, so I went to find the other teens in the hotel. It was a great way to pass the time until the meeting in Salon 6 at 5 p.m.
There we met several media professionals who first introduced themselves and then explained the program in more detail. They provided us with comprehensive, firsthand information on many questions related to the topic of "media." After dinner, we enjoyed a welcome change of pace, as a bowling alley was available to us. This was great fun and gave us the opportunity to try out different bowling games.
The next day, the learning program continued at 9 a.m. This allowed us to put the knowledge about media that we had learned in theory the previous evening into practice: we were to create a short piece on the topic of "Alpha-1" in the form of a film, photos, or text. The task was quite challenging and took up the entire morning.
After lunch, we went to play neon golf, definitely my personal highlight of this year's meeting. The name "neon golf" pretty much says it all: you play mini-golf in the dark, with only the fairways illuminated by neon lights. The special glasses also created a fascinating 3D effect. Afterwards, we went back to the hotel, where some people were already leaving. I stayed until the next day, but then I had to travel back to Munich with some wonderful memories.
Göttingen, I'll be back next year!
Jan Niepel, as published in Alpha1 Journal 1-2019.
