02 CVJM Jahresbericht 20160219 eng.indd
Transcription
02 CVJM Jahresbericht 20160219 eng.indd
Annual Report 2015 YMCA Leipzig Germany Finding the Way. Growing. Living. YMCA YMCA in Leipzig - Germany Finding the Way. Growing. Living. Finding the Way. Growing. Living. Our mission statement, „YCMA in Leipzig –Finding the Way. Growing. Living“ and the following explanations of what this means for our work best describe what the YCMA stands for: The Young Men‘s (today, „Person‘s“) Christian Association in Leipzig reaches out to our city‘s children, teens, and adults with holistic recreational and educational programs. In doing so, we also offer guidance and orientation for life in relationship with God through Jesus Christ. People from many different cultures and denominations belong to the variety here at the YMCA. We promote self-initiative, active participation, and sharing in responsibility. The staff at the YMCA authentically live out their faith and form a living community. Thus the YMCA has been an indispensible part of Leipzig since 1893. Out of this identity ideas develop, along with a cross section of beliefs and tasks that should become effective throughout all of our areas of work, such as the international and intercultural element of our efforts, or our belief in sustainability. About us Contents Foreword Page 2 About us Page 3 The Management Board Page 3 Volunteer‘s Shared Apartment Page 4 Sustainability and Intercultural/International Dimension of our Work Page 4 Religious Education Work Page 7 The Main Building Page 8 Support Page 10 Cooperatives Page 10 Publicity Work Page 10 Finances Page 11 Adults and Families Page 12 Meeting Point Page 12 Meeting Point Weekend Page 13 Bible Study Group Page 14 Friends Page 14 Choir „Fragments“ Page 15 Volleyball Page 16 Jugger Page 16 Winter Playground Page 17 Day Care Center Page 18 Parents‘ Council Page 21 YMCA Child-Minding Services Page 21 YMCA in Leipzig - Germany Kids and Teens Page 22 The Youth Café – „Public“ Work Page 22 The Cloud-Diver Kids Page 24 Dance Group Page 25 Girls‘ Group Page 25 Boys‘ Group Page 26 Support and Counseling Page 27 Special Projects Page 27 YCMA and School Page 29 Projects at the Elementary School No. 16 In-school Social Work Page 29 School Club Page 33 Parents‘ Work Page 34 Social Work at the Elementary Schools Clara-Wieck-School Page 36 Wilhelm-Wander-School Page 37 Prayer Page 39 Mission Statement Page 40 Contact Us Page 40 Legal Info Page 40 However, you really first get to know the YMCA when you meet the people behind the organization. We invite all of our readers to visit us at the Home for Children and Teens in Leipzig‘s historical Marianna Park. Here, interested persons can start their own initiatives, take on volunteer responsibilities, or simply become members. We have enough space and enough rooms here, as well as a large outdoor area that is the envy of many of our neighbors – and that can be rented as well! The YCMA Leipzig Association, re-founded in 1991, and the YMCA Day Care Association, which was founded as a separate organization from within the YMCA in 2005, are politically and denominationally independent ecumenical legal associations and are part of a large worldwide movement. This movement exists in over 100 countries and has over 25 million members, among which are 2,200 associations in Germany with 260,000 members. We are very proud of this. At the same time, however, we are humble, because we know that we can only provide „the best for the city“ together with our many cooperating partners (Jer. 29:17). Foreword The YMCA is not only active in Schönefeld and the surrounding area – its mission also includes work in the international and intercultural fields. This diversity gives us the opportunity to open up to new ideas and to forge new paths. In any case, it’s good to be committed! Since 1991, the Leipzig YMCA e.V. has lived from the commitment of volunteer workers: this should remain so in the future, too. 2 The Management Board and the Continued Development of our Association 2015 saw a number of personnel changes. Ansgar Haller was appointed as a new member of the executive board. Much to the delight of its “old” members, he quickly familiarized himself with his new position. His co-operative thinking, ideas and authenticity are a source of enrichment for us. Cornelia Berthold retires from her position for personal reasons. We would like to thank her for her prolific commitment. In terms of content, there were hardly any changes in the board‘s work. We are pleased 3 YMCA in Leipzig - Germany Finding the Way. Growing. Living. YMCA in Leipzig - Germany Finding the Way. Growing. Living. about sailing in quiet waters, about our balanced budget and the current challenges. A first YMCA breakfast was well accepted and is an encouragement for more. The issue of refugees and refugee work will keep us busy in the future. The following reports list the changes in the voluntary and full-time team. In 2015, we managed to get great things going, and get many small things done “invisibly” and in secret which were as important to us. The work was done with a high level of professionalism, responsibility, commitment, and obligation. For this, we should like to express our heartfelt thanks to all voluntary and Aaron Büchel-Bernhardt all full-time employees of YMCA Leipzig. Göran Michaelsen Volunteer‘s Shared Apartment Another person left our team of volunteers also this year. Until summer, our association had two volunteers from abroad; since September, there is only one voluntary member, Dianora, from Ukraine. She is with us in the framework of a voluntary social year (FSJ), and not, as in the last few years, in the context of an EVS—the request submitted this year was unfortunately turned down. We thanks SVE Paideia - our EVS sending organisation in Spain - for all the work On the other hand, this gave our voluntary members the chance to attend seminars together this year, which were organized and