Jewelry is part of her identity. Nicité’s necklaces are more than just fashion statements, they embody her values, her family history and her experiences. She received the most striking necklace from her great-grandmother, a pearl necklace made from sea and river pearls. For her, the necklace symbolizes a “good omen” – she is proud of her family.
Nicité Kalthoff was born in Mainz, now lives in Darmstadt and is completing her voluntary ecological year at Okeanos. After graduating from high school, she decided to go to an ocean camp. An internship ultimately led to her involvement with the foundation.
Pressure to perform
Nicité was influenced by her parents’ academic careers: as a child, she wanted to be an author. Education, learning and grade pressure played a dominant role in her life throughout her school years. While she mastered elementary school with top marks, G8 and the expectations of the grammar school in Mainz challenged her. And almost caused her to burn out.
In high school, Nicité spent a year in the US state of Vermont. There she was a member of the school’s Social Justice Club and became involved in the Black Lives Matter movement. Her time in the USA was primarily shaped by the coronavirus pandemic. The restrictions made the student experience how hard life can be with a minimum of social contact. However, her social engagement at school ignited a new feeling in Nicité, “a feeling of strength and self-efficacy”, as she says today.
Back in Germany, she looked for an opportunity to get involved and joined the student council (SV) at her school. There, the Mainz native joined forces with like-minded people and reformed the student council system. Nicité felt: “I have power here, I can make a difference.” The SV team campaigned for “queer issues” such as gender-neutral toilets, environmental protection and vegetarian and healthier food in the canteen.
“Don’t base your worth on your academic performance!”
Despite Nicité’s love for her work in the SV, she soon felt the double burden: “It all became too much!” The pressure to perform during her school career and the high expectations of herself made her ill, she says. “I had burnout symptoms and panic attacks, I couldn’t stay indoors.” In mindfulness and self-care, the student found a way to recognize her physical and mental needs and boundaries and to stand up for them.
“I had no idea what I wanted to do.”
Now she has her A-levels in the bag and is looking for a “very specific feeling” – a release to leave the cuffs of the school system behind her. “I love languages,” she says and is well aware of her talent. The 18-year-old speaks English, French, Spanish and Italian. Where her path will take her is still unclear. For Nicité, it’s okay not to have a classic career aspiration and perhaps not to follow the “normal” path after leaving school.
The young activist knows: “I want to spend my time on earth doing good for the world and getting to know people and cultures with their unique ways of life.” She inherited her love of sociology, different countries, traditions and her enthusiasm for philosophy from her father. And yes, perhaps she will pursue these passions as part of a degree one day. But there is still time, she says.
Towards the end of her final year at school, Nicité discovered Okeanos and the Ocean Camps. She applied without hesitation and was allowed to travel to the south of France a few weeks later.
“Now I’ve arrived in the world. Now I know what it’s all about.”
“Life-changing” is how the activist describes her experience in the community on the catamaran. “I have a constant longing for this boat, almost every day,” says Nicité, adding: ”It was indescribably soothing.” In this one week, she learned what it means to live a life in and with nature – and also to feel unconditional acceptance in a community. And all this in peace and quiet, without the accessibility of the internet and cell phones, emphasizes the young woman. Their highlight: watching the sunrise together on the bow of the catamaran and listening to the splashing of the dolphins that accompanied the young people time and again.
“Water means life, we have the same amount of salt in us as the ocean, it is the cradle of humanity.”
It was painful to return to land, back to the hustle and bustle of everyday life. And there was something else, a distance to friends and family who did not share the same experiences. “I tried to find the meaning of everyday life again.” Over time, she has had to come to terms with the fact that there are always little moments when she hurts from the longing for her time on the Vaka.
After her experience on board, Nicité decided to do an internship and a voluntary ecological year at Okeanos. “Actually, I always wanted to go abroad after my A-levels.“ But the young woman found an opportunity to work for marine conservation at the foundation. Nicité also continues to focus on the topics of mindfulness, meditation and self-care at Okeanos. She organizes “FeelGoodZooms” for young people on mental health, she explains. She is also responsible for the social media presence. Her involvement with Okeanos’ sister foundation, the AVE Institute (Institute for Mindfulness, Connectedness and Engagement), has enriched her learning process enormously, she says.
Nicité now organizes events, takes care of administrative matters and coordinates the applications for the upcoming Ocean Camps. Nicité describes herself as passionate and enthusiastic, but also quick to anger when it comes to a lack of open-mindedness and ignorance. She therefore calls for the integration of non-violent communication into the school education system.
“Humankind is a product of the earth, it must either come to terms with it or the earth will say goodbye to it.”
Despite her commitment to marine and environmental protection, in which she is confronted daily with the consequences of environmental destruction caused by humans, she remains confident. “I love people, I think people are sweet,” she says.
When Nicité thinks about her future, she sees herself on the Mediterranean coast of Western Europe, preferably the Côte d’Azur, because that’s where she feels at home. “Getting a sailing license and working on a boat, that would be great,” she enthuses. She has one personal wish: balance. Pursuing work that contributes to solving humanity’s problems, balanced with relationships in which Nicité finds her home. Because the young woman is certain: “Relationships in which we recognize each other are the deepest meaning of life.”
