Child and youth participation

How do young people see our town hall? What and who is there to discover here? The lobby, the council chamber, the paternoster ... The social media team from Georgius Agricola Grammar School would like to give you a glimpse behind the thick walls of our beautiful town hall. We are in for a surprise.

What can a youth-friendly city look like? What do young people need in order to develop well? We want to find out from you at a youth conference.

You decide what the conference should look like! Young people between the ages of 14 and 26 who live in Chemnitz or the surrounding area have the chance to help shape the OstVISION youth conference. They can contribute ideas and opinions and develop their OstVISION in the European Capital of Culture Chemnitz 2025 together with other young people. The youth conference is planned for around 80 young people and will take place in Chemnitz during the 2025 autumn holidays.

To prepare for the conference, an organising team of around ten people will be formed, which will meet up to five times in Chemnitz and jointly decide on guests, the schedule, topics and activities. For example, how and when other young people find out about OstVISION, what should happen at the conference, when music should be played and whether guests should be invited, or whether a documentary should be made about the conference or whether social media posts should be made.

In the organising team, participants meet other committed young people from the region. In various workshops, they learn about topics such as project management and public relations. They can visualise their own and many other young opinions and perspectives and present the results to important political decision-makers.

Register now for the kick-off workshop on 6 April and get to know us and the rest of the organising crew! And after the first meeting, you can decide whether you want to become part of the organising crew. We'll provide good snacks and music. Contact: mitmachen(at)stadt-chemnitz.de

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Alex, Fabian and Thadeus - three young basketball enthusiasts from Chemnitz have set out to make Konkordiapark with its unique basketball courts even more unique by not only artistically designing the backboards of the basketball hoops, but also adding messages of democracy.

Slogans such as 'Equality for all of us' and 'Stronger together' adorn the baskets for the adults. 'Equality for all of us' means recognising that we all have the same value as human beings. It stands for the fact that we all have the same rights, that we should all receive the same level of respect and have the same access to opportunities, regardless of our origin, religion, gender or sexual orientation. 'Stronger together' - stands for staying united in all situations. This has great value in all areas of life. Together we can overcome any challenge and achieve any goal. It can refer to basketball as a team sport as well as globally to the development of our society.

The lower baskets for the children also have messages: 'More love' and 'Respect connects'. The grant is for the realisation of the youth participation project "Unique Backboards".

On Thursday, 19 December 2024, a new dog meadow was put into operation, for which pupils from the "Ernst Busch" school with a focus on language support worked hard. The dog run was officially opened together with the children, their teachers, representatives of the GGG, employees of the City of Chemnitz and, of course, school dog Barni.

The dog meadow is located near the school, in Johannes-Dick-Straße, near house no. 8 (coordinates 50.788111, 12.881970).

From the idea to implementation
"How are decisions made in our city?", "Why are there several mayors?" and "What can I do if I have a good idea for our city?" - These were the questions that the pupils of the "Ernst Busch" school specialising in language support and their teacher Alexa Müller addressed in a democracy project.

As the pupils are regularly accompanied by the school dog Barni and are also out and about in the nearby residential area, they came up with the idea of creating a fenced-in dog run for Barni and all the dogs in the neighbourhood. It was particularly important for the children that the dogs could play there safely.

They sought advice from Anke Schulze, the owner of a dog training school in Chemnitz, to find out what needed to be considered when setting up a dog meadow. They learnt how to turn an idea into a project from Katrin Günther, the coordinator for child and youth participation in the city of Chemnitz. The children then collected around 180 signatures.
The children presented their idea to Lord Mayor Sven Schulze at the citizens' meeting, handed him the signatures and were delighted with his support.

After several visits, a suitable site owned by GGG was found and redesigned according to the children's ideas with a permanent fence, dog waste dispenser and rubbish bin. There will also be seating.

With the results of the youth survey and the youth meeting in December 2023, young people expressed their desire for their own "feel-good places". Young people from Chemnitz aged between 14 and 27 were invited to fill unused areas or squares with their own ideas and submit their proposals by the end of October. A budget of 2,025 euros is available for each project. A sum that makes young people's own initiative both possible and necessary. The aim is to realise community projects that unite many talents.