hosted by the YMCA State Association for Saxony. Our team of volunteers is rounded off by Franz and Markus. The three of them have already explored Leipzig in a city rally, and they are sure to get to know both Leipzig and the YMCA better in the course of the coming year. Henning Leicht We are pleased about our old and new teams and also about the fact that young people, again and again, commit themselves to working for our association. Sustainability and the Intercultural/ International Dimension of our Work Bienvenidos! Welcome! You are greeted with 2 kisses, you eat loads of tapas and you take your time in doing so. These as well as other cultural experiences were made by a small delegation from our association that paid a visit to YMCA Spain in Madrid from Septem- 4 ber 28 to October 2, 2014. But who would have thought that already this summer a youth meeting would grow from the first ideas? From August 15 to 22, 8 participants from Logrono in the Rioja region in northern Spain visited 8 German hosts. In the course of 14-hour days with non-stop communication in English, after various icebreaker games and team exercises, “social work” in the Dresden “climbing forest” and intense moments at the end of the day (feedback and a good word to say about the things which God works with and in us), one question became clear to us very quickly: Do we really have to part? It is now our firm intention to further develop the idea of international cooperation in the YMCA and to prepare for the return encounter in Spain, which will take place at the end of the 2016 summer holidays. Our friends from YMCA Ukraine are doing amazing things: In the middle of the civil war, they are developing new projects for children. Children are learning to be there for one another, to give first aid and to watch out for landmines. 5 YMCA in Leipzig - Germany Finding the Way. Growing. Living. For Christmas, our day care center received a package with pictures and sweets. And just in time for the Orthodox Christmas, our own greetings will have reached Kiev. The changes brought home to them by many refugees can be experienced on an international level by people from Leipzig. Inter-cultural enrichment as well as decent and affordable rents for all citizens of Leipzig are being discussed. “Schönefeld is pretty communicative,” was the title of our survey of around 250 people from Schönefeld. Many of them were in support for kind coexistence, so that it is not surprising that the “Schönefeld Welcome Initiative” since summer has included 55 interested citizens in its mailing list. The highlight so far was the “Welcome Party” hosted for the inhabitants of the only decentralized refugee accommodation in Schönefeld. Next year, further accommodation facilities run by the city and the federal state will be opened. We will meet these Aaron Büchel-Bernhardt challenges adequately. 6 YMCA in Leipzig - Germany Finding the Way. Growing. Living. Religious Education Work Religious Education Four years ago, I started teaching Protestant Religion at what was then Primary School No. 21. My teaching load has increased from the initial one hour per week to 12 hours—at four different primary schools and one secondary school. I enjoy philosophizing with children and young people about God (and the world). Topics from the curriculum but also questions and queries from the pupils are a source of enrichment in almost every lesson. Some lessons only become successful by a joint effort, because also the work day of pupils is often stressful and full of emotions. Finding rest, cultivating curiosity, opening up to the new, discovering God—this way, every lesson of religious education remains a small but satisfying challenge! Religious Educational Projects YMCA Leipzig remains committed to creating new offers and to inspiring new people both inside and outside of Schönefeld. The best example for this is the participation in the peace prayer for children. In analogy to the 1989 Leipzig peace prayers, a service was held at St. Nikolai‘s on November 9, 2015, which focused on the theme “Angel of Peace in the Schoolyard.” Schoolyard helpers from a primary school cooperating with YMCA Leipzig contributed to this service by telling of their experiences, their “peace work” in the schoolyard. 7 YMCA in Leipzig - Germany Finding the Way. Growing. Living. YMCA in Leipzig - Germany Finding the Way. Growing. Living. nanced with the City of Leipzig‘s environmental award and a donation from “Tellerlein deck dich”). According to the latest hygienic standards, we opted for a stainless steel kitchen with a large working desk at its center. Since its opening in September, much cooking has been done here. So far, all users have positively commented on the good working facilities. Thanks again to the donors! In the “Shop in the Advent Season,” which opened its doors in Gorkistraße during the whole Advent season, YMCA Leipzig was joined by interested individuals and closelyrelated organizations in inviting people to escape from the hustle and bustle and from everyday life and to think of what is essential in Advent for an hour every day. Let yourself be surprised what sort of ideas YMCA Leipzig has in store for you in 2016! Norbert Rentsch The Main Building and the Outdoor Area The year is coming to an end and, in retrospect, we have managed once again to tackle some challenges in the house and in the garden. I was particularly glad about the support of volunteers, parents, as well as day care center workers. For instance, the area around the pond, which had completely overgrown, was re-vegetated; raised beds were laid out, and vegetables were planted. The harvest late in the summer was something of an experience, in particular for the children. This year, we were happy with our new kitchen (fi- 8 The sinks and fittings in the washing rooms of the day care center, which were 20 years old, worn and not very convenient for age-appropriate use, have been replaced by wash troughs in different heights and by modern fittings. Naturally, the children closely observed the progress made here and everyone wanted to be the first to turn the tap on. On November 21, we happily tackled the many fallen leaves in the garden and trimmed the shrubs and the circle of willows, then stuffing the prunings into a 30m3-container. With great commitment, in particular on the part of the day care center parents, everything had been handled by 1 pm and after the strenuous work, the delicious pizzas tasted all the better. Ullrich Grützner and Danilo Hutt 9 YMCA in Leipzig - Germany Support „Please – we would like to work with your money. You can give us your time as well. Your YMCA.