Hamburg forest education project brings young people together across continents
A forest education project in Hamburg is connecting pupils’ experiences of nearby woodland with the perspectives of young people in Brazil, Cameroon and Indonesia. Wälder ohne Grenzen, meaning ‘Forests Without Borders’, brings together outdoor learning, filmmaking and workshops. According to SDW Hamburg, the forest conservation organisation running the project, the programme has entered a new phase following its pilot.
The approach takes environmental education into woodland that pupils can explore firsthand, while films and teaching materials from partner countries broaden the discussion beyond Hamburg. Participants capture their own experiences of forests through images and share them with other young people.
From the pilot to shared films
The 2025 pilot was planned for 50 Hamburg pupils aged 12 to 16, with six modules covering local forest knowledge and perspectives from partner regions. This figure represented the intended cohort size, not a confirmed final attendance total. Natural objects, seeds and handmade items were used in the teaching activities, alongside the creation of a youth film.
In a report published on 26 January 2026, SDW Hamburg stated that the pilot’s closing event had taken place at the Wälderhaus on 16 January 2026. Participants from Hamburg screened films they had made in the Volksdorfer Wald and Niendorfer Gehege and watched contributions from partners in Cameroon, Brazil and Indonesia.
The organiser’s report describes young people exploring their relationships with forests through films they produced themselves. Visits to local woodland provided the setting for the Hamburg films, while the international contributions offered different experiences of forests and their protection. The films are identifiable project outputs. By themselves, however, they do not show the extent to which participants’ environmental knowledge or behaviour changed after the activities ended.
Learning through materials and exchange
Practical activities include papermaking at the Wälderhaus, where pupils work with dried water hyacinths as an alternative to wood. SDW Hamburg describes the resulting paper as sustainable, although its project page includes no comparative environmental assessment supporting that description.
The pilot placed these workshops after introductory classroom activities and a forest visit. Pupils first developed exercises using natural materials and a concept for their video, then filmed in the woodland before presenting their work at the closing event.
The international connections build on the International Sustainability Academy (ISA), initiated by SDW Hamburg. The academy’s institutional overview describes a nine-month scholarship programme that helped sustainability practitioners from the Global South develop projects. It records public funding between 2019 and 2024 and identifies the alumni network, online workshops and voluntary activities as ways of maintaining connections after that funding ended.
This distinction helps explain the academy’s relationship with the forest project. Its continuing contribution comes through former participants and their networks; the earlier residential programme and current alumni activities are distinct. In Wälder ohne Grenzen, alumni provide forest videos and teaching materials from their regions, linking their environmental work to learning in Hamburg classrooms.
Expansion and educational aims
On 19 May 2026, SDW Hamburg announced an expanded phase following the pilot involving two Hamburg schools. The update outlined new biodiversity excursions, birdwatching activities and simulation-based learning in cooperation with HafenCity University Hamburg, together with wider international exchange. These are components of the announced programme development, not a verified count of completed sessions or additional pupils reached.
The same announcement stated that the organiser was seeking further partnerships and funding to extend the programme to more Hamburg schools. It also named Engagement Global as a new funding partner, using funds from Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). No final number of participating schools or detailed schedule for the additional activities was provided.
The educational focus relates to SDG 4 (quality education). Target 4.7 of the United Nations framework concerns the knowledge and skills needed for sustainable development, including global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity. Forest learning and the exchange of young people’s perspectives fall within this subject area, although the cited project reports do not measure progress against the target.
The published record documents a completed pilot event, youth films and an announced next phase. SDW Hamburg lists stronger forest knowledge, media skills and environmental engagement among its aims. As the programme develops, these aims remain separate from demonstrated results: the activities are documented, but their lasting effects on participants are not quantified in the cited project reports.
Written by a human author, edited with AI assistance.
Further information
SDW Hamburg, Wälder ohne Grenzen project page. Outlines the pilot design, learning materials, filmmaking, papermaking and alumni contributions.
SDW Hamburg, pilot closing event report, 26 January 2026. Documents the event on 16 January, the Hamburg woodland filming locations and the international screenings.
SDW Hamburg, programme expansion announcement, 19 May 2026. Describes the activities planned for the next phase and ongoing efforts to secure partnerships and funding.
SDW Hamburg, International Sustainability Academy overview. Explains the scholarship programme’s history, funding period and continuing alumni activities.
United Nations Statistics Division, SDG indicator metadata repository. Provides the wording of goal 4, target 4.7 and its indicator concerning education for sustainable development and global citizenship.
