Buchpremiere »Handbuch Queere Jugendarbeit« mit Folke Brodersen, Simon Merz & Kim Trau

In the organizer's words:

On November 3, 2025, the "Queer Youth Work Handbook " will be published - an inspiring guide that brings together the combined knowledge, experiences and visions of almost sixty experts from research, practice and activism for the first time.

The editors Folke Brodersen and Simon Merz and the publisher etece buch cordially invite you to the premiere. The evening will be organized by the editors together with Kim Trau, who has written a foreword to the book. Together, they will provide insights into the development of the handbook, present key topics and discuss the importance of queer youth work today and in the future.
Following the book launch, there will be time for discussion, talks and snacks.

The book shows how diverse, courageous and indispensable queer youth work is - from protection concepts and queer joy to anti-racist and neurodivergence-sensitive approaches. It is a practical reference work and at the same time a political statement for empowerment, visibility and solidarity.

Folke Brodersen (all pronouns) researches and teaches as a post-doc at JLU Giessen on topics including queer youth work and the living environments of young queer people. Folke works as a freelancer in training and further education for educational professionals and is a board member of the Hannchen-Mehrzweck-Stiftung für queere Bewegungen.

Simon Merz (he/him or no pronouns) is a communication scientist and works as a political youth and adult educator with a focus on discrimination criticism and participation. Simon's research interests include public opinion, political education, experiences of discrimination and the well-being of queer people. From 2021 to 2024, he was a full-time youth education officer at the Akademie Waldschlösschen and is currently a pedagogical employee of the VHS Frankfurt am Main and managing director of Arbeit und Leben (VHS/DGB) Frankfurt am Main.

Kim Trau (pronoun sie/ihr) has been working as Federal Managing Director of the youth network Lambda e. V. (federal association) since 2021. Previously, she worked as a youth education officer at the Waldschlösschen Academy and as a Teach First Fellow at a secondary school in Pforzheim. She studied Regional Studies Asia/Africa with a minor in Gender Studies (Bachelor) at the HU Berlin and subsequently History (Master) both at the HU Berlin and at the University of Uppsala, Sweden (Erasmus). Kim's public positioning is trans*-female, queer, white.

This event takes place in cooperation with the Gunda Werner Institute.

The book was created at the Akademie Waldschlösschen - Stiftung Rainer Marbach and Ulli Klaum and is supported by them. Funded by the Magnus Hirschfeld Federal Foundation and the Heinrich Dammann Foundation.

Price information:

Please register free of charge via the Gunda Werner Institute.