“ This is the not entirely uncontroversial title of the introductory flyers we printed about the Leipzig YMCA. In fact, we do need financial and professional support. In addition to the donors whose funds we can use freely, there is a group of supporters without whom we could not carry out our comprehensive work. The renting of rooms and real estate, and the operation of our own solar-power system, provide a secure basic income for our association. After the motto „sharing makes rich,“ we gladly share our wealth, using both the youth thanks offering and the annual sponsor‘s rally for this. We are especially the recipients of the generosity of our cooperating partners and our partner companies, who help us to continue to develop the YMCA and to develop joint projects together. Cooperatives “No one can whistle a symphony. It takes an orchestra to play it.” (Halford E. Luccock) We enjoy working in networks. We contribute our strengths, we benefit from other players and search for useful supplements. The list of committees and cooperation partners is correspondingly long. Here are some examples. We have been members 10 Finding the Way. Growing. Living. of the executive board of Stadtjugendring Leipzig e.V. (City Youth Council of Leipzig) for many years. We think that our political interests on the municipal level are very well represented in this cooperation of 35 member associations. The promotion of volunteering and the involvement of children and young people are overlapping core topics which are of concern to us. The 25-year celebration showed once again the scope of the City Youth Council‘s work and the strong interconnection between its different members. For the coming year, a symposium on the future of youth association work is planned. We can contribute our own experience here and will be able to receive new impulses. Work with refugees calls for a networked approach. This is why we have won “Ökumenische Flüchtlingshilfe” (Ecumenical Refugee Aid) as an entirely new partner. Working relations with the Office for Urban Renewal and Housing have considerably intensified. This is good news both for Schönefeld and for the YMCA. Dorit Roth and Aaron Büchel-Bernhardt YMCA in Leipzig - Germany Finding the Way. Growing. Living. passing on, without interruption, information related to YMCA Leipzig to interested people in Leipzig and sometimes beyond. “Anzeiger” and Facebook—interested and curious people will quickly and immediately find interesting up-to-date information about YMCA Leipzig! Many thanks to Aaron Büchel-Bernhardt for his support with the PR work! Norbert Rentsch From a financial point of view, 2015 was an exciting year. There were no expensive major construction projects, but right at the beginning of the year, funds in the area of in-school social work were omitted, making restructuring measures in personnel planning and procurement of funding necessary. With a view to existing reserves and to the risk of a lack of refunding, we managed to send positive signals for the further employment in the working areas important to us and to discuss the situation with the employees. The long-overdue measures for the maintenance and refurbishment of the kitchen as well as the renovation of the washing areas in the day care center were easy to calculate and attracted the support of donors. Around spring, also the uncertain situation regarding in-school social work became less tense, and new ways and requirements opened up, so that the worst-case scenario of maintaining ourselves from our own resources was avoided, and project costs were still refinanced. The external framework conditions with regard to the donors are in constant change, and it is only by continuously adapting applications and taking into consideration our strengths that we manage to positively implement the acquisition of means in the long term and maintain a healthy financial structure. Please continue to support our offers with your collaboration. But also a projectrelated donation makes it clear to us in what area particularly you want to see our commitment and where the Peter Snyder intensification of our work is important to you. Finances 20.000,00 18.000,00 16.000,00 With the resignation of Tabea Nürnberger Publicity Work 14.000,00 12.000,00 Spenden Mitgliedsbeiträge Bußgelder 10.000,00 Sponsorenralley from YMCA Leipzig, the responsibility for public relations work now rests with me. Tabea‘s introduction to various computer programs and the art of image processing and creating our magazine, “Anzeiger,” have provided me with a good basis for 8.000,00 6.000,00 4.000,00 2.000,00 0,00 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 11 YMCA in Leipzig - Germany Finding the Way. Growing. Living. Together with the many opportunities it has for children and teens, the YMCA also boasts a lot of offers for adults and families. Our connection to the Christian faith is especially important to us here. We live and share this faith in the context of our monthly Meeting Point gatherings, once a year at our Meeting Point Weekend, and through the bible study groups affiliated with the YMCA. Additionally, there is a YMCA friends group and the choir „Fragments,“ which practices regularly in our building. A special offer for young families is the Winter Playground, in