INVOLVEMENT: WHAT WE CAN'T DO WITHOUT

Alexander Haisenko,18, from Munich

The FriendWhat is the thing you could not do without, Alexander?

My friends! We are a group of about 20 people, boys and girls. Some of them I have known since I was eleven.

What do you do when you're together?

We do a lot of sports, go out, have parties. During the holidays, the whole group went camping in Italy together. The most important thing is that I can talk about anything with my friends.

What actually makes your friends your friends?

We are in some ways quite similar. We have the same sense of humour and are quite spontanuous. The main thing is that we can trust each other. I know when I tell something really important to someone, my friend won't gossip about it. He just listens and if I need help, he will try and help me.

Do you have pals who are older than you?

My friends are more or less of the same age as me. They are interested in the same things as me and have similar backgrounds. Parents often cannot understand stuff, because they are not in the same situation. Some of my friends can't even talk to their parents.

Do you think you will stay friends when some of you don't live in Munich any longer?

Probably not with all of them, but definitely with my best friends. It's not the most important thing to see each other all the time.

Stefanie Hentschel