The concerns of children and young people are important to the city of Erlangen - and not just in good times. In July, the city council decided to actively address the recommendations of the Children and Youth Summit.

Despite the tight budget situation, a working group has now been formed. Its task is to ensure that the recommendations for action are taken into account in all relevant areas of the city administration. In this way, the city, together with the Stadtjugendring, is showing that the needs of the younger generation are being heard and taken seriously.

What was the Children and Youth Summit?

The Children and Youth Summit took place for the first time in Erlangen from September 29 to October 1, 2023. It offered children and young people the opportunity to directly contribute their views, wishes and needs. Key questions were addressed in workshops and discussion rounds: How can leisure opportunities be improved? How can everyday school life be made more pleasant? And how can young people be better involved in political decisions?

What recommendations for action were made?

The discussions at the summit resulted in ten specific recommendations for action to improve the quality of life for children and young people in Erlangen:

1. Creating easily accessible opportunities for children, young people and performing organizations to implement actions and events more easily.
2. Barrier-free expansion of the city center to enable unrestricted access for all children and young people.
3. Expansion of inclusive and low-threshold offers in the context of vacation care as well as club and association offers.
4. Creating attractive places for children and young people to meet and spend their free time.
5. Unbureaucratic access to existing event spaces and the creation of new spaces for clubs and associations.
6. Offers to deal with the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic in order to address the psychosocial impact on children and young people.
7. Promoting sustainability and climate protection in urban projects and educational programs.
8. Designing schools as living spaces that go beyond the classroom and promote holistic development
9. Improving local public transport and expanding the cycling infrastructure to increase the mobility of children and young people.
10. Evaluation of the implementation of the recommendations for action in order to monitor progress and ensure transparency.

What happens now?

An overarching, participatory working group has been set up to coordinate the implementation of these recommendations. This is to examine the recommendations for action and draw up proposals for concrete implementation. The administration has been commissioned to carry out and present an evaluation of the implementation status of the recommendations for action by the end of the current city council's term of office.

Photo: Stadtjugendring