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Press release 03/2026

Call for ideas “The good life”: Twelve school classes to meet the German Ethics Council

What constitutes a good life? The German Ethics Council wanted to hear what students have to say and launched a nationwide interactive campaign. Twelve school classes have now been selected to realise their proposed projects and discuss them with the Ethics Council this autumn.
03/18/2026

The following schools and a youth centre are taking part:

  • Kinder- und Jugendhaus BOLLE, Berlin-Marzahn
  • Johann-Gottfried-Herder-Gymnasium, Berlin-Lichtenberg (three classes)
  • Kosmos-Schule, Berlin-Lichtenberg
  • Rosa-Luxemburg-Gymnasium, Berlin-Pankow
  • Otto-Kühne-Schule Godesberg, Bonn
  • Königin-Luise-Gymnasium, Erfurt
  • Dietrich-Bonhoeffer-Gymnasium, Filderstadt
  • Lyonel-Feininger-Gymnasium, Halle (Saale)
  • Johanna-Moosdorf-Schule, Leipzig
  • Ursulaschule, Osnabrück

About the campaign

Under the motto “Your ideas of a good life – what counts, who counts and who pays what?”, young people were asked to submit a pitch describing how they intend to realise their ideas of a good life, both now and in the future. They were free to choose their creative approach – for example, in the form of a film, a song, a podcast, or a poster. The Ethics Council had asked students in years 8 and 9 of all school forms across Germany to participate.

Meet the Ethics Council!

From all entries, the Council has now selected twelve classes. These are invited to present their projects at the autumn conference “Meet the Ethics Council! Your Ideas of a Good Life” on 11 November 2026 in Leipzig and to engage in discussion with the Ethics Council.

“The future belongs to young people – and that is why their voice needs to be heard,” Cornelia Betsch emphasises. The psychologist is a member of the German Ethics Council and spokesperson for the preparatory working group for the student conference. “We are thrilled by the ideas we received in response to our call for entries and look forward to engaging with the young people.”

Further information on the campaign, as well as a list of the selected school classes with a brief project description (in German only), can be found at www.ethikrat.org/presse/mitteilungen/eure-vorstellungen-vom-guten-leben.

About the Ethics Council

The German Ethics Council is an independent body comprising experts from various academic disciplines. Its members are appointed by the President of the Bundestag; its mandate is established by law. The Council’s role is to advise parliament and government on ethical issues, particularly in the field of the life sciences, and to promote public debate about these issues.

At the last student conference in September 2022, the German Ethics Council discussed with young people how they experienced the pandemic. The students asked the Council explicitly to address the ethical issues surrounding the debate on climate change. This request resulted in the German Ethics Council’s 2024 Opinion on “Climate Justice”.

For more information www.ethikrat.org/en