Future Day for Girls and Boys: “It all comes down to the willingness to do the job”

Unfamiliar sounds filled the library’s focused atmosphere on Thursday morning. Several groups of children scurried through the rows of shelves in the open stacks, their eyes meticulously scanning the spines of the books. “We have to find a word that’s protected by a Roth13 cipher,” explained 12-year-old Enna. Together with a friend, she uses a cipher disc to find the solution word. While the two girls are still puzzling over it, a group of boys has just found their next clue between the shelves. The library scavenger hunt is a tradition—just like Future Day itself.

For over ten years, Leuphana has been breaking down gender roles in career choices through its programs. “The idea for Future Day originated in the U.S., where ‘Take Our Daughters to Work Day’ was established in the 1990s,” explains Hannah Brandenburg from Leuphana Family Services. This then gave rise to Future Day for boys and girls. “The point is to become more open-minded, to think outside the box, and to get to know different fields that might not seem interesting at first glance.” The various workshops, which boys and girls attend separately, are designed to cover professions traditionally associated with the opposite gender. The workshops are offered by the Media Information Center (MIZ) and the Faculty of Education. Software development, programming educational games, media literacy, and university sports activities form the framework of Future Day on April 23.

There’s a lot going on not only in the library but also in the main building. Colorful lights flicker in the Libeskind Auditorium while an audio track is turned up and down. “We just adjusted the sound here and tried out different channels,” explains Mia (11), pointing to one of the two consoles set up by Leuphana’s AFM Event Service. At the other console, her group members are experimenting with the lighting settings. “We were just allowed to try things out,” Mia describes her foray into event technology. “But now I’m also looking forward to trying out another profession in the second workshop.”

Back in the library—more specifically, the Experience Lab on the first floor—you can see children fiddling with large cameras and a teleprompter; what they’re filming appears on a large screen behind them. “The cameras are actually used at the university for science communication,” explains Simon, the head of the Bib-Studio, to the participants. Eleven-year-old Mattis enjoys filming, even though he’s already clear about his career ambitions. “Actually, I want to study law for the sake of justice,” he says, “but being a cameraman is cool too!” He doesn’t care at all who’s holding the camera. “There are boys who can film well, but girls too,” he says, “It comes down to the will to do a job and the desire.”