Local alliance for families

"Encounter" is the motto of the 11th Eberswalde Family Week. This year, it will take place from Thursday 15 May - International Family Day - up to and including Saturday 24 May 2025.

As usual, the theme week will once again feature a colourful and varied programme of activities that will extend across the entire city and is expressly intended for all generations. A total of 16 members of the "Local Alliance for Families Eberswalde" will be organising almost 30 activities in keeping with the theme. From "family speed dating" in the family garden to a "hands-on café in the countryside", the "head cinema for young and old", numerous activities as part of the volunteer day and the big get-together festival "Discover diversity, celebrate together". More serious tones will also be struck this time. For example, an exhibition at the Hospice am Drachenkopf is dedicated to the topic of "Dying, death and mourning". Of course, the almost traditional senior citizens' afternoon in the zoo restaurant is not to be missed; an offer that is aimed more at the grandparents' generation.

The contact person for all questions relating to Eberswalde Family Week and the work of the Eberswalde Local Alliance for Families is Ms Tabea Westphal-Radisch from the Office for Generations, Sport and Integration. t.westphal-radisch@eberswalde.dephone: 03334 / 64 - 222

Detailed information on the individual programme items will be available here shortly.

The Local Alliance for Families also held a number of meetings and activities in 2024. Special mention should be made here of the last meeting on 8 November 2024, at which a new member was also accepted into our alliance: Susanne Mierau, no doubt known to many as an author of educational guides, recently opened her shop on the corner of Puschkinstraße and Schicklerstraße and had already taken part in a number of meetings and made contacts before joining the alliance.

A big thank you goes to all those actively involved in organising the "Day of Decision" on 7 September in the courtyard of the Wunderlich House. Whether building insect hotels with Pöschel und Partner, designing mourning glasses with the Sternenkindern Barnim, marvelling at the Eisenherz e.V. mourning case or getting to know the Netzwerk gesunde Kinder - this colourful bouquet of opportunities for encounters significantly enriched the day.

The two working groups for the "Gute Orte" and "Familienfreundliche Unternehmen" projects have also been wonderfully creative and hard-working in order to maintain and grow these projects. A particularly nice moment was the thank-you celebration on 12 November 2014 for the participating companies and institutions that support the Good Places. The Head of the Department for Social Affairs, Culture and Order, Mr Schlüter, was also able to welcome five more participants to the Good Places family. The Kati home brewery in Rofin-Park, the Mysak bookshop in Friedrich-Ebert-Straße, the Waldtstadtrösterei in Eisenbahnstraße, the vegetarian restaurant Kobamugasmus in Schicklerstraße and, last but not least, the Good Place that has always been one: Globus Naturkost. We are delighted that this small, unagitated and yet effective sign of neighbourliness continues to exist and is supported by so many people.

The Alliance's work will continue on 20 February 2025. Until then, we wish all Eberswalde citizens a peaceful festive season and a healthy New Year!

On 22 November 2020, it was time again - the Local Alliances for Families in Germany were invited to get to know each other at the Alliance Dialogue in Berlin, to network and - like the Eberswalde Alliance last year - to receive an award certificate from Federal Minister for Family Affairs Lisa Paus.

Even if not all current political developments create a good mood, the atmosphere was relaxed and confident about the future of the Local Alliances. Various successful projects were presented and invite people to imitate them, such as the parents' meeting in the Bavarian countryside, where parents of different origins and nationalities meet monthly to exchange ideas with private or business hosts in order to get suggestions or support on a specific topic.

Or my neighbour at the table, a member of the directorate of the Federal Family Fund, who dreams of an app that can store all of a family's data, such as marital status, number of children, income, etc., which then displays all of the social transfer benefits to which they are entitled and can be applied for with just one click.

I can't wait to see what our Local Alliance for Families comes up with next year!

