The Foundation

Schwarzkopf Foundation Young Europe was founded in 1971 by Pauline Schwarzkopf. The Schwarzkopf Foundation, a non-partisan organisation, strives to empower young people from all backgrounds to be active European citizens who contribute to a pluralistic, democratic society of mutual understanding, solidarity and peaceful collaboration across Europe. With our work to empower young people, we seek to promote a pan-European understanding and combat right-wing extremism, anti-Semitism and racism.

Young people contribute to European cohesion and play a crucial role in shaping pluralistic societies. That is why we create spaces for young people to develop political awareness and visions for the society they want to live in. We offer young people opportunities to meet, exchange knowledge, grow and actively participate.

With a wide range of programmes and projects, we advocate for an open, solidarity-based and democratic Europe, and we aim to strengthen young and pluralistic voices – in Europe and beyond.

How we work:

The Schwarzkopf Foundation is guided by the values formulated in its mission statement – open-mindedness, pluralism, democracy and solidarity. These values also shape the way the Foundation’s organisation, programmes and projects work. Living up to our values means:

1. listening to young people first
2. ensuring outreach to and inclusion of our target group
3. learning through action and experience
4. experiencing pluralism
5. creating meaningful alliances
6. working in an impact-oriented way
7. continuous learning
8. an inclusive workplace and organisational culture

You can find out more about our mission statement and how we work here.