“Human Rights and Human Well-Being”

From July 3rd to 5th, 2026, I attended a wonderful weekend seminar organized by STUBE Niedersachsen at the Bildungs- und Tagungszentrum HVHS Springe. The main theme was "Human Rights and Human Well-Being." The venue itself was fantastic – it sat in a calm, quiet area right next to a wild forest. My room was cozy and welcoming, and the host provided absolutely delicious food that kept everyone happy and full of energy all weekend. We started on Friday evening with room check-ins and a nice dinner together.

Right after dinner, I got to work alongside Andreas to facilitate the "Welcome and Getting to Know Each Other" session. To help everyone break the ice, I set up a game where participants had to walk around, talk to each other, and find answers to specific tasks I prepared. It was a lot of fun and helped everyone bond instantly. This friendly atmosphere made the next session, an "Introduction into the Topic," highly interactive before we all enjoyed a relaxing free evening. Right after the end of the session for the first day, we played in-house European “Kegeln” which is played similar to famous ‘Bowling’ but with a different ball and only 9 pins.

On Saturday morning, our first official class was "Human Rights from a Legal Perspective: Constitutional Law in Germany" with Kimia Ettefagh. This session taught me a lot about how fundamental rights act as a shield to protect citizens from state overreach, binding the police, parliament, and the justice system. It was really eye-opening to learn about how equality works and how the law can restrict certain actions through specific paragraphs and articles. It gave me a much clearer, structured view of the German legal system.

After a quick break, we moved into the second session: "Human Rights and Well-Being of People with Disabilities: Deafblind and Non-Verbal Persons in Rwanda" by Jean Pierre Hakizimana. This presentation deeply touched me. He explained the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and showed how these rights apply to real-life church ministry and community life. Using a case study from Rwanda, I learned how important communication is for human dignity and how we must use creative thinking (hermeneutics) to ensure everyone can actively participate in society.

After lunch, everyone was feeling a bit tired, so I stepped up to lead a "Human Knot" game as an energizer. It was an absolute blast! There was so much laughter and teamwork as everyone tried to untangle themselves. This burst of fun was exactly what we needed before diving into a long, two-part afternoon session on "Human Rights, Human Well-Being and Migration" with Kahraman Haji Hasan. Here, I learned the legal differences between refugees and migrants under the Refugee Convention, and we had a fascinating debate on whether a universal right to migrate should exist. It really made me look at migration through a deeper ethical lens.

After dinner, we put on our walking shoes for a "Guided Tour of the Forest" with Kai Kunze. This was such a grounding and refreshing experience. We walked through the beautiful woods, tasted fresh wild berries right from the bushes, and played a fun guessing game about local wild animals. I also learned so much about the forest soil, different types of plants, and the creatures that live there. It was the perfect way to clear our minds after a day of heavy topics before we enjoyed another free evening. After the end of the seminar session we headed back to the bowling alley one last time to test our skills and team spirit.

On Sunday morning, right after checking out of our rooms, we listened to the final lecture by Thomas Müßel called "Human Rights and Human Well-Being: A Focus on International Civil Society Commitment." This session taught me how normal people can make a huge difference through organizations like Amnesty International and international medical networks. It was inspiring to see how theory turns into real-world action. We finished the weekend by discussing open questions, doing a seminar evaluation, and receiving our certificates of participation before heading home after lunch.

My Overall Takeaway
Attending this seminar was an incredibly rewarding experience that taught me a massive amount. Being part of every single session allowed me to broaden my view on global human rights, disability inclusion, and migration laws. Listening to the experts and talking with the other passionate participants gave me fresh insights and a deeper understanding of human equity. I left Springe feeling highly inspired and much better equipped to advocate for the well-being of others in the future!
Aravind Chalaparambil Manianpillai