Once again this year, the members of the Family Alliance have put a lot of thought into how young and older people in Eberswalde can be brought together at various events. The result is a colourful bouquet of over 30 activities initiated by more than 20 institutions and sponsors! I am delighted about this great commitment and am looking forward to seeing what impressions and experiences the organisers and visitors gather. From head cinema and waste collection campaigns to flea markets and nerd night to the neighbourhood picnic at the BBV and upcycling crafts, there is something for every age group. For further information and queries, please contact me on 03334 64 222 or t.westphal-radisch@eberswalde.de available.

On 19 February 2020, the Eberswalde Family Alliance met for the first time in the new year, following an invitation from Mr Krüger from the Eberswalde Employment Agency.

In line with the thematic focus, which this year is largely determined by the topic of "care", Ms Lea Kruppke from the care coordination department of the district of Barnim came to present the Pact for Care, which implements various support programmes such as "Care on site". Following this exciting insight, we had the great pleasure of welcoming three new members to the alliance. Our head of social services, Mr Schlüter, stepped in at short notice to replace the mayor, who was ill, and moderated the welcoming procedure with humour and spontaneity. Dr Schäfer, head of the district adult education centre, was the first to sign her certificate on behalf of Ms Tietz from the Barnim basic education centre. As a member of the alliance, she can now also benefit from the network of competent and committed specialists and thus win people over for the important task of adult literacy. With Mrs Schöning and Mrs Krentz, we can now also welcome two experienced therapists to the alliance. Both work in their own practices with couples, families and individuals using a systemic, attachment-orientated and trauma-sensitive approach.

With their signatures, they have jointly confirmed their declaration of active participation in the alliance as well as their adherence to the shared values and world view and, together with the other members, are pursuing the goal of making Eberswalde even more family-friendly now and in the future and are committed to reconciling family care and employment.

We look forward to a productive collaboration!

In 2023, the Eberswalde Family Alliance continued to meet regularly to discuss and plan projects. With insights into everyday life at the "Pusteblume" and "Sonnenschein" daycare centres, we discussed the topic of care in detail and in a lively manner. The year 2024 will increasingly focus on care. The first thing that comes to mind is mostly very elderly people - although 1.8% of children and young people under the age of 15 were also in need of care in 2021 (source: Pflegeplan Pflegestrukturbedarfsplanung auf: www.barnim.de). For example, we will address the challenge of how to reconcile caring responsibilities with work and the "normal workload" that results from living together as a family. We would also like to invite guests from the field to present counselling and support options for those affected and their relatives and thus contribute further important input to the Alliance's pool of topics.

Of course, Family Week will also be high on the to-do list - we want to promote and implement many large and small activities from 15.05. - 01.06.2024 under the motto "Dialogue between the generations". Further ideas and suggestions are very welcome and can be sent by email to t.westphal-radisch@eberswalde.de be sent!

And now, shortly before the end of the year, I would like to sincerely thank the many active participants in the alliance for their commitment, critical enquiries, creative involvement and the enrichment provided by the many different professions. I look forward to a rich and colourful year 2024 with many good steps with and for our Eberswalde families!

The alliance dialogue of the federal initiative "Local Alliances for Families" took place on 24.11.2023. Under the motto "Excellent for the future", 56 Local Alliances for Families from all over Germany were honoured by Federal Minister Lisa Paus for their local family policy commitment. Among them was the Local Alliance for Family Eberswalde. Tabea Westphal-Radisch from the alliance accepted the award in Berlin. "I am very pleased about the personal recognition from the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, which is hereby given to all the committed members of our strong alliance," said Tabea Westphal-Radisch.

Focus on families for around 20 years

The federal initiative "Local Alliances for Families" has been working for almost 20 years to improve living and working conditions for local families. But rarely have compatibility issues been as relevant as they are today. Social changes, the digital transformation in the world of work and the recruitment of skilled labour in times of demographic change have a significant impact on families and the world of work. Every single local alliance, such as the one in Eberswalde, has done valuable work and support for families in all their diversity in recent years, such as the award for family-friendly companies in Eberswalde, which was developed and implemented in a working group under the leadership of Ms Forster-König.

Ready for the future

This year, the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs has worked with particularly committed alliances, including the Local Alliance for Families in Eberswalde, to develop new solutions and approaches to counter social changes and continue to provide families with the best possible support. In future, the award-winning alliances will be in a binding dialogue with the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs and will thus be strengthened in their local work so that more families can benefit from the wide range of services on offer.

