The Volkswagen Group has announced a donation of 150,000 euros to support the International Auschwitz Committee (IAC) and the International Youth Meeting Center (IYMC) in Oświęcim, Poland. This move continues the company's longstanding commitment to commemorating victims of National Socialism.
The IAC brings together survivors of Auschwitz and their organizations from 19 countries, focusing on remembrance and educational activities. The IYMC serves as an educational institution established by Action Reconciliation Service for Peace and the city of Oświęcim, with backing from former prisoners of the Auschwitz concentration camp.
Thomas Schäfer, member of the Board of Management of Volkswagen AG, Brand Group Core and CEO Volkswagen Brand, stated: “We cannot remain indifferent to what we are seeing today – growing hatred, marginalization and historical amnesia. For years, we at Volkswagen have supported the work of the International Auschwitz Committee and the International Youth Meeting Center in Oświęcim. Our trainees show huge commitment in their work there. They listen, ask questions and tell others about what they have learned. These experiences leave a mark and show how important remembrance, education and stance are – particularly in this day and age.”
Daniela Cavallo, Chairwoman of the General and Group Works Council, said: “People at Volkswagen have been committed to fostering a strong culture of remembrance in our company for decades. The commitment of our trainees in Auschwitz is one example; another is the permanent exhibition “Memorial to Forced Labor on the Wolfsburg Factory Site”. The Group Works Council initiated many of the remembrance projects or supported them from an early stage. Given the increasing polarization and racism in society, we are delighted that Volkswagen has now decided to provide support to the IAC and the IYMC, which aims to help counteract this disastrous trend.”
Christoph Heubner, Executive Vice President of the International Auschwitz Committee, explained: “Especially in these turbulent and worrying times, when we are seeing new anti-Semitic riots and right-wing extremist threats in many countries across Europe, the Volkswagen Group’s stance and financial backing for the IAC and Holocaust survivors is a recognition of its commitment and a signal of solidarity that is helpful and important to them.”
Volkswagen's relationship with both organizations dates back several decades. In 1987, Volkswagen trainees from Germany first participated in joint projects at Auschwitz. Since 1989, these initiatives have brought together trainees from both Germany and Poland at the memorial site. More than 3,600 trainees, 740 managers, and numerous other employees have visited Auschwitz as part of these programs.
Volkswagenwerk GmbH was founded in 1937 under the German Labor Front during Nazi rule. After World War II began in 1939, it shifted focus from civilian car production to military manufacturing using forced laborers. Today’s Volkswagen AG incorporates active remembrance into its corporate culture as part of acknowledging this history.