Ten applications were submitted to the City of Chemnitz, five of which were deemed realisable after careful consideration. The winning projects are:

"Chillhouse am Freizeitplatz Kleinolbersdorf" from the Kleinolbersdorf-Altenhain citizens' association: the recreational area in Kleinolbersdorf will be transformed into a new multifunctional space. The existing outbuilding is to be refurbished and equipped with new seating, bicycle stands and sports equipment (balls, rackets) for athletes and spectators to borrow.

"Everything under one roof" by Delphin Projekte gGmbH: The outdoor area of Karree49, Peterstraße 26, is a popular meeting place for families and young people. Attractions such as the sandpit, football goals and table tennis table, which are very popular, are regularly used by various youth groups. They have independently expressed the wish for a roof. This project is now to be realised.

"Redesign of the youth centre of the Elim Gemeinde Chemnitz" (Annaberger Str. 371 A): There is currently only a youth centre in the basement, but the young people have long wanted to meet outside when the weather is nice. For this reason, a beautiful, freely accessible outdoor area is to be created.

"Upgrade for the playground benches" from the Glösa youth community: The benches at the playground are used for chatting and having fun, as a hiding place for "Nerf battles" or as a quiet place to unwind. Unfortunately, several of the existing benches are damaged. These are now to be replaced with new ones so that the playground remains such a special place.

"Resting place for the soul" from the Landesverband Landeskirchlicher Gemeinschaften Sachsen e. V. (Hilbersdorfer Straße 27 - on the grounds of the Landeskirchliche Gemeinschaft Chemnitz-Hilbersdorf): The winning young people want to create a place to linger or rest - the publicly accessible area offers space for two benches and a table with a stone top.

The winners now have one year to realise their projects and thus create even more feel-good places for young people in the city.

On 20 September, the Future Conference by and for young people took place at the Pentagon³ in Chemnitz. The event was organised by the Bertelsmann Foundation from Gütersloh, supported by the "Youth Expert Team", some young people from Chemnitz and the coordinator for child and youth participation Katrin Günther. Co-operating academics from Goethe University Frankfurt am Main and moderators from the SV Bildungswerk were also involved.

The conference was divided into three workshops: "Education", "Your Topics" and "Healthy and Cheerful". In these workshops, the young people came together to identify problems and develop solutions. The "Your topics" workshop focused mainly on the public transport system, building sites, open gyms for young people to play sport and places to do homework. Communication about projects and events organised by the city of Chemnitz was also discussed. The "Healthy and Happy" workshop focused on the topics of bullying, racism and anti-Semitism, while the "Education" workshop discussed the behaviour of teachers and social workers as well as the shortage of teachers. Politicians from the city of Chemnitz, the state of Saxony and a member of the Bundestag were invited to discuss the results of the workshops.

At the end of the conference, the results were discussed further in a large discussion round. Participants were able to hold up a green piece of paper if they agreed and a red one if they disagreed. The young people from Chemnitz rated the conference as a complete success. Special thanks go to the Bertelsmann Stiftung team, the youth experts and the co-operating scientists for their openness and respect. (Text: Tamira Hoffmann & Elias Kim Berndt, Chemnitz youth team)

As every year, the International Youth Day will take place on 12 August. In addition to many offers that can inspire young people for their leisure activities, the focus will be on opportunities for participation in Chemnitz. A welcoming culture, cosmopolitanism and diversity will be reflected in the programme. Young people from different religions, countries of origin and cultures will have the opportunity to get to know each other, exchange ideas and have a good time together on this day or perhaps even beyond.
On 12 August 2024 from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., we will celebrate the "International Youth Day" in the Stadthallenpark together with many cooperation partners from the city of Chemnitz.

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What is there to see in the town hall and what is interesting for children there? Why do we have so many mayors and why do we have several town halls? What does a mayor actually do all day and does he really have a gold chain?

Two school classes want to get to the bottom of all these questions and, with the help of an artist, create a town hall guide for children. The children themselves will decide what it should look like - after all, it's for children.