The Local Alliance for Families in Eberswalde always organises its regular meetings at new locations. Whether it's an industrial site, a café or a cultural centre, the meeting place itself is intended to act as a "geographical broadening of horizons" throughout the city. The alliance chose "Büro E" at Michaelisstraße 10 for its first meeting of the new year on Wednesday, 18 January. Around 30 alliance activists accepted the invitation to kick off the new year. In 2023, a number of self-imposed, major tasks await the members of the alliance, for example the evaluation of the newly initiated company competition "Family-conscious companies" is just around the corner. However, the main focus of the first meeting this year was the preparation and planning of Eberswalde Family Week. This always takes place around 15 May, International Family Day. Initial ideas and suggestions were already gathered at the end-of-year meeting in December 2022. This time, a concrete motto proposal and resulting programme items were developed and discussed. The aim of the theme week is to offer a colourful mix of educational, cultural and entertainment activities for all age groups and to put families in all their facets and with all their interests at the centre of public events. In addition to the ever-changing meeting places, there is another tradition that is cultivated as part of the alliance meetings. Guests from various areas of civil society are regularly invited. This time, the new integration manager of the city of Eberswalde, Mr Samuel Schidem, introduced himself. In a nutshell, Mr Schidem is the first point of contact at the city council for migrants and refugees. He is also responsible for people affected by racism. He coordinates and is responsible for the conceptual work within the framework of the city's integration promotion guidelines. Questions and suggestions about the work of the Local Alliance for Families Eberswalde can be directed to Ms Katrin Forster-König, the coordinator of the Alliance's work in the town hall: Telephone: 03334/64503 or e-mail k.forster-koenig@eberswalde.de. Applications for the company competition "Family-conscious companies" can also be sent to Mrs Forster-König using the same keyword or to the e-mail address familienreferentin@eberswalde.de be sent.

As agreed during the first "Social Round Table", a joint information flyer has now been published by the local social organisations and the city of Eberswalde. The publication "Social services for citizens in Eberswalde" provides a clear and concise overview of help and support services in Eberswalde in times of major social challenges. The flyer is now available in printed form and can be obtained free of charge from the displays in the town hall, for example. A digital version is also available online at www.eberswalde.de/sozialratgeber available. Further support offers and measures are being examined. At the beginning of February 2023, the "Social Round Table" will meet again to coordinate and harmonise joint efforts for the future. The aim is also to find out how the established support services and measures have worked and what further steps are needed.

A total of 77 exhibitors from Barnim and the Uckermark have so far registered for the 26th Eberswalde Vocational Market on Saturday, 21 January 2023. These include large, renowned companies as well as medium-sized and smaller businesses, but also various institutions such as the Eberswalde city administration. The large training fair will take place on this day from 9:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Oberstufenzentrum II Barnim. "We are very pleased about this good response from companies offering apprenticeships and dual study programmes in our region and beyond. After the coronavirus break and a date in May this year, the careers market will now take place again as usual before the winter holidays in January. Year 10 pupils will then already have their half-year reports and can apply directly to the companies," says Constanze Hildebrandt, Head of the Eberswalde Employment Agency. The Eberswalde careers market is a joint project of the Barnim Upper Secondary School Centre II, the Eberswalde Employment Agency with the Barnim Youth Employment Agency and the city of Eberswalde. Mayor Götz Herrmann is traditionally the patron of the event. A list of all exhibitors at the Eberswalde Careers Market 2023 can be found at https://osz2.barnim.de/berufemarkt/ausstellerliste/ and further information can be found at www.osz2.barnim.de/Berufemarkt and by telephone on 03334/374666.

