BMW Foundation
Celebrating Social Engagement and Cohesion
Marc Beckmann
“What you do for our society, our cohesion, and our country is more precious than gold – or indeed silver! It is priceless,” German Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier did not hold back in his praise when welcoming thousands of visitors to the citizens’ festival at his official residence in Berlin.
Over the course of two days, Steinmeier rolled out the red carpet at Schloss Bellevue for all those who contribute to the common good and help to strengthen democracy. At this year’s citizens’ festival, the BMW Foundation presented its work alongside 50 nonprofit organizations, initiatives, and businesses. Steinmeier was enthusiastic: “With 26 partners, including many renowned companies and large foundations whose support makes this festival possible, as well as over 50 initiatives and organizations, we have broken the records of all previous citizens’ festivals.”
Light show at Schloss Bellevue. Photo: Marc Beckmann
Diversity Of Social Engagement
The annual citizens’ festival in the palace grounds is a two-day showcase of the diversity of social engagement in Germany. With this year’s motto, “An Honor to Volunteer – Count Me In”, the citizens’ festival is promoting voluntary engagement in civil society. Around 4,000 volunteers from all over the country have been invited to attend the first day of the festival on Friday, September 12. On Saturday, September 13, the open day at Schloss Bellevue, the Federal President and his wife, Elke Büdenbender, welcomed all interested members of the public.
"We are a country of people who see what needs to be done and do it."
German Federal President
Steinmeier not only expressed his gratitude for the voluntary work of many people, he also used the celebration as an opportunity to call for social cohesion in times of division. “We defend this democracy – especially now when it is under attack, when extremism is rampant, when people who want to divide and incite us are bombarding social media with their messages,” he said. “Now in particular, we stand united, encourage one another, and are the best people we can be. We are a country of people who see what needs to be done and do it, who make things better, who are there for one another and share our ideas.” The BMW Foundation teamed up with the Center for Responsible Research and Innovation at the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering IAO and JOBLINGE to host its booth. The aim was to highlight the challenges and opportunities of Germany’s energy transition and to showcase career prospects that can future-proof society. Visitors explored future energy systems, learned from contemporary research, and saw how innovative careers can drive a sustainable, competitive Germany.
Werkstatt des Wandels
A graphic display board featured highlights of the “Werkstatt des Wandels,” a current event series in collaboration with the Fraunhofer Institute. The initiative is exploring how Germany can carry out the energy transition, with a focus on technological aspects, social acceptance, and overcoming bureaucratic hurdles. “The energy transition is a really big topic,” said Zola Diakanua when visiting the BMW Foundation pavilion. “I find the interface between business, technology, and politics really exciting, because I study political science.” Another visitor, Florian Kirschstein, division manager at the Federal Presidency, was impressed by the interactive model, a main attraction in the pavilion: “It shows the complexity of the energy transition and has very playful elements. This makes it easy to strike up a conversation.”
Tomorrow’s Energy Challenges
The interactive model was developed at the Competence Center for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency at Hamburg University of Applied Sciences (HAW Hamburg). It presents Northern Germany at nearly four by two meters. Visitors explore with four augmented-reality screens to understand tomorrow’s energy challenges and how to meet them. Touching the screens reveals sharper details. Six stations guide through the future energy system. As a major Northern German transformation project, the NRL was also the focus of a “Werkstatt des Wandels” in June 2025, organized by the BMW Foundation and Fraunhofer CeRRI.
Among the 50 organizations on display at the palace grounds were Bertelsmann Stiftung, Robert Bosch Stiftung, UNICEF, HAWAR.help, Stiftung Mercator, and the Deutsche Stiftung für Engagement und Ehrenamt. Among the businesses were Siemens, Allianz, REWE, and Rossmann. All of them were complemented by local initiatives and stands with regional food specialties. The partner region of this year’s citizens’ festival was Rhineland-Palatinate. Portugal was represented at the festival as the international partner country.
Among the 50 organizations on display at the palace grounds were Bertelsmann Stiftung, Robert Bosch Stiftung, UNICEF, HAWAR.help, Stiftung Mercator, and the Deutsche Stiftung für Engagement und Ehrenamt. Among the businesses were Siemens, Allianz, REWE, and Rossmann. All of them were complemented by local initiatives and stands with regional food specialties. The partner region of this year’s citizens’ festival was Rhineland-Palatinate. Portugal was represented at the festival as the international partner country.
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BMW Foundation Team