(This measure is co-financed with tax revenue on the basis of the budget approved by the Saxon state parliament).

The popular and much-loved playground on Gerhart-Hauptmann-Platz is so popular and much used that it now needs to be renovated.

The local children were asked whether they still wanted all the play equipment or whether there were any new ideas for designing the square. After all, children are the experts when it comes to playgrounds.

Katrin Günther received around 160 answers as to what the playground should look like in the future, together with various colourful drawings. The results were handed over to the Parks Department for further planning.

An entertaining theatre play presents the results of the youth meeting in a creative way. In addition, the theatre educators and the director approached our city and life in Chemnitz in various workshops with children of different ages.

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How do young people want to be culturally involved? How can they become active themselves and who can provide support?

As part of the European Youth Week, a youth dialogue took place at Weltecho, where precisely these questions could be clarified. Young people from Bodø, Ghent and Tartu also showed how they themselves are culturally active and organise youth events, for example.

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Our city centre is the crystallisation point of public life. This is where cultural themes, tourist highlights, retail and gastronomy, places of work and residential neighbourhoods come together.

The framework plan is intended to provide a guideline for the future development of our city centre, in which young people should also participate. They were asked about their wishes for a lively city centre, ideas for improving public spaces and what is needed to make young people feel comfortable in the city centre.

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"Imagine waking up tomorrow morning and experiencing Chemnitz as a youth-friendly city where you feel at home. What would Chemnitz look like to you? What would be different?".

Our Mayor of Chemnitz, Sven Schulze, discussed this question with 50 committed young people. The results will be incorporated into the further work of the City of Chemnitz.

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Together with Chemnitz pupils and independent socio-cultural initiatives, associations, the UNICEF working group and the coordinator for child and youth participation, Katrin Günther, the children's and youth representative organised a children's conference for Chemnitz primary school pupils. The many ideas for a better Chemnitz were presented to members of the city council and handed over to the Lord Mayor.

Together, they discussed how to improve respectful coexistence and how to create a cosmopolitan, tolerant Chemnitz. The participants considered what our Chemnitz could look like in the future and how better participation by children and young people could work.

These ideas will be incorporated into the further development of the new municipal action plan to promote democracy.

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What will Chemnitz look like in 2035? What will life be like in the Chemnitz of tomorrow? How and where will people live, work and celebrate?

The project managers asked children and young people from Chemnitz these questions in order to draw a picture of the future together with them. This picture will be incorporated into the Integrated Urban Development Concept (INSEK). The INSEK serves as a roadmap for the administration's future work to drive the development of the city of Chemnitz forward.

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The United Nations launched this day to draw attention to the needs of children and young people.

The celebrations were held at Konkordiapark on Hartmannstraße together with many people and organisations who care about young people. The plans for the new basketball court were presented there by our mayor Michael Stötzer and the future development of Chemnitz was discussed. In addition, a streetball tournament and the international festival 'Bring da TruckaZ' provided exciting distractions.

What occupies young people in Chemnitz? What plans do they have after completing their training? Where do their paths lead them and what do we need to do to ensure that they stay in Chemnitz or return to Chemnitz?

These questions were answered by 1,800 young people from Chemnitz aged between 16 and 19.

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A new playground is to be built in Pleißenpark. Children were asked what they would like to experience there. Katrin Günther received around 450 creative ideas and drawings. From these ideas, imaginative playground planners have now designed a fantastic playground for children with a wide range of abilities. The playground is due to open in the Capital of Culture year 2025.

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Thanks to the commitment of a number of basketball fans, a breath of fresh air could soon be blowing through Konkordiapark. A basketball court is to be added to the park.

Basketball fans big and small were asked what the court should look like in the future. Over 200 opinions were submitted. They were also able to vote on the new design, as the court is to be coloured.

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As the sponsor of the winning project in the youth ideas competition, Katrin Günther supported the committed young people in their endeavour to ensure that there is a Tabi dispenser at every secondary school. Many thanks also go to the colleagues from building management and structural engineering.