The Local Alliance for Families Eberswalde is growing. At the end-of-year meeting on 12 December 2022 in the Dietrich Bonhoeffer House, the patron of the alliance, Mayor Götz Herrmann, presented the corresponding membership declarations to two new members. Valentina Smekalina from St. Stylian Kinderhilfswerk and Eva Henrici from the parents' initiative "Wunschgroßeltern" were welcomed. But there was another big premiere at the cosy get-together in a Christmas atmosphere. For the first time, the alliance and its patron are looking for "family-conscious companies in Eberswalde". The award is to be presented from 2023 as part of a company competition. The alliance is supported by the Department for Generations and Family and the Department for Economic Development of the City of Eberswalde. Under the motto "Securing skilled labour with foresight", companies "with their own personnel responsibility and based in Eberswalde" can apply if they have "found their own individual way to manage their company in a family-conscious manner". This application can be sent to the following e-mail address under the keyword "Family-conscious companies" familienreferentin@eberswalde.de be sent. The closing date for entries is 28 February 2023.
A jury put together by the Local Alliance for Families Eberswalde will honour family-conscious companies among all the entries and award a seal of approval as part of the competition. With media support, the aim is to draw public attention to modern company management and "securing skilled labour with vision". Questions about the competition can currently be directed to Ms Katrin Forster-König, the coordinator of the alliance's work in the town hall. Telephone: 03334 / 64 - 503 or e-mail k.forster-koenig@eberswalde.de. In addition, initial ideas and suggested themes for Eberswalde Family Week 2023 were collected and discussed at the meeting. This always takes place on 15 May, International Family Day.

Am I entitled to a vocational training allowance? When does the obligation to register apply? Where can I get a certificate of eligibility for housing? It is not always easy to keep an overview in the "bureaucratic jungle". The city of Eberswalde wants to make it as easy as possible for its citizens. Questions such as those mentioned at the beginning are to be successively summarised and answered in the so-called "Social Guide". This publication is intended to serve as a reference work that makes it easier to find suitable organisations and/or authorities for questions relating to social issues. The first chapter of the "Living, housing and working" guide is now available on the Eberswalde city website at
www.eberswalde.de/start/bildung-und-soziales/sozialratgeber published. Further chapters will gradually be added and incorporated. Publications are planned in the areas of "Care, education and family", "Migration" and "Health, disability and illness". The City of Eberswalde endeavours to keep the guide up to date at all times and is grateful for any comments or corrections from experts. A print version is also planned once the "Eberswalde Social Guide" has been finalised. The contact person for this at the town hall is Ms Sarah Schmidt, Social Participation and Integration Officer.

The positive effects of children and senior citizens working together have long been recognised. With this in mind, a cooperation agreement between the municipal daycare centre "An der Zaubernuss" and Camilla Hauskrankenpflege und Beratungsgesellschaft GmbH was signed on Friday, 18 November 2022. "You always have to think about people together. The cooperation agreement helps young and old to develop an understanding for each other. That's why the cooperation between the daycare centre and daycare is of great value to both sides and I am delighted that we were able to implement this project in such a short space of time," said Prof. Dr Jan König, Head of Economic and Social Affairs, who signed the agreement on behalf of the city administration. Managing Director Steffen Huhnke and Deputy Head of Nursing Services Björn Schulz were on site on behalf of Camilla Hauskrankenpflege und Beratungsgesellschaft GmbH. "Connecting generations" is the declared common goal of the agreement to bring together old and young, which is often no longer the case in families. The aim is to promote life skills for both children and senior citizens. Children and senior citizens benefit equally from the reciprocal visits, as the gap between the generations is widening. The aim of the co-operation agreement is to create a bridge that brings young and old people together. Spaces of experience are to be created in which the different generations and lifestyles can meet, get to know each other and enrich each other. Values such as esteem and respect for the life experience of older people are not only taught, but also directly experienced by the children. Shared experiences, emotional connections and encounters create "moments of happiness" in everyday life. A regular exchange between young and old promotes and stabilises skills and abilities in mutual interaction. Mutual support also strengthens self-esteem and self-confidence. Communication skills are also expanded and consolidated through regular interaction. Together with Camilla Tagespflege Eisenhammer, the daycare centre will celebrate festivals, develop craft and painting activities, sing and read or even bake, among other things. "Right from the start, I knew that this was a very positive project that we definitely wanted to take part in. The shared experiences and adventures are valuable for both the children and the senior citizens," says Katja Zehm, head of the day-care centre. The signing of the agreement was framed by dancing and singing together with some of the day-care centre's children, who also recited a poem. This is the second agreement of this kind between the town and the care service; the municipal daycare centre "Spielhaus" has already signed a cooperation agreement with a facility run by Camilla Hauskrankenpflege und Beratungsgesellschaft GmbH in Hohenfinow.