which our table tennis room is transformed into a play area for the little ones, and where their parents can have a cozy chat over coffee and cake. Then there are two sports groups—volleyball and jugger. These groups are not merely formally connected to our association, but represent the YMCA at tournaments and also actively support us with our annual sponsors‘ rally. Adults and Families Special thanks is owed to both the volunteer leaders of these groups and our cooperating partners in this area, which include, for example, local churches in Leipzig and the YMCA State Association for Saxony with its athletic work. Meeting Point The past MP year 2015 focused on Jesus and those of his famous sayings beginning with “I am... (... the gate; ... the good shepherd; ... the bread of life, etc.).” We invited speakers from various areas also on this subject. Unfortunately, we did not manage to welcome a speaker for each meeting. The invitation of speakers remains a major challenge for the future. The number of participants has unfortunately declined somewhat in the past year: we were usually 10 to 15 persons, only rarely around 20. Nevertheless, there were good impulses also within the small circle. Thus, for instance, on the topic of “I am the light of the world...”: we spent an evening with meditative elements; we meditated and exchanged thoughts on darkness. On the evening devoted to the topic “I am the gate...,” an extensive ex- 12 YMCA in Leipzig - Germany Finding the Way. Growing. Living. change of very personal experiences developed. To conclude the list of examples, I want to mention the focus on the theme “I am the good shepherd... .” Here, one of the very few fairground pastors in Germany shared his experience with us and provided interesting insights into the life of faith of fairground and circus people. These people, constantly on the move, have their own approach to God—different from most of us firmly-resident “dwellers.” The structure of the Meeting Point preparation team continued to change. Angela resigned at the beginning of the year. To date, we have not found a second honorary companion to replace her. Thus, we continued for the largest part of the year as a team of three. Unfortunately, Angelika resigns at the end of 2015 after two years of work. We are hoping that our team will be reinforced soon. In a relaxing atmosphere, we will meet for thematic input with biblical reference, singing and praying, information from our YMCA, as well as a snack in the community. We look forward to many visitors in 2016. Meeting Point Weekend On a beautiful autumn weekend in September, full-time and honorary employees of YMCA Leipzig boarded the YMCA youth ship in Dresden to spend a common weekend devoted to the subject “The Meeting Point preparation team says: We are YMCA.” We wanted to find out what makes us a Y (Young) Men‘s (People‘s, that is) C (Christian) A (Association)? What does it mean to be a YMCA? We spent hours discussing and liste- 13 YMCA in Leipzig - Germany ning to each other, but also made some interesting experiences. A special tour of the Court Church and the crypt were part of our program, as was a scavenger hunt through the old town of Dresden. To conclude our eventful weekend, we attended Sunday service in the Church of Our Lady. It was a weekend full of interesting talks, fun, good mood, and a lot of togetherness. In the selection of the object, the executive committee had shown a good hand. The next Meeting Point weekend will take place from September 23 to 25, 2016, and I invite all of you to join us to the meeting place at Zwochau. Finding the Way. Growing. Living. YMCA in Leipzig - Germany Finding the Way. Growing. Living. further visits. We mean to visit the man who had such an intimate relationship with God. If this doesn‘t work, we will wait to be surprised who will invite us on the first and third Wednesdays of the month. And if it so turns out, we will also visually let ourselves be taken into the personal story of our biblical host. There are still people we would like to get to know. Could it be that you are one of them? We would be excited to know your own personal story. Allow us to take you along on our visits, and visit us while we‘re on our way! Cornelia Berthold Stefan Bergmann and Angelika von Szombathely Friends Bible Study Group Hello, all of you! In the past year, all of us in the Bible study group were on the way together, at least in our minds. For instance, we paid a visit to Xerxes, King of Persia. Or, more precisely, to his second wife. We let ourselves be taken into her exciting history. We also regaled ourselves with a film evening, which visually transported us onto the spot. Currently, we are visiting the successor of Moses and are still curious what we are going to see and experience there. In the coming year, we intend to make 14 Us, the older friends of the YMCA are still there. We are pleased to inform you that now, at the beginning of December, 30 women and men will be meeting for a special Advent celebration in the YMCA house. As every year, we went on a hiking tour during the Pentecost days. We stayed in the Hubertushaus in Wernigerode, from there we walked to Kloster Drübeck. The Pentecost tour has a long tradition; it is important to us personally, and the atmosphere in these days has again and again impressed newcomers. Otherwise, we meet once a year for book presentations; but, naturally, we are in touch with one another. To those of you who are younger, we wish that you may also make such enriching experiences together, they will carry you through life. For 2016, we ask for peace, that those in power may come up with something and we may take the small steps necessary Helmut Nitzsche for the Seniors Choir „Fragments“ Last year, the choir went through a phase of uncertainty. We were not sure whether our chorus master, Carl Blumenhagen, would stay with us. After he had completed his teacher training course, there was a possibility