00:00Imagine working your whole life, paying for a pension and never receiving one.
00:05That's what many young people in Germany fear.
00:16That's something Elisa Wittler refuses to accept.
00:18The 21-year-old is part of a nonpartisan youth group that wants to have a say in solving Germany's pension crisis.
00:24We can pay for it now and I'm afraid of what happens if we don't pay for it.
00:30But what is wrong with the German pension system?
00:33Let's have a look back.
00:35The idea of a state pension in Germany dates back to 19th century German Empire
00:40and aimed to protect workers from falling into poverty and old age.
00:44Modern Germany's pension system is based on an intergenerational contract,
00:48meaning today's workers pay for today's retirees.
00:51But here's the issue. Germany is getting older.
00:54While in the 1960s six workers supported one retiree, today it's fewer than two.
01:00A shift that keeps the pension bill for young people rising.
01:03Elisa and other young activists share a common feeling,
01:06that the pension system needs a future-proof overhaul.
01:09But they worry that the concerns of younger generations aren't being prioritized.
01:13Beim Thema Rente geht es um alle. Also sollten wir auch alle am Tisch sitzen.
01:18Together they're working on concrete ideas for a fairer pension model.
01:22Like cutting the privileges of politicians and civil servants or using taxes to balance the pension fund.
01:28Es geht uns im Grunde nicht darum, irgendwem die Stimme wegzunehmen oder die Rente wegzunehmen,
01:33sondern Generationengerechtigkeit bedeutet, dass wir auch gehört werden.
01:38What does retirement look like where you live?
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