The Special Olympics World Games will take place in Berlin from 17 to 25 June 2023 under the motto #TogetherUnbeatable. For the first time in Germany. Several thousand athletes with intellectual or multiple disabilities will compete against each other in 26 sports to showcase their individual sporting prowess to a broad public. The city of Eberswalde is already participating in the "Host Town Programme" in advance and is therefore officially one of more than 200 locations nationwide that will be welcoming guests from all over the world from 12 to 15 June 2023. "We don't just want to be good hosts, we want to be the best!" emphasised Mayor Götz Herrmann at the kick-off event for the Host Town Programme on 1 November 2022 in the Wald-Solar-Heim, the place where the Eberswalde sports delegation from St. Vincent and the Grenadines, a country in the southern Caribbean, will be staying. A total of 190 delegations from all over the world will be travelling to Germany. The city of Eberswalde is looking for volunteers who would like to support the administration in looking after and accompanying the 20 or so people during this period, because "a welcome network is to be established where the people who come to us can get to know the country and its people. The "Host Town Programme" is not just about sport, but above all about encounters, inclusion, exchange and creating unforgettable memories for everyone involved," as the head of the city explained during his presentation at the Wald-Solar-Heim. The invitation to the kick-off event was accepted by more than 20 different stakeholders from the city's society. Representatives from Eberswalde's sports clubs, trade and welfare organisations, as well as the University for Sustainable Development, city politicians and guests from Lebenshilfe für Menschen mit geistiger Behinderung. Lorna-Noreen Baars, coordinator for the Host Town Programme at Special Olympics Germany, also accepted the invitation to the kick-off and took the opportunity to present the mayor with the official certificate as "Host Town Eberwalde". "We are looking for committed partners who we can involve in the preparation and actual implementation of the Host Town Programme. In light of this unique opportunity, we would like to raise awareness of the programme's topics in the town's society and hope to receive many ideas and initiatives, even beyond the Special Olympics 2023," explained Katrin Forster-König, Disability Officer at the town hall. She is the contact person for the "Host Town Programme" in Eberswalde. Questions, suggestions and comments can be made by telephone on 03334/64503 or by e-mail k.forster-koenig@eberswalde.de will be addressed to them. However, Eberswalde will not only host the people from the Caribbean, but will also be a stop on the so-called "Torch Run". The world-famous torch run of all Olympic Games, which aims to raise awareness for people with intellectual disabilities as part of the Special Olympics. Traditionally, this "flame of hope" will be lit in Athens and travel through Berlin and Brandenburg before arriving at the opening ceremony of the Special Olympics World Games Berlin 2023. Anyone interested in accompanying the torch relay in Eberswalde can also contact Ms Forster-König.

At their last meeting on 18 October 2022, the Eberswalde city councillors approved the new social support guidelines. This guideline is accompanied by new regulations and, in some cases, new application forms. These new forms are therefore already relevant for grants from 1 January 2023 and must be used for corresponding applications. Both the new guidelines and the associated application forms are available on the City of Eberswalde's website. The main innovation and, in this respect, deviation from the regulations of the previous guideline can be found under point 3.1 of the new social support guideline. This concerns own contributions, which must amount to at least 25 per cent for applicants with a majority or exclusively full-time staff, and at least 10 per cent for applicants with both voluntary and full-time staff. Self-help groups and other groups and/or initiatives organised exclusively on a voluntary basis do not have to make a personal contribution.