that he might not find a position in Leipzig and, as a consequence, might have to leave us. Fortunately, however, Carl is staying with us and brought us many new songs (many of them from Sweden) for rehearsals. In September, we spent a weekend together with intensive rehearsals. Only in December, we gave a special performance at the YMCA project “Shop in the Advent Season.” We are looking forward to the new year. We will then give a small concert on January 24 in our house, a performance at the Bike Church in Zöbigker on June 24, 15 YMCA in Leipzig - Germany Finding the Way. Growing. Living. YMCA in Leipzig - Germany Finding the Way. Growing. Living. as well as a couple of other occasions of enjoying ourselves and delighting our guests with beautiful music. Danilo Hut Volleyball We volleyball players look back on a year of change. As so often, we had the good luck of being able to welcome new and charming members to our team. However, also some long-time members have left us. We would like to take the opportunity to express our special thanks to Stefan Bergmann for his many years of great support. New developments have not only taken place in our team, but also—and this is particularly satisfying—in the case of our gym. Training now takes place on Thursdays in a gym suitable for volleyball, where we can play to our hearts‘ content. Our special thanks go to Dorit Daniel Eck for her active support :-) This year had lot of work in store for us: having organized a small tournament in 2014, we wanted to benefit from our experience to pull something big together. Thus, teams from Berlin, Jena, Greifswald, Halle and other parts of Germany met in Leipzig in July and ambitiously played for the Golden Lantern. In addition to the successful organization of our tournament, we were also able to significantly improve our sporting performance. At the Central German Championship, we ranked third among 12 teams and were allowed to participate in the playoff finals, to which only the best 23 teams of the country were invited. At the weekend of the tournament, we gave everything we had and ranked sixth. This has been our greatest success so far. We thank all of you for supporting us and hope to be able to enrich the YMCA with jug- Jugger 16 ger sports. We look forward to the coming season with confidence and wish all of you a prosperous and healthy New Year 2016. Winter Playground Juliane Ludewig With lots of joy and commitment, we successfully continued to look after the winter playground in 2015. For the first time, also the outdoor playground was accessible to visitors. As usual, we were able to clarify the initial concerns in a timely and unproblematic manner. This year, too, the 3 hardworking helpers guaranteed a steady and smooth procedure. Already on the first day, the winter playground was well attended. In addition to our regulars, there were also new faces among the visitors. Only in the first two weeks of March, the number of visitors slightly decreased. On average, there were 15-20 children visiting. Many of the parents told us they had read about the winter playground in the free weekly newspapers (e.g. Sachsensonntag). Also, there was advertising on Facebook and distributed flyers. The flyer was revised once more. We intend to advertise in regular weekly newspapers and to continue the use of social networks. For the indoor playground, we bought a new rocking horse, which, above all, smaller children like to use. In addition, the outdoor playground was open as an alternative. Also as a result of the mild weather, it was widely used by children of all age groups. From February 1 to March 27, 2016, the new winter playground season at YMCA Leipzig will take place on Sundays from 3 to 6 pm. We look forward to many children playing with us and to parents wanting to talk to us. Martin Apelt 17 YMCA in Leipzig - Germany Finding the Way. Growing. Living. YMCA in Leipzig - Germany Finding the Way. Growing. Living. CVJM KITA e. V. Together with three child minders, the YCMA day care center offers interested families a care- and educational program with a religious-education profile. Our main aim is to give the children the opportunity to experience being accepted and loved – from the people around them, and from God, who wants them to experience life to the full. In pedagogical action, this is expressed in the various areas of pedagogy, e.g., in communication education, in aesthetic education, in somatic education, in mathematical education, in natural sciences education, and in the communication of personal values and in social learning. Our teachers are there to be enablers and supporters; the children are the experts who look for answers based on their everyday experience. Sixty-six children between the ages of two and six attend our center. For children under two years of age, we have the child minders and the Winter Playground during free time. The children who are transitioning to elementary-school age are in good hands with the Cloud Divers. Noteworthy cooperating partners in the preschool area and in family education are the association FAIRbund – e.g., with its Project Hippy – and Kangaru Leipzig Community Childcare Centers Ltd., with its project the interdisciplinary early-education center „Kangaru.