Greifswald International Students Festival 2016 - Sea: the Future. Discovering the Ocean Current

The Greifswald International Students Festival (GrIStuF) is a biannual festival hosted by volunteers in North East Germany. Its aim is to connect students from all over the world in dialogue beyond nationalities, race or religion. It provides a platform for exchanging ideas and enables discussion on current topics. This years theme "Sea: the Future. Discovering the Ocean Current" will put in focus the state of our oceans, their role on energy, trade, or culture, as well as issues like migration and the ocean's pollution.

Under the motto "Sea: the Future" we are already looking forward to the next Greifswald International Students Festival 2016! From 4th to 11th of June 2016 approximately 150 students from all over the world will be hosted in Greifswald to deal with workshops concerning the oceans - suitable for the 21st century that is better known as the century of the sea. We will focus on topics like environment including pollution and energy, but also cultural perspectives, migration over the sea and ecological  aspects. Cultural events such as films, music and party that suit the motto will complete the programme.

Everything we throw away will end up in the oceans sooner or later. Due to the food chain from plankton to fish this reaches us humans again. What influence does the pollution of the oceans have on the production of food and the water quality? What alternatives can be found?

The oceans play for every human a different role and they influence us all in several ways. We are going to compare these differences in the fields of politics, economy and environment in a dialogue with the inhabitants of Greifswald. After an introduction concerning technique, script and stylistic devices, the participants will realize a movie-documentary.

Our economic system is dependent on the oceans. But who owns the oceans in fact and how can a sustainable use be arranged?

Islands have always been important in strategic, economic and ecologic regards. Today about 10% of the world's population live on islands. Therefore the rising of sea level has a major impact on a significant portion of humanity. So, what are the characteristics of islands in history, present and future?

For some the oceans are a destination for recovery; for others it is their working environment. The workshop analyzes and compares different impressions and associations connected with the habitat ocean. How did these different approaches evolve and how do these shape our attitude towards the oceans?

Already in 50 years from now the oceans and the coastal areas of the world will have changed dramatically. Also we humans will have to adapt to that. Will there also be new opportunities although the pollution of the oceans will increase and the polar caps will melt steadily? We are going to discuss, who owns the natural resources e.g. beneath the Arctic and whether there will be new space for living on or in the oceans.

The European refugee policy has been for month a matter of concern. Due to the current topic we are going to analyze reasons why people flee, consequences of such migrations as well as the ongoing global refugee movements and to Europe in particular. In contrast we want to shed light on political and legal aspects. What happens if an attempt to escape fails? What particular rights do refugees have?