The Young Makers Festival helps develop skills for the future

22 June 2026

Over 300 young people, teachers and education professionals will gather at Kuehne Logistics University in Hamburg’s HafenCity on 30 June 2026 to bring future skills to life.

Artificial intelligence, digitalisation and societal upheavals present young people with new challenges. This makes it all the more important to have spaces where they can learn to cope with uncertainty, recognise opportunities, develop their own ideas and play an active role in shaping the future. That is precisely what the Young Makers Festival is all about. More than 300 school pupils come together there with companies, start-ups, universities, educational initiatives and social organisations. Together, they create a space for hands-on experience where future-oriented skills are not simply taught in theory, but can be experienced in practice.

The Young Makers Festival offers a space to try things out

"Trying things out, discovering your own strengths and actively shaping the future – the Young Makers Festival provides a space for all of this. It fosters experiences, a sense of self-efficacy and optimism for the future," says Dr Melanie Leonhard, Senator for Economic Affairs, Labour and Innovation of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg. “It’s not about everyone going on to start their own business. It’s about future skills that are important in all areas of life: developing ideas, taking on challenges, recognising opportunities and taking responsibility.”

The Young Makers Festival is part of Young Makers Hamburg, the umbrella initiative for entrepreneurship education in Hamburg. The aim of the initiative is to inspire young people to develop future-oriented skills whilst also connecting the diverse stakeholders within Hamburg’s education ecosystem.

Festival showcases Hamburg’s strong education ecosystem

"The world of work is changing rapidly. This makes it all the more important to give young people the opportunity at an early stage to discover their own strengths and actively shape their future," says Dr Rolf Strittmatter, Managing Director of Hamburg Invest. “The Young Makers Festival brings together education, business and society, and demonstrates just how valuable hands-on experience is for developing the skills of the future. Hamburg has a strong educational ecosystem – this festival brings it to life and makes it tangible.”

Ideas give rise to a social impact

A highlight of the programme is the keynote speech by Caroline Stüdemann, Managing Director of Viva con Agua. She will talk about how ideas can lead to social impact and why young people need the opportunity to gain their own experiences.

“Exchange and mutual inspiration are the key to future impact. Young people bring with them curiosity, creativity and the desire to make a difference. If we give them spaces where they can experiment, create and take on responsibility, this fosters self-confidence and optimism for the future. That is exactly what the Young Makers Festival stands for. I’m absolutely delighted to be taking part.”

As well as workshops on topics such as artificial intelligence, coding, financial literacy, resilience and idea development, the festival offers a large interactive marketplace featuring more than 20 Hamburg-based educational organisations. There, pupils can find out about educational opportunities, ask questions and talk directly to the people behind the projects.

Note to editorial teams

We are offering you an on-site appointment so that you can attend the event:

The session will take place on

Tuesday, 30 June 26, from 9 am to 10 am

Kuehne Logistics University, Hamburg HafenCity

Please register in advance with Hamburg Marketing’s Corporate Communications department.

Sources and further information

Hamburg Invest

Hamburg Invest ist die One Stop Agency für Ansiedlungen und Investitionen in Hamburg sowie zentraler Partner der Hamburger Wirtschaft zu allen Themen der Wirtschaftsförderung. Insbesondere für kleine und mittlere Unternehmen gibt es vielfältige Serviceangebote. Die Vermarktung städtischer Gewerbe- und Industrieflächen - von der Flächenentwicklung über Werbung und Kundenansprache bis zur Grundstücksvergabe - ist eine weitere Aufgabe. Technologie- und wissensbasierte Startups finden hier ihre zentrale Anlaufstelle.