There's a lot going on in Chemnitz!

Jason Jack Weißbach, Florian Steiger & Maxim Kunze

The weather is beautiful, the sun is shining, the ice is melting and the trees in Stadthallenpark are providing cooling shade. The organisers of the new Summerbreak school festival, which takes place in Stadthallenpark on 10 July, are hoping for similarly good weather. Jason Jack Weißbach, Florian Steiger and Maxim Kunze have come together in different ways and have put together a colourful programme together with the team from C³ Chemnitzer Veranstaltungszentren GmbH and Vanessa Azeroth, a Chemnitz high school graduate. With so much commitment, the young people become our organisers of the week.

Would you like the weather to be like this next Friday?
All three: Yes, definitely!
Jason: Well, it could be a bit cooler, if it's up to me. It usually cools down in the evening anyway. But sunshine would be great, of course.

Have you prepared anything special for the Summerbreak student festival?
Jason: Well, we've prepared a whole range of activities. For example, a climbing wall, although the blazing sun might not be so favourable. But that's what the big fountain is for.
Florian: What we have actively prepared are the graffiti walls. There was a workshop beforehand where the walls were sprayed. And these will then also be erected as a fence all round.

What else can visitors to Summerbreak look forward to?
Jason: We hope that everyone will bring a good mood with them. There's a big stage with a big line-up. Everyone is invited to listen and dance. What I particularly like is that there will be a second, smaller stage where we want to offer young people from Chemnitz a platform to showcase their skills. For example, we have a 12-year-old girl with us who sings. We have a school band from a sixth-form class that will be performing. It's a really nice opportunity to show what you can do.

Are spontaneous jam sessions also possible?
Jason: We actually have a schedule on the stages. But if there are gaps and someone wants to play for ten minutes, then that's certainly possible.

The Summerbreak Festival is taking place in Chemnitz for the first time. How is it that you of all people are taking part and organising the student festival together with C³ GmbH?
Jason: I was on the city student council and was approached by the festival project manager to tell the student representatives about the student festival. I learnt more about it, found it very exciting and wanted to take part. Then I just stuck with it.
Florian: I was asked by the organising team if I would like to take part in Summerbreak as a DJ. And as I had free tips, I agreed to help with the organisation.
Maxim: It was more of a private thing for me. I was asked by friends if I would like to help out. (smiles)

So you didn't have anything to do with each other beforehand, but only got to know each other through Summerbreak?
Jason: Not quite. Florian and I already knew each other beforehand. But I got to know Maxim for the first time here. Vanessa is also in the team, but unfortunately she couldn't be here today because she's still on holiday. She goes to school with me. I told my friends there what was going on and Vanessa said she would like to join in. For example, she's doing all the decorations for the festival and is building seating and tables out of Euro pallets.

Are there any other plans for the decorations?
Jason: Yes, Vanessa had the idea of hanging scarves and knitted shawls on the trees to make everything even cosier. All guests are invited to bring their own things to hang on the trees. The Summerbreak should be as colourful as possible.

How many people are you expecting on Friday?
Jason: I can't estimate that at all. Some tickets have already been sold, but there are still some left. So a lot of students and others can spontaneously turn up on Friday. So that there are as many of us as possible. After all, it's the last day of school to party.

The headliners on Friday are "DieLochis". Two incredible YouTube stars who already have over 5 million clicks. How did you manage to get the twins on board?
Jason: C³ GmbH did all the band booking. We have no idea about that, also because of contracts and so on. But we sat down with the team and chose together who would be cool and who wouldn't go at all. And DieLochis were on the list.
Florian: The target group for the school festival is precisely those who listen to DieLochis and also know them.
Maxim: My younger siblings in particular know DieLochis and really like them. My brother in particular has a real Lochi phase. (laughs)

Are you also active and involved in other things?
Florian: I've always done something before. But Summerbreak is the biggest thing I've been involved in so far. I used to be involved in the AJZ. I wrote applications, supported projects and so on.
Maxim: This is something completely new for me. Above all, it's a new challenge. I definitely want to continue to get involved and do something like this.

Maxim certainly has the opportunity to do so. Next year, the Summerbreak Festival will also be organised for the students to celebrate the summer and the end of the school year in style. By the way, no "muttizettel" is needed for the event. Pupils under the age of 16 can come alone and without a slip. The event area is fenced off and security will cordon off and control everything.

What's it like to live here as a young person in Chemnitz?
Jason: I think it's great. The city has changed a lot in recent years. Especially now. I graduated this summer and now I've had time to get to know the city better. A lot of doors are opening for me right now. Especially with the open air weekend. Studio W.M. is also organising a big event here in the Stadthallenpark on Thursday. In general, a lot is happening in Chemnitz.
Florian: I also think that a lot has changed in the last two or three years. I used to think that there was nothing going on in Chemnitz and that I really wanted to go out after school. Now it's not like that at all. The Kosmonaut, the Fête de la Musique and Rock am Kopp, which used to take place quite often, simply didn't exist before. Those are really nice events that are worth staying for.

What are your plans now that you've finished school?
Florian: I definitely want to stay here and try to find something so that I can stay.
Jason: I'm definitely staying here for at least another year and I'm doing a three-month internship at the Stadthalle and Vanessa would also like to do a three-month internship at the trade fair centre.
Maxim: I'm going to finish school here first, I'm still in year 8. And of course I'll stay here until then. We'll see where I end up after that.

Despite the changes of the last two years, do you have the impression that the people of Chemnitz need to be encouraged?
Maxim: Yes! Chemnitz is still quite an old city with an older population. I have a lot of people in my circle of acquaintances who campaign for refugees and support them. When you hear the comments against refugees in Chemnitz, you definitely have to encourage people to do something about it.
Jason: In general, I have the feeling that we're doing things here and people are actually just waiting for it. I often notice that when I go from school to school and promote Summerbreak, there are lots of teachers who think it's great. I think that's the case with a lot of things, it needs a spark and then something ignites.
Florian: Somehow there are two different camps in Chemnitz. On the one hand, there is a lot of openness and many people who say "Yes, do it!", on the other hand, many are afraid of new things. As a result, many are always against it and only realise afterwards that it's a good thing.

Do you have any ideas on how to overcome this fear?
Florian: By simply doing it! (smiles)