Project info
Operator: Joint project by
WERK 2 – Kulturfabrik Leipzig e.V.,
Haus Steinstraße e.V.,
HALLE 5 e.V. and
Deutscher Kinderschutzbund Leipzig e.V. (Project Children and Youth Office)
First Leipzig Children’s Congress: 2019
Children’s Congress team: 3 permanent employees, 8 volunteers, 2 interns, approx. 15 freelancers or similar
Contact: Susann Schreiber, WERK 2 – Kulturfabrik Leipzig e.V.
Location: Leipzig, Germany
Project: Leipzig Children’s Congress 2024, 2025 and 2026
Our support:
Contribution to the costs of this project in the amount of €5,000 per year for three years
Funding period: 2024 to 2026
The Leipzig Children’s Congress is an annual event that offers children aged 8 to 12 a platform to express their concerns and needs. The project is firmly anchored in the work of the participating institutions and enables participants to actively shape their living environment.
Using cultural and socio-educational methods as well as democratic education, the children learn to express their opinions and discuss them in workshops. This strengthens their participation and promotes their awareness of democratic co-determination.
The project operators
In this joint project, employees of WERK 2, Haus Steinstraße, HALLE 5 and the Leipzig Children and Youth Office work together.
WERK 2 – Kulturfabrik Leipzig e.V.
The socio-cultural center WERK 2 offers many associations and initiatives space for a colorful spectrum of art, culture and youth work on the site of a former materials testing machine factory. There are various workshops and two event halls. In addition, the center’s team organizes around 2,300 events every year.
Haus Steinstraße e.V
HAUS STEINSTRASSE is Leipzig’s socio-cultural center for youth work as well as cultural, educational and elderly care. The association supports social and cultural participation through courses, workshops and measures in areas such as art, music, theater as well as youth and elderly care. Special emphasis is placed on integration, the promotion of social skills and the strengthening of individual abilities.
HALLE 5 e.V.
HALLE 5 is an open children’s and youth center in Leipzig that offers leisure activities to promote social skills and individual strengths. It is committed to tolerance, diversity and democracy and supports children and young people through courses, projects and opportunities to get involved.
Leipzig Children and Youth Office
The Leipzig Children and Youth Office strengthens the rights of children and represents their interests in the city. It offers educational programs on democracy and tolerance for children, teachers and decision-makers and is part of the Kinderschutzbund Leipzig (Leipzig Child Protection Association).
Leipzig Children’s Congress
On October 29, 2024, 130 children came together at the 6th Leipzig Children’s Congress at Kulturfabrik WERK 2 and developed creative ideas on how they could improve their hometown, school or district and make it more child-friendly.
Over the course of the school year, the children’s ideas will be turned into concrete projects that will have a positive impact on the children’s lives and also give them practical experience in planning and implementing projects for the common good.
Six months later, the projects are presented to the responsible people from politics and administration in the New Town Hall and formulated into concrete proposals so that they can then be implemented in administrative action.
The Children’s Congress is important to us because it lets adults and children know that children have rights and can have a say! And that adults know that children are important too!
Elli, Leia and Emil from the Auensee elementary school
The children were bubbling over with ideas today and will take them back to their schools after this event. There, the ideas will become projects in which we and other specialists will support the groups to ensure that these projects are actually implemented.
Ines Lufsky, Managing Director of Halle 5 e.V. and part of the organizing team
Why we are committed to the project
We are impressed by the community’s commitment to enabling children aged 8 to 12 to regularly participate in democratic processes and shape their needs and interests. In Leipzig, important projects are being created for the children, e. g. a playground for children with disabilities and a petition for a traffic-calmed zone in front of a school.
The children involved experience self-efficacy and recognition from adults for their participation in a shared future in Leipzig.
Outlook
We are very happy to support this project over the next three years and are looking forward to the children’s ideas and the realization of their wishes. We wish everyone involved every success and lots of fun!
