What is ISWI?
ISWI 2025
The “International Student Week in Ilmenau” (ISWI) is a conference for students organised by students. It takes place every alternative year at the campus of Technische Universität Ilmenau.
Over 370 participants from more than 70 different countries took part in the last in-person ISWI in 2019, the after corona ISWI in 2023 got around 190 participants and the online version in 2021 had about 200 active participants with up to 500 for some events. Compared to other similar events ISWI is known for its focus on group work, lectures and debates on a certain main topic, to which the conference is dedicated. As main topic the organising committee always tries to find areas of tension that include recent problems and developments in the world.
The main aim of the ISWI is to bring young people from all over the world together and serve as a platform for exchange and getting to know each other as well as for discussion and working out ideas to solve recent problems. The official language of the conference is English.
Each ISWI adresses a different topic. For 2025 we have chosen the topic ‘Sharing power, giving opportunities and enabling participations’ with the title and motto: Spark the Part(y)cipation.
Sharing Power, Giving Opportunities and Enabling Participation
The topic of ISWI 2025 is: Sharing Power, Giving Opportunities and Enabling Participation.
By “Sharing power,” the conference promotes a culture of mutual respect, where diverse voices can lead and make meaningful contributions. It speaks to the idea that leadership and influence can be distributed, allowing everyone to contribute ideas and perspectives that shape collective goals.
“Giving opportunities” underscores the commitment to ensuring that everyone, regardless of background, has access to resources, knowledge, and platforms that help them succeed and grow. We believe that when people are given meaningful opportunities, they can unlock their potential and contribute positively to the world.
“Enabling Participation” underlines the importance of engagement and involvement. It’s an invitation for everyone to step forward, actively contribute, and feel part of something bigger. This is about creating a community where everyone is encouraged to participate, learn from each other, and collaborate on shared challenges.
We aim at offering a plattform where people can come together and listen to each other’s perspectives and then feel empowered to lead, grow, and participate fully in the collective experience, fostering a sense of community, inclusion, and shared responsibility.
The people behind ISWI: The association ISWI e. V.
The “Initiative Solidarische Welt Ilmenau e.V.” (ISWI e.V.), established in 1992, is an incorporated society and NGO led by students who organise the projects as volunteers. Its status is that of a non-profit and benevolent organisation. We set ourselves the goal to fight against social inequality, racism and intolerance as well as to promote mutual understanding. To reach this aim, we organise projects that raise awareness to recent problems and offer an open platform to get to know each other, exchange views and work out solutions for these problems. Our main project, the “International Student Week in Ilmenau” (ISWI), takes place every two years since 1993 at the Technische Universität Ilmenau.
If you are interested in more information on ISWI e.V. and its projects, please visit our homepage.