---
title: Catholic Youth Organization Views Recent Protests Not as Generational Conflict
url: https://www.faithfulnews.com/en/catholic-youth-organization-views-recent-protests-not-as-generational-conflict
published: 2026-11-07T22:49:14+00:00
language: en
section: World Church
source: https://www.domradio.de/artikel/katholische-jugend-sieht-akute-proteste-nicht-als-generationenkonflikt
organizations: BDKJ
publisher: FaithfulNews
---

# Catholic Youth Organization Views Recent Protests Not as Generational Conflict

The BDKJ in Baden-Württemberg has stated that recent youth protests should not be reduced to a conflict between generations. The organization asserts that the demonstrations are not intended to play generations against each other, but are instead directed at specific conditions rather than older people.

Young people have identified several primary concerns, including climate justice, educational equity, affordable housing, and a life without existential worries. They have also expressed opposition to compulsory military service and a demand for genuine co-determination.

The BDKJ regional association in Baden-Württemberg demands that young people be systematically involved in decisions that affect them with real influence at the local, state, and federal levels. To achieve this, the organization calls for the expansion and reliable funding of structures such as youth budgets, youth advisory boards, and other forms of participation in youth work.

Regarding the funding of youth associations, the organization argues that these groups are places where young people experience democracy and responsibility on a small scale. Consequently, they require permanent and predictable funding instead of constant financial uncertainty.

Approximately 100,000 predominantly young people participated in nationwide protests organized in part by the movement Gen Z regelt across more than 30 cities. While most protests were peaceful, some cities experienced riots and looting. The BDKJ state chairman for Baden-Württemberg stated that unacceptable violence and the infiltration of peaceful protests by a few individuals must not be allowed to dominate the debate.

Political decision makers are urged to engage more deeply with the legitimate concerns of young people. The BDKJ in Baden-Württemberg represents eleven Catholic youth associations. In the dioceses of Freiburg and Rottenburg-Stuttgart, the umbrella organization for church youth work reaches approximately 295,000 children and adolescents annually.

Nationally, the BDKJ serves as the umbrella organization for 17 Catholic children and youth associations with around 660,000 members. It acts primarily as an interest representative for these associations within the state, society, and the church, while also managing the security of financial funding.