Volunteering in a sports club, working on projects to aid refugees, supporting various sustainability initiatives – students are involved in society in many different ways. This was demonstrated during the Love Oxford-Berlin Photo Competition, which was held at the beginning of February as part of the Oxford/Berlin Research Partnership. Students from the University of Oxford and the partner institutions of the Berlin University Alliance (Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Technische Universität Berlin and Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin) were allowed to take part. One representative from each institution sat on the jury.

“For me, the laughter from the elderly during games together and the gratitude they show me as a volunteer make every visit an extremely special and priceless experience,” wrote Sarah Bchir, commenting on her Instagram photos. In addition to studying psychology at Freie Universität Berlin, the 18-year-old visited the residents of a retirement home every week until the outbreak of the novel coronavirus. She helped them during mealtimes, read to them, went for walks with them, challenged them with brain training exercises, and sometimes simply lent them an ear – just to name a few of the ways she volunteered her time there.

The selflessness in overcoming her initial doubts and helping the elderly to feel a sense of joy and dignity convinced the jury of the competition to award Sarah Bchir first prize in the photo competition. The jury noted that she has clearly succeeded in presenting her work in a down-to-earth manner that also treated the residents with respect. In so doing, she demonstrates an excellent example of social cohesion across several generations, something that is desperately needed in our day and age.

The Berliner has won herself a trip for two to Oxford, although it is uncertain when she will be able to actually pack her bags due to travel and contact restrictions to contain the novel coronavirus. But even worse for Sarah Bchir is the fact that she can no longer visit the elderlyat the home. "All of the experiences I have had in the retirement home have been incredibly valuable. I very much hope to see everyone again soon, safe and sound."

Her volunteering work has also shaped her own personal goals for the future, says Sarah Bchir. “I have learned an incredible amount about dealing with conditions like dementia and Alzheimer’s – I had no point of reference regarding these diseases before.” Now she says that she could really imagine herself working in the field of neuropsychological research after her studies, for example, conducting research on the mental capacity of people with dementia and exploring methods to improve it.

“Then anyone and everyone can lend a hand in the event of emergency.” Alina Schultze-Berndt

Three other Love Oxford-Berlin Photo Competition participants each won a book voucher worth 50 euros. Overall, students across the competition demonstrated a broad scope of social engagement. However, the jury found that only a few succeeded in capturing an entire story in a single image – as was the case with the photo from Alina Schultze-Berndt from Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin.

“Few similar offers exist for this age group,” says Alina Schultze-Berndt. “We want this life-saving knowledge to be repeated over and over again in the course of a lifetime, so that it is less likely to be forgotten.” The children appeared very interested in this topic and bombarded the volunteers with questions. A positive side effect would be if the children pass on the knowledge at home and eventually encourage their parents to attend first aid courses themselves, says the medical student. “Then anyone and everyone can lend a hand in the event of emergency!”

Cleaning stumbling stones – to prevent us from forgetting. Gizem Erol quietly fights the battle against forgetting alone. “The stones are already in the ground, there just has to be someone to keep them shining,” she writes, adding a quotation from Willy Brandt to her photo: “Where courage has no home, freedom does not extend far.”

“Where courage has no home, freedom does not extend far.” Willy Brandt

Cleaning stumbling stones – to prevent us from forgetting. Gizem Erol quietly fights the battle against forgetting alone. “The stones are already in the ground, there just has to be someone to keep them shining,” she writes, adding a quotation from Willy Brandt to her photo: “Where courage has no home, freedom does not extend far.”

The law student from Freie Universität Berlin took part in a stumbling stone cleaning campaign for the first time in 2017. Since then she has been regularly on the move in Mitte and Kreuzberg. “The people's stories interest me, but in most cases I could only find a small amount of information on their lives,” says the 19-year-old.

“75 years after the liberation of Europe from National Socialist terror, remembering the ordeals of this unruly era in German history remains painfully pertinent,” explains the jury.

For the jury, Gizem Erol’s contribution shows that, as xenophobic hatred in speech and action increases worldwide, it is the duty of each and every individual to make their own contribution to social cohesion.

“This is an overarching issue that demands commitment from all of us.” Jana Söller

Many students support climate projects, which could be seen in the results of the Love Oxford-Berlin Photo Competition. The jury was fully aware of the great importance of every single contribution in this field; they had a hard time deciding which individual submission deserved special recognition.

Jana Söller impressed them with her presentation of her personal journey in climate activism, from the beginnings with Fridays for Future demonstrations to the invitation to the Berlin House of Representatives as a representative of the "Climate Emergency Berlin" public initiative and her conversation with the Environment Committee.

In fact, her personal journey began even earlier than that. The 26-year-old began her studies in the fields of culture, technology and educational science at Technische Universität Berlin out of a desire to “make a contribution to improving humanity at its very core” because, in her opinion, education is essential for positive and self-reflective development. She continues to organize her life based on her commitment to sustainability.

“For me, engagement means being committed to an important social cause in a sustainable way,” Jana Söller writes about her photos. She does not let her own inhibitions stop her from doing so. “I've always shied away from public speaking. But when I found a good cause – namely, to inform fellow members of society about the climate crisis – it became much easier for me to speak in front of so many people.” In addition, she says she has been able to pick up multiple skills through her work, such as nonviolent communication, press and political relations and event management. The Berliner says she will continue to be politically active. “This is an overarching issue that demands commitment from all of us.”

“The natural beauty of our surrounding environment here is a constant reminder to do our best for the planet.” Triin Ojakaar 

Commitment to sustainability has also impressed the University of Oxford. At St. Edmund Hall – one of the colleges at the university – the psychology student Triin Ojakaar is volunteering in a student information centre and finding ways to encourage environmentally friendly attitudes and behaviour throughout the college.

Her goal is to make St. Edmund Hall the greenest college in Oxford. “The natural beauty of our surrounding environment here is a constant reminder to do our best for the planet,” writes the 25-year-old.

The jury explains that it was very hard for them to decide between the outstanding finalists. What finally convinced them was the quality of the photo and the ambition of the project. With her engagement and photo, Triin Ojakaar has won a trip for two to Berlin. Everyone involved hopes that she too will soon be able to pack her bags.