“ Our day care center is a regular partner of the „Schönefeld Ecumenical Group“ for various events throughout the year. Day Care Center Our day care center at the heart of Mariannenpark puts up 66 children between two and six years. Of these, 10 places are allotted to two-year old crèche children and 56 places to kindergarten children. As in 2014, we could once again offer some of these places as early-education opportunities to children from socially disadvantaged families and children with a migration background. The following educational priorities were particularly important to us: Traditional holidays and celebrations of the liturgical year 18 Multi-cultural mommy afternoon Projects promoting physical activity in everyday life, as well as the acquisition of the children‘s sport badge “Flizzy.” Continuation of language support for children with special needs. ren come to our facility and the features of whom everybody will get to know. A special highlight of our parents‘ work was a weekend in October with some families in Our topic of the year was and still is: “If others are different, so what? Yes, God loves all children. We belong together.” Unfortunately, we were not able to realize this in the way we had planned. In 2016, we want to start with the country of Syria (culture, food, dwelling, development, education, etc.). It will be followed by other countries, whose child- 19 YMCA in Leipzig - Germany Finding the Way. Growing. Living. Sehlis near Taucha, hosted under the motto of “Indians—without a hatchet, for a change.” Key elements were the making of feather headdresses, pearl necklaces, rattles, and bracelets; Indian make up, stick bread by the fire and an autumnal prayer meeting. This “Indian summer” weekend was a successful meeting for all “Indians.” We think it‘s fantastic that our emplo- YMCA in Leipzig - Germany Finding the Way. Growing. Living. Parents‘ Council Also in 2015, the Parents‘ Council discussed different subjects with parents and educators. Among other things, these subjects included dental care, healthy afternoon snacks, as well as the range of foreign languages offered. Satisfactory results were not reached on all points; but it is good to remain in contact. For the children‘s festival on June 4, 2015, the Parents‘ Council actively engaged in the preparation of the afternoon snack. Furthermore, parents were involved in the realization of the Dragon Festival, Saint Martin‘s Day and of this year‘s children‘s photo shooting. The construction of an hotel for insects was great fun for both children and parents. For 2016, the Parents‘ Council wants to ensure that the caravan in the garden area will be refurbished for the work of the day care center. Christin Wilde YMCA Child-Minding Services yees are wishing for offspring, but the fact they all did so at once was pretty taxing. As from September, we needed help. We were particularly happy about attracting elderly women who are still fit to help us with kindergarten work at hourly intervals, so that important festivals could take place (Dragon Festival, family weekend, Saint Martin‘s, Saint Nicholas‘ Day, nativity play). Once again a big thank you for your commitment. For 2016, we earnestly hope for a continuation of the good, reliable, and successful cooperation between parents, employees and partners for the good of our children. Nadine Holdhausen Ute Krippner-Müller 20 21 YMCA in Leipzig - Germany Finding the Way. Growing. Living. Kids and Teens Kids and teens occupy a big space at the YMCA ... and not only figuratively! We open our doors for all sorts of needs of our young people. With our youth group, we offer both children and teens a place to spend their free time meaningfully and independently. There, young people have the opportunity to meet with people of the same age in small groups to have fun social experiences, to get involved, and to try new things. Additionally, we offer support and intensive counseling for young people in challenging life situations. Our area of operations is being expanded beyond our home location as we are often on the move in our part of the city—both with and without our games‘ trailer! Together with other players in our neighborhood, we are actively involved in improving conditions in the living environment of our young people. Notable cooperating partners in our kids‘ and teens‘ projects are the two local youth groups „The Bridge“ and „The Cherry.“ The Youth Café – „Public“ Work 22 2015—Running Well This year‘s visitor numbers were about the same as last year‘s. An average of 51 children and young people per opening day visit our youth café. Visitor numbers range from 22 people on a rainy autumn day to 123 at the start of the summer school holidays, which we celebrated with our annual beach party. In 2015, the youth café saw a number of optical changes. In the summer, we got our long-desired new kitchen enabling us to work around a kitchen island with many children and young people at the same time. Also the youth café itself changed. In the October holidays, we spent almost a week to paint the walls and to make the café more attractive. We decorated one of the walls all over with newspapers and photos. YMCA in Leipzig - Germany Finding the Way. Growing. Living. As in many places, also the youth café saw a number of discussions on asylum policy and related issues this year. We do not only hope for an open and hospitable Germany but also that the youth café itself will be a place where this openness and hospitality can be experienced. This is what we are trying to promote, and we are happy if we succeed. In the autumn, for instance, we hosted a football tournament which was won by “FC Albania.” There were a number of sporting highlights in 2015. In addition to the usual football tournaments, for example, the YMCA Jugger Group visited us twice, making us more familiar with this sport. We have also tried sports such as Archery and American Football and had quite some fun on the slackline. We spent plenty of nice afternoons with these types of sport, which this year competed with the popular sport of soccer. As a Christian association, it is important for us to give impulses that encourage thinking about faith. One highlight in this context was our café meal which we celebrated on Holy Thursday. On this day, we discussed the Last Supper and shared with the young people what makes Easter so very special for us as Christians. Thanks to the support of volunteers, we are able to realize many of these activities. Thus, we are very grateful for some of the young people who bring new impulses to everyday life in the café, and have sometimes done so for many years. Things are running