It has almost become a small tradition: For the third time, the Eberswalde "university babies" will be welcomed in a special way on the last opening day of the season in the Eberswalde Family Garden. On the initiative of the General Student Committee (AStA) of the Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development and supported by the Barnim-Uckermark Community Foundation, a total of twelve fruit trees will be planted in the school garden area of the leisure park on Monday, 31 October 2022 from 10 am. One tree for every new "university baby" born to a student family in the past year. The Family Garden team will prepare the areas for the planting and take care of the fruit trees afterwards. Regular visits to the trees by the young families are of course highly encouraged. Spectators are also very welcome at the planting event - the Family Garden team is looking forward to every helping hand and as many visitors as possible before the leisure park soon goes into its winter break.

The Eberswalde City Library is many things in one: an educational centre, meeting point, event venue and place for intercultural exchange. The library stocks almost 51,000 items - including books, DVDs and CDs. With such a meeting place, it is almost obligatory to mention that the subject of "languages" is also strongly represented. there are 504 media with a thematic focus on learning German in the collection. Both children's books and textbooks for adults fill the shelves and display tables. There are also novels in Arabic and a small selection of English-language fiction as well as books in easy language. At the end of June this year, Eberswalde city councillor (CDU) and entrepreneur Dietmar Ortel donated 500 euros to the city library to enable it to purchase literature in Ukrainian. The 49 new media now join the pool of Dari, Farsi, Russian, Turkish, Kurdish and other languages. "I would like to thank Mr Ortel very much for his generous donation, which has enabled us to expand our foreign language collection in a variety of ways. The city library is an ideal place to bring people together; study groups often come to us, who appreciate our premises, the media stock and the free Wi-Fi. This makes the library a meeting place and an extracurricular learning centre," says Sabine Bolte, head of the city library. The so-called "language café" takes place every fortnight on the premises of the city library. The next one will be on Tuesday, 11 October 2022 and all Ukrainians are cordially invited to attend.

On Thursday, 29 September 2022 from 12:30 to 15:00, after a two-year break due to the pandemic, the city administration invites you to a student reception. Following the matriculation ceremony in Haus Schwärzetal, Mayor Götz Herrmann - like his predecessors since 1994 - will welcome the students and their professors on the market square. Not only do clubs and institutions present themselves there, but there are also regional savoury and sweet treats. Including, of course, Eberswalde Spritzkuchen and the traditional free beer from the mouth of the Löwenbrunnen fountain under the lime tree. This time the music is electronic: from the Lukins. The people of Eberswalde are cordially invited to welcome the new students and chat to them.

Twice in October, the city of Eberswalde invites you to theatre performances in the Hufeisenfabrik. At the Theatre Family Sunday on 9 October 2022, "Hans im Glück" can be experienced as a family musical from 2 pm. The Grimm fairytale character will be performed by Tom Hasselt from the Uckermärkische Bühnen Schwedt theatre company. According to their homepage: "Adventurous, magical and musically diverse, you and your family will discover a new perspective on happiness!". Theatre fun for children aged four and over. And on Friday, 21 October 2022, the curtain goes up on "The Planet of the Rabbits" from 10 am. The allegorical science fiction fable by Uckermärkische Bühnen Schwedt is aimed primarily at primary school children aged eight and over. According to the "UBS" homepage: "Now sharpen your spoons, our story takes place on the planet of rabbits, where there is everything you can imagine - even the things you can't imagine. Of course, all this only exists because the planet has to provide it. And so what has to happen, happens: The planet can no longer cope; it threatens to explode in ten days...". Tickets for both performances are available from the Eberswalde Tourist Information Centre, telephone 0 33 34 / 6 45 20.

On Saturday, 24 September 2022, a big sustainability party will be held in the courtyard of the Brot und Hoffnung e. V. association at Eisenbahnstraße 84.
In addition to clothing, crockery and decorations, even household items can be purchased for little money in the clothing store. The focus here is on sustainability. Everyone can purchase items, regardless of need. An upcycling project has been running in the clothing store since February 2022. In short, it creates something new from something old. Fabric and clothing remnants are given a proverbial second chance and are converted and processed into textile products that are as good as new. Samples can be viewed and purchased on site. Of course, you can also browse and shop through the range. From 11 a.m., music, a tour of the clothing store and a fashion show await visitors; all on a donation basis. The cooks from the soup kitchen will provide refreshments.

