Malte Schneider has been a member of the German Lifesaving Association (DLRG) since he was two years old, and over the years he has trained with them as a rescue diver, swift-water rescuer and paramedic. That entails an enormous amount of responsibility – as a diver he often has to search for missing persons in the water –which consistently involves new challenges. 

In September 2015, for example, he spent seven consecutive days on a deployment with the DLRG’s quick-response team, volunteering more than 240 hours to help care for refugees. “Yes, it was strenuous, but it was a great experience,” he says, looking back. “We could often only communicate using sign language, but I got to know a lot of warm-hearted, open people and I now have a better idea of what refugees go through.”

There is also a more light-hearted side to this social commitment, however. In summer, as part of his volunteer work as a lifeguard on Sehlendorf Beach, 50 kilometres from Kiel, he is sometimes called on to save inflatable animals from the water. “And when a young child gives you a beaming smile because you’ve just saved his favourite duckling, that really is priceless!”