well! Annemarie Neef and Henning Leicht 23 YMCA in Leipzig - Germany The Cloud-Diver Kids The Cloud Divers, absorbed in their “finding phase.” Agnes: We completed our “feelings project” at the beginning of 2015 and then immersed ourselves in the carnival season with fun activities and colorful bricolage. In preparation of Easter we started a new topic. We dealt with the person of Jesus Christ. Who was he? What did he experience? We showed a film on this subject, in whichc the children could answer questions here and there. Lent thus began in a playful and also meditative mood. We were introduced to the stories of the New Testament, Jesus‘ lifetime until his death, and his resurrection at Easter. After Easter, Fabio started a project on his home country Spain with us, and soon the summer holidays began. We started the new season of the day care center again on September 2 ... another new face to take over the group! Since Agnes Goth went on maternity leave in September and the day care center did not find an adequately qualified person, Franz Enkelmann (Voluntary Social Year) is expected to run this group until summer. Due to this situation, the offer is limited to students of the first and second-grade classes; for the time being, preschool children from the kindergarten are not taking part in it. But to avoid excluding them altogether, we want to invite them to special activities and undertakings in the future. “Einfach Spitze, dass Du da bist!” (It‘s just great you‘re here)—this is the catchy tune 24 Finding the Way. Growing. Living. we sing at the beginning of each meeting as a welcome, and after initial inhibitions, everybody now sings and dances along to the song. Then, there are games full of action & biblical stories with subsequent crafts events and discussions about God and the world. It is a pleasure to see how much the kids, all by themselves, tell us about their lives and wish to share it with us “Cloud Divers.” This means that they feel at home here and trust us. One highlight was the St. Martin‘s Day activity. In preparation for it, the Cloud Diveres cut or tore jackets to shape and then decorated and painted them so that they could wear them a week later for the St Martin‘s Day procession. In the new year, we want to have a look at how Jesus lived—from birth to resurrection. The permanent core of the group is currently made up of only 3 children, which is why we intend to increasingly advertise at primary schools. YMCA in Leipzig - Germany Finding the Way. Growing. Living. Dance Group The girls‘ group has, next to many other topics, again and again dealt with the question of a healthy nutrition and sustainable lifestyle in the course of the year. In this, we extensively benefited from the opportunities offered by our huge garden. We planted herbs and later used them to make tea and prepared rosemary potatoes. In the summer, we had lots of fun harvesting the cherries, and the plum cake with self-picked fruit tasted twice as good. We are particularly happy with the new kids‘ kitchen, which we use a lot. Girls‘ Group Agnes Goth and Franz Enkelmann 25 YMCA in Leipzig - Germany For the girls‘ holiday, we went to Wanzleben, and the topic of the week, “really (un)fair,” helped us look beyond our own experience and direct our attention at the globalized world and its relationships and complexities. We explored relationships of a different kind at the INSPIRATA exhibition. Under the motto of “Experience, Astonishment, Experiment,” we visited the interactive museum on the old trade fairground at the request of the girls. Some of the points of the wish list on the agenda were still waiting to be realized. So it‘s a good thing that the girls‘ group remains a fixed date in next year‘s weekly schedule. Finding the Way. Growing. Living. with boys from Schönefeld and all parts of Leipzig in self-built tents. There were also 2 days of creative, adventurous and handicraft activities for the participants. From August 25 to 31, we went to Klosterbuch near Leisnig together with 11 boys for our YMCA boys‘ adventure camp. We canoed on the Mulde, crossed a gorge, made a GPS treasure hunt, and visited Burg Mildenstein. Moreover, we built our own little “Pompfer” (padded weapons), and had a lot of fun playing various adventurous games. We look forward to next year and have started preparing the next vacation. In July 2016, we will be traveling to Lauenhain at the Kriebstein reservoir. Dorit Roth Boys‘ Group The boys‘ group dealt with a variety of issues again this year. As from September, the focal topic was fairness. In this context, we played many games, discussed and made our own toys. At the moment, the group, which regularly consists of 6 to 9 boys, is very well attended. In April, we supported LEMANN e.V. in its annual spring camp for boys. At frosty temperatures, we spent the night 26 YMCA in Leipzig - Germany Finding the Way. Growing. Living. The door opens and four baby carriages come rolling in. Not precisely the target group of youth social work, I think, and neither are our facilities very suitable. But after a moment‘s hesitation, I recognize the faces of the four young women. They are former users of our offerings. We haven‘t seen each other for years, and the young mothers have found their way. Now, they remember their time at the YMCA, and it‘s important for them to proudly present their offspring and to tell me how they are doing. I am particularly pleased to see that they are still in touch with each other and mutually support each other in their current situation. Their time at the YMCA, they tell me, was very important for them, and that encourages us in our work, even if the classic “success” is not always visible immediately in everyday life. Support and Counseling Speaking of visible: We had decided to extend our attendance time in front of the town library in the heart of Schönefeld. A good decision, as we can now say. We encounter children and young people in passing, others come specifically to see us. More frequently, we also come in contact with adults this way. We thus make our offerings known, and often the results are concrete offers of support. This way, the YMCA maintains its presence in this part of town; there are new cooperation projects and people talk about us—which is the basis for youth social work to have an impact onto the part of town where it is active. Dorit Roth and Danilo Hutt Special Projects Danilo Hutt Among last year‘s special highlights was the Schönefeld spring festival and the sponsors‘ rally. On Sunday, May 10, many children and adults in bright sunshine explored our great outdoor area via game stations and accepted our invitation to a cup of coffee or a hot waffle in our café. The fire brigade attracted special attention with its spectacular use of water. 