On 1 June 2022, the Löwenherz daycare centre opened in the Nordend district of Eberswalde. Just over four months later, on Saturday, 8 October 2022, an open day is being held there. From 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., interested parties can get an overview of the centre and its educational work. Specifically, a tour of the daycare centre will show how the team implements the Reggio pedagogy approach and the focus on "language and communication". There will also be craft activities, face painting, a musical performance by the daycare centre children and a dog show by HSV DOGS Barnim 09 e. V.

More than 30 clubs will be presenting themselves on Saturday, 27 August from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the entire park on Weidendamm. Whether sports, music or art clubs, the diversity of Eberswalde's club landscape is huge. Under the motto "Get to know and join in", the Day of Clubs will offer an interactive and colourful programme with a festive character, with information on offer as well as fun attractions such as a petting zoo, giant darts and a stage programme. Two Eberswalde schools will be on site with a cake bazaar. A caterer will provide additional culinary catering. The theme day was developed on the initiative of the "con passione" Flötenorchester Eberswalde e. V. association and its chairman Marcel Wegner. It was supported by the city of Eberswalde. One highlight of the day is likely to be a special activity aimed particularly at children. Participants will be able to collect stamps at the stands and hands-on activities, for which Mayor Götz Herrmann will provide a certain amount of charitable work in an organisation. The hours collected will be raffled off to the clubs afterwards. "As the former 1st chairman of FSV Lok Eberswalde, I know the value and joy of club work. It is not only an expression of shared interests, it also stands for community and progress, because people are only strong and can shape their existence when they work together. I was therefore very happy to take on the patronage of the Day of Clubs," said Mayor Götz Herrmann.

A celebration for the whole family will take place on Saturday, 20 August 2022 at Eberswalde Zoo. In keeping with the school enrolment weekend, all children starting school will receive free admission on this day. From 12 noon to 6 p.m., you can experience a colourful programme throughout the zoo grounds. In addition to the "classics" of face painting, animal feedings and all kinds of games, visitors can also look forward to the popular animal parade with animals to touch and stroke, Malino the clown, a dance show and many other attractions. For garden lovers, there will be a Zen garden presentation by the "Gardens of the World". So there is something for everyone at the Zoo Festival at Eberswalde Zoo.

The second round of the open-air cinema series is coming up - and not just for young people. On four evenings, cinema films will be shown in the open air. Young people were interviewed in advance about which films will be shown and where the open-air cinema will take place, and were involved in the organisation of the event series. The second round starts on 19 August at 9 pm in the Familiengarten Eberswalde. The film UNCHARTED by Ruben Fleischer will be shown and on the following day, 20 August at 9 pm, there will be a screening on the city promenade: THE BATMAN by Matt Reeves. Both film screenings will take place even if it rains. In the Family Garden on 19 August 2022, the event will be covered and on 20 August the event will be moved to the Amadeu Antonio Citizens' Education Centre in case of bad weather. Admission is free. Visitors are asked to bring chairs, cushions or blankets. As the open-air youth cinema screenings can only begin at nightfall, the films never end before 10 pm. Therefore, according to the Youth Protection Act, young people under the age of 16 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian who must have written parental permission. The JUGEND-FREILUFTKINO 2022 is a project of the Office for Education, Youth and Sport of the City of Eberswalde and is realised in cooperation with SEHquenz e.V.

The BISYOC European Intercultural Youth Orchestra Summer Course has been in Eberswalde since 26 July 2022. The city's First Alderwoman, Anne Fellner, visited the young musicians from all over Europe during their rehearsals in the Maria Magdalenen Church on 28 July. "The visit of the young Europeans is something very special for our Eberswalde. In addition to the concerts, which are not to be missed, the rehearsals here in the town's oldest church with its special acoustics are a special listening experience. I am delighted that the organisers have decided to come to Eberswalde again this year and that they feel very much at home here," says Anne Fellner. The BISYOC orchestra will play two more free concerts this week: On Thursday, 4 August, they will play at 3 pm at Chorin Monastery. Concert-goers will receive free admission wristbands from the BISYOC team on site. On Friday, 5 August, the orchestra will then play at Haus Schwärzetal from 7 p.m. Admission is also free here. The programme for both performances includes works by Zoltan Kodaly, Grazyna Bacewicz and Ludwig van Beethoven.

