German State Visit marked with new initiatives on culture, sport and young people
Source: gov.uk (2025-12-04)

UK and Germany launch initiatives to deepen people-to-people ties, delivering on commitments made under July's Kensington Treaty

- Announcement comes as German President visits V&A East and joins footballers Georgia Stanway and Kai Havertz at Bobby Moore Academy in East London
- Agreement will create new creative industries prize and grassroots sport exchange
- Countries to come together at UK-Germany Youth Summit and host their own volunteering celebrations in 2026
New initiatives have been launched by Britain and Germany on culture, sport and young people to mark the State Visit of the German President.

These new agreements seek to strengthen the bonds between our two countries, fostering cultural exchange to the mutual benefit of both Britain and Germany.

On the second day of his State Visit (Thursday 4th December), German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier joined the Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy in touring the V&A East at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford, where they viewed the archival David Bowie Collection, and met organisations like #IWill Youth Movement, Citizen Hubs and the Sea Cadets from the UK volunteering sector at Windsor Castle.

President Steinmeier was joined by international football stars Georgia Stanway (England and Bayern Munich) and Kai Havertz (Germany and Arsenal) at the Bobby Moore Academy in east London to see first-hand sport’s powers of inclusion and impact on local communities. They were joined at the academy by Shekiera Martinez (West Ham and Germany) and Per Mertesacker (formerly of Arsenal and Germany).

It comes as new sporting and cultural agreements are struck between the UK and Germany, including:
- A new UK-Germany Creative Industries Prize to spark innovation and bring growth and opportunity to these important sectors
- A new grassroots sports exchange is planned with funding of £100,000 being used to support inclusion and unite communities
- A UK-Germany Youth Summit, which will see young people from the UK and Germany gather in Berlin
- A new cross-border celebration of volunteering, with the Big Help Out to return in 2026 and Germany to launch their own equivalent, Der Ehrentag
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said:

The German President’s State Visit to the UK is a momentous occasion to mark the important economic, cultural and diplomatic partnership between our two countries.

These new agreements on sport, culture, and young people will forge a powerful, lasting legacy of connection that will benefit people in the UK and Germany.

UK-Germany Creative Industries Award

The award will be launched on the one-year anniversary of the signing of the Kensington Treaty in July 2026. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport will back the award with £25,000 funding.

A joint UK–Germany Creative Industries Co-Design Lab will work to develop the Award in the first quarter of 2026.

Germany and the United Kingdom are committing to launch the UK-Germany Creative Industries Award by next Summer 2026. This will allow German and British creatives to exchange ideas, spark innovation and spur growth in critical industries of the future.

UK-Germany Youth Sport Exchange

Schools, youth groups and football clubs will have the chance to travel overseas as part of a grassroots sporting exchange aimed at supporting young people and providing opportunities to those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and the the Federal Ministry for Education, Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth will make £100,000 of joint funding available for the programme in a celebration of past sporting rivalries and future friendships.

UK-Germany Youth Summit

Young people from across the two countries will come together in Berlin next year for the UK-Germany Youth Summit, empowering the next generation of the relationship’s leaders.

The event, to take place between March 20-22, will give 70 participants the opportunity to network, broaden their international horizons and generate new ideas to respond to shared challenges. The Department for Education and German government will each contribute £80,000 of funding towards the summit.

UK-Germany Volunteering Celebration

Inspired by the success of the UK’s Big Help Out, President Steinmeier will launch Der Ehrentag, a German equivalent, which is due to take place for the first time on May 23. The Big Help Out saw 7.2 million people take part in volunteering projects all over the UK during the Coronation Bank Holiday in 2023. Thanks to new funding from DCMS and the Pears Foundation, the initiative will return next year, in partnership with The Big Lunch, for a long weekend of community action on June 5-8.

Next year, the two landmark celebrations will transcend borders and show that volunteering is open to all.