Studienstiftung Award: Gabriel Berg – Taking Initiative by the Boxful

Oil, flour, toothpaste and pasta: the first boxes are already full by mid-morning. At around 5 p.m., the team counts again. More than 30 boxes of food have been collected, including 160 packs of pasta alone. The idea is simple: students ask customers in front of the supermarket: “Buy one more!” The donated food goes to the food bank. “Everyone wins: Everyone who participates leaves the supermarket with a smile. Many people want to get involved, but often don't know how,“ explains Gabriel Berg.

“Take Initiative!” aims to close this gap: “We are a point of contact for anyone who wants to get involved in social causes and provide ideas, experiences, materials and a network of fellow campaigners,” explains Gabriel Berg. Just one year after Take Initiative! was founded, the network already includes around 100 students. At the beginning of the semester, idea workshops are held where interested parties come together, discuss social problems in their environment and clarify how they can get involved in improving conditions. Small groups are formed to plan projects and implement them during the semester. The initiative has already organized a variety of projects such as waffle sales, garbage collection campaigns or benefit concerts.

Gabriel Berg is currently pursuing a dual degree program in International Business Administration & Entrepreneurship and Global Environmental and Sustainability Studies. “I came to Leuphana because of the issue of sustainability. The university stood out for me,” says the student. He likes the lively atmosphere on campus: “There are so many motivated and committed students, which leads to a vibrant campus life. The university also supports initiatives with various resources.”

In addition to a prize money of 1000 euros donated by the Association of Alumni of the Studienstiftung, Gabriel Berg receives non-material support through mentoring programs and a network. The student and other prizewinners will be honored on May 19, 2025 at the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities in Berlin: “Even though the Studienstiftung awards the prize on an individual basis, I definitely see it as an award for the whole of Take Initiative! and thus also as an encouragement for everyone to take initiative and to start change on a small scale,” says Gabriel Berg.