As part of her equality policy summer tour, the Minister for Social Affairs, Health, Integration and Consumer Protection, Ursula Nonnemacher, visited the town of Eberswalde on 28 July together with Manuela Dörnenburg, the State Equal Opportunities Commissioner. At the premises of the organisation DREIST e. V., she met with the Barnim Women's Network as well as the First Deputy Mayor of the town, Anne Fellner. Together with the Minister, Ms Fellner was able to gain a good insight into the work of the organisation and the network. DREIST e. V. stands for gender-specific educational, social and counselling work. It offers counselling, prevention, workshops and training for children, young people, parents and professionals. "Our society has already achieved a great deal when it comes to child protection, but we must all realise that the goal of enabling children to grow up with the freedom to develop their personality while at the same time being fully protected is still a long way off. Rather, it is an ongoing process, to which Mrs Nonnemacher also drew attention with her summer tour. This is good and important, because it shows that this issue also has a strong and committed voice at state level," says Anne Fellner. The organisation DREIST e. V. has worked with the city to develop protection concepts for all childcare facilities that are specifically tailored to the respective facility; these are evaluated annually and adapted as required. Prevention projects are implemented in daycare centres and primary schools: "SpielGrenze" and "GrenzWerte", in which children learn through play to express themselves appropriately and confidently in unpleasant or cross-border situations and to protect themselves against sexual abuse; theatre education methods are also used here. In addition, these projects always include parents' meetings to sensitise adults to the issue of (sexual) boundary violations against those under their protection.

On Monday, 18 July 2022, Brandenburg's Minister for Social Affairs, Health, Integration and Consumer Protection, Ursula Nonnemacher, started her "on-site care tour" in Eberswalde. She visited the care support centre and the "Aufwind" meeting and advice centre at Eisenbahnstraße 84, which is a project of the Hoffnungstaler Stiftung Lobetal foundation and offers practical support, advice and guidance for people in need of care. The purpose of the tour is to get an idea of the implementation status of the measures agreed in the "Pact for Care". This pact represents the continuation of the care offensive of the state of Brandenburg and serves, among other things, to "stabilise and strengthen local home care as well as to expand corresponding advisory structures and secure skilled workers". At "Aufwind", Ms Nonnemacher found out specifically about the acquisition, training and support of local care and dementia guides. Eberswalde's mayor Götz Herrmann took the opportunity to meet the minister in person and discuss the care situation in the city of Eberswalde with her. "The work that people in the care professions do on a daily basis cannot be recognised highly enough. We must do our best to make social professions more attractive again; not only at local authority level, but above all on the big political stage. They are an indispensable cornerstone of our society. I am very pleased with the success of "Pflege vor Ort", because the initiative to take part in the project came from local politicians and I was still a city councillor myself at the time," said the mayor.

The city of Eberswalde is building in the Brandenburg neighbourhood. Since the ground-breaking ceremony in November 2021, a new after-school care centre for a total of 150 children has been under construction on a total area of 6,500 square metres. Spacious outdoor facilities will soon invite children to run around, play and discover. All in the immediate vicinity of Schwärzesee primary school, which will form a spatial and functional unit with the after-school centre. The town is thus well positioned to meet the growing demand for all-day care. The topping-out ceremony was celebrated on Thursday, 7 July. The symbolic final nail was hammered into the wood by Eberswalde's Head of Building and First Councillor Anne Fellner. "Eberswalde is successfully on the wooden path!" joked the head of department in her speech. "With the construction of the new after-school centre here in Kyritzer Straße, we are not only combining sustainable construction with good goals for the future, we are also creating synergy effects for the neighbouring Schwärzesee primary school, whose room capacities will increase with the completion of the new building. Our priority is the social infrastructure of our city."