PFIF: Helping Shape the Future of weltwärts
What Sara hopes to change over the next two years.
You were elected to the PFIF in March. How did you feel when you found out? What made you decide to run?
I first heard about the election through the newsletter, although I had vaguely known about the PFIF before. I was honestly surprised when I found out I'd been elected, but also really happy.
I decided to run because my weltwärts experience left me with both a deep sense of gratitude and some critical reflections. I wanted to turn those experiences into something constructive and help improve the programme. I was also excited by the opportunity to learn new things and work together with others who care about the future of weltwärts.
What will your role in the PFIF look like? And what are Hermann's and Maxie's responsibilities?
The PFIF represents the political interests of weltwärts volunteers. Our role is to make sure volunteers' perspectives are included in discussions about the future of the programme and to keep their concerns on the agenda.
Right now, we're working on topics such as mental health during and after the volunteer service and strengthening parity between South-North and North-South exchanges. We write position papers, prepare statements for the Programme Steering Committee, and contribute to ongoing discussions.
Most of our work is done as a team. Since I'm still new to the PFIF, I'm getting familiar with the different topics while also taking care of our shared inbox and joining meetings. Hermann and Maxie have been involved longer and bring valuable experience to our ongoing work.
Can volunteers who aren't officially elected still get involved with the PFIF?
Absolutely! We'd love to see more people get involved. The best place to start is grenzenlos e.V., an organisation we work closely with.
The association brings together former weltwärts volunteers as well as other committed volunteers. Many people first discover their work through the und-jetzt Conference. It's a great way not only to contribute, but also to connect with others, exchange experiences and become part of a supportive community. I really felt that during the members' meeting this May.
You recently facilitated a workshop on political participation during the Community Weekend in Springe. What stood out to you? And how does that influence your work in the PFIF?
The conversations with former volunteers from different generations and from both South-North and North-South programmes were incredibly valuable.
One of the strongest messages was the desire for more transparency—for example when it comes to volunteer placements or organisational decisions. Participants also highlighted the need for stronger networking opportunities, especially for South-North volunteers, more careful selection of host organisations and living situations, and many other topics. Ultimately, all of these ideas aim to make the weltwärts programme fairer and more supportive for everyone.
It was inspiring to see how bringing together different experiences created new insights and encouraged people. Many challenges aren't isolated cases—they're shared by volunteers across the programme.
To me, political participation means listening to these experiences, identifying shared priorities and bringing them into the political processes that shape the future of weltwärts.
For our work in the PFIF, this kind of feedback is incredibly important. It helps us prioritise issues, back them up with concrete examples and advocate for meaningful improvements. The workshop also reminded me that real change is possible when volunteers' voices are heard and taken seriously.
I do see a genuine willingness within the programme structures to engage with these issues. At the same time, it's one of the PFIF's key responsibilities to make sure important topics stay on the agenda over the long term.
You've been elected for two years. At the end of your term, what would make you say: "That was a success"?
The issues we discussed during the workshop are also the ones I care about most personally. Which of them we'll be able to move forward depends, of course, on both their urgency and what's realistically possible.
For me, some key priorities are greater transparency, stronger networking opportunities and improving the selection processes for host organisations and host families.
At the same time, the current discussions around budget cuts create new challenges. I hope we can find constructive ways to deal with them while keeping the focus on the quality—not simply the quantity—of the weltwärts programme.
Another goal that's very important to me is creating a strong foundation for future PFIF teams. Many issues take longer than two years to address. That's why I'd also like to improve our documentation and internal knowledge management so that experiences, contacts and lessons learned remain accessible. That way, future representatives won't have to start from scratch and can continue building on the work that's already been done.