We are delighted that two committed Young Humanists, Samira Ruhland and Vanessa Meisner, have been nominated for the Federal President’s Citizens’ Festival to celebrate volunteering on September 12, 2025. This was a special recognition of their multifaceted voluntary work.
Samira Ruhland is a board member of the Brandenburg State Youth Council. Since 2021, she has been deputy chair of the Young Humanists Brandenburg, and from October 2022 to March 2025 she was a volunteer on the board of the Humanist Association East Brandenburg. Since October 2024 she has also been a member of the Federal Board of the Young Humanists of Germany and since January 2024 she has represented the interests of the Young Humanists on the board of the Brandenburg State Youth Council. Through this work, she has continuously worked to ensure that the perspectives of young people in Brandenburg and at a national level are heard.
Vanessa Meisner from the Humanist Association North Brandenburg was nominated because she has been coordinating the Young Humanists in Barnim for several years and has built up and supported structures for young people with great commitment.
Katrin Raczynski, spokeswoman of the board of the Humanist Association of Germany – Federal Association and chairwoman of the Humanist Regional Association Berlin-Brandenburg, emphasized in this context: “Both Young Humanists have impressively shown how much passion and responsibility young volunteers bring to our society. It is important that we celebrate this commitment and make it more visible – for example on this special occasion with the Federal President.”
By attending the volunteer reception at Bellevue Palace, the commitment of the two Young Humanists was not only made visible. It also sent out a strong signal: volunteering is indispensable for our society – and young people take on responsibility that has an impact far beyond their own organization.
