A few days before the elections in Saxony, Thuringia and Brandenburg, Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz and the Commissioner for Eastern Germany Carsten Schneider (both SPD) have awarded prizes to projects by citizens in rural regions of eastern Germany. "This makes our country strong. It leads to us finding new solutions, new ideas, new ideas that we couldn't come up with on our own," said Scholz, praising the volunteers from the five federal states at the "machen!2024" award ceremony in Berlin's Stadion an der Alten Försterei.
Scholz also recalled his own commitment. As a volunteer on the outskirts of Hamburg, he once founded an alternative youth center together with others.
From art activities to children's reporters
First place in the category "Commitment for and by young people" goes to Saxony - more precisely to Glauchau in the district of Zwickau. Children with disabilities should be able to meet and play together at the Kulturhaus. Around 30 families have come together to create a barrier-free space for this purpose.
A project from Saxony also won first place in the category "Commitment to a better quality of life and good coexistence". An alliance of 50 groups and associations from Bautzen is planning to liven up the old town with art events on nine Mondays in the coming year. Like the first places in the other categories, the idea will receive 10,000 euros in funding.
Funding for projects from all new federal states
A project from Wismar in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania won first place for "Commitment to the memory of the achievements of the peaceful revolution". Here, child reporters talk to the protesters who demonstrated for reunification in front of the town hall in Wismar during the GDR era. The project will result in a podcast.
Among the award winners are projects from Thuringia, Brandenburg and Saxony-Anhalt. For example, a project from Themar in Thuringia is being funded that aims to counter the right-wing rock concerts for which the town is known. There is also 9,000 euros in funding for an open-air cinema in the district of Oberhavel in the north of Brandenburg. An association from Wettin-Löbejün in the Saale district of Saxony-Anhalt creates after-school leisure activities for young people and also received an award for this.
A good 200 projects were awarded at least 2500 euros each in the ideas competition - a total of around 830,000 euros in prize money was awarded to the initiatives.
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