Events organised by the children and youth representatives

On 22 September 2025, an exciting children's conference took place in the city council chamber of the town hall under the motto "Children's rights - do you know yours?". It was organised by the City of Chemnitz's Children and Youth Officer. More than 80 pupils from 32 different primary and special schools took part. The conference was opened and moderated by children from Heinrich Heine Primary School.

After a question and answer session with Lord Mayor Sven Schulze, the children worked in six workshops. The topic of children's rights took centre stage:

In the Right to Education workshop, the children designed their own "dream school" or took a critical look at the use of digital media.

In the workshop on the right to play and leisure, they learnt about various leisure activities, some of which are free of charge, such as the open family sports Sunday.

In the workshops on the right to health, the children dealt with the topics of tap water, dealing with plastic and the challenges posed by heat.

At the end, there were lots of little surprises for the participants, such as a visit from a mascot, free tickets from various Chemnitz sports clubs and a certificate to commemorate this special day.

With the children's conference, the city of Chemnitz is sending out a clear signal in favour of the early participation of children and showing that their opinions and ideas are taken seriously.

On 21 September 2025, the Küchwaldwiese was transformed into a place full of play, exercise and family time. Under the motto "Family time in the countryside", the City of Chemnitz's Children and Youth Officer and its network partners hosted a colourful family activity day.

The weather played along and attracted numerous families with children to the meadow. The aim of the event was to create a place for meeting and socialising with family and friends and thus enable intensive family time. In addition, visitors were able to meet a wide range of city organisations, initiatives and agencies. The children were able to exercise, try things out and play - in short: enjoy a wonderful time in the countryside.

The various stands and activity areas were buzzing with activity: The 300 stamp cards for the surprise were quickly taken and the organisers saw many beaming children's faces.

"It was a great pleasure for us to organise and run this event. The positive feedback from the families shows how important meeting places are for children, parents and families. Events like this revitalise Chemnitz and help to make our city even more family-friendly," says Children and Youth Officer Dina Norberger.

The family activity day on the Küchwaldwiese was a complete success and there will certainly be a new edition next year.

Digital media is shaping our children's everyday lives like never before and their use is starting at an ever earlier age. To enable parents to guide their children safely, responsibly and confidently through this digital world, it is important to sensitise them to the opportunities and risks and offer them practical support.

This is why the Children and Young People's Commissioner has made this a priority and launched a series of events entitled "Strong in everyday digital life - safe online together", which aims to promote safe and reflective use of digital media.

The series kicked off on 12 August 2025 on Youth Day at the CVJM Computerclub e.V. An event on the topic of cyberbullying was organised together with the Chemnitz Police Department's Prevention Unit. This was followed by an information evening for parents on 20 August 2020 together with the network partner Social Web macht Schule, which focused on how children can be protected and supported in the best possible way. Another information evening for parents and professionals on the topic of media skills is already planned for 8 September 2025, with more to follow.

The topic of how children and young people deal with media is arousing great interest and is not only being discussed in politics. Families, educators and specialists are also intensively examining how children and young people can use digital media safely, responsibly and healthily. The aim of the events is to provide targeted information and create multipliers who can support parents and children in the safe use of digital media.

The KOSMOS festival took place in June. The Children and Youth Officer used this opportunity to familiarise herself with the younger generation and find out what their needs are. She shared a stand with the FamilienApp Chemnitz, but was mainly out and about in the festival area and specifically sought dialogue with young people. She conducted a short survey on the topic of Chemnitz and school as a place to learn and live. The results were then presented to the youth welfare committee and discussed in detail.

The topic of children's rights also continues to be the focus of the Children and Youth Representative. She organises workshops at various educational institutions in the city to teach children about their rights in a vivid and everyday way.

As part of a workshop day at Einsiedel secondary school, a workshop on children's rights was held for pupils in years 5 to 7. The ten most important children's rights were developed and illustrated using examples from everyday life. International comparisons were also made in order to highlight differences between Germany and countries with a lower standard of living.

The workshop day offered participants a varied programme: In addition to offerings such as dancing, music and calligraphy, the fire brigade and the Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW) were also represented and provided exciting insights into their work.

Finally, the results of the children's rights workshop were presented on stage in front of the entire school. In this way, the topic was brought closer to an even wider circle of children and young people and the importance of children's rights in everyday life was emphasised.