27 YMCA in Leipzig - Germany Finding the Way. Growing. Living. We had intended the 19th rally to be a special one, and we succeeded. After a long startup phase and with many heads red with heat, we sent our traditional battle ship onto a renovation holiday into the dock. Everyone who was with us on June 21, 2015 had a chance to see the result. Let it be said to all those who couldn‘t make: “You missed quite something.” The on-site attractions ranged from divine service, stage program, fire brigade, graffiti, big games, bouncy castle, juggers, faces make-up, soap box building / derby, music, food and drink, up to and including, of course, the main attraction: our bicycle rally. Here, as in every year, participants fought for kilometers, shedding sweat and bending the spokes of their bikes. And for what purpose did they do so? Of course, as always for the good cause. The sum of (exactly) 3,672.27 € was donated in equal shares to the voluntary services of YMCA Leipzig and to Clara Wieck Primary School, which used the money to fulfill itself the dream of an air track. A big thanks at this point once again to all cyclists, sponsors and, of course, to all helpers, without whom the festival would not have been such a great success! See you at the Great Jubilee in 2016! The 20th sponsors‘ rally will take place then. Let‘s see whether we can top all expectations with another astonishing masterpiece! At any rate, we have plenty of ideas. YMCA in Leipzig - Germany Finding the Way. Growing. Living. YCMA and School YMCA and school—these belong together in Leipzig. We are convinced that the YMCA can contribute to making schools worthwhile places of education and personality development. We accompany students and their families as they start school or transition to the next school stage. Both inside and outside of the school building, kids and teens can meet our staff members in our inschool social work projects, in religion class, and in the school club and youth house. We offer students internships and give our cooperating schools exclusive rights to rent our youth house with its outdoor property. In the East/Northeast Planning Area, we are part of the cooperative networks „Special Team Villa Assoc./YMCA“ and „School With a Future—East Leipzig.“ In-school Social Work at Public Elementary School No. 16 In-School Social Work—Top Ten 2015 Top 1 Student Exchange Baltimore—Go West! 5 years of student exchange between City Neighbors Charter School in Baltimore and the 16th School. Beeline: 6,648.84 km apart from each other, and yet there are so many things which are familiar already . In 2015, once again about 40 pupils of both cities had a chance to closely experience the other country, collect unique impressions and meet great people. Annemarie Neef and Holger Seidel 28 29 YMCA in Leipzig - Germany Finding the Way. Growing. Living. YMCA in Leipzig - Germany Whether as a holiday package or a project day, climbing projects are part of the YMCA‘s in-school social work. And, thus, we went high up once more last year. Top 2 Games nights for fifth-grade pupils—a different way to experience school! A highlight for all new pupils. Night table tennis in the class room, straying around through the dark school house, overnight stays in the class room and breakfast in the School Club—this is the way school makes even more fun. Top 3 “Free your mind” camp on the YMCA ship in Dresden—Ship ahoy! Who can say they have ever spent a night on a ship? The participants of the “Free your mind” camp! 11 students trained in a three-day camp as multiplier pupils in 2015, dealt with 30 the subject of addiction in a critical and playful way and developed projects for other pupils. Finding the Way. Growing. Living. parents as a preliminary every year. This way, the future school becomes somewhat “tangible” already. Top 6 Break offer for fifth and sixth grade pupils—sports for free! For more than three years, we have been offering school break activities in the gym. Whether dodgeball, football, or hockey—taking an “active break” is a welcome change in everyday school life. Top 8 Project days in the YMCA house—Action! Around 200 students of 16th Secondary School spent a day at the YMCA last year. Whether learning or community days in fifth and sixth-grade classes, class speaker seminars or inter-cultural projects with the ninth grade—there was something for everyone! Top 7 The “Getting-to-know-each-other” afternoon for the new fifth grade pupils—Welcome! A mere general information evening would be too boring, so we offer a few actionpacked games for those pupils still in a fourth-grade class as well as a coffee chat and a tour of the school house for the Top 9 Individual help—Help! The main business of in-school social work. In addition to the many projects, we offered a wide range of consultancy for pupils, parents, as well as teachers last year. The weekly discussions with the heads of fifth to seventh-grade classes on the in- Top 4 Breakfast in Neustadt—a celebration of the special kind! Many associations and initiatives gathered on Neustädter Markt and extended invitations for breakfast and a get-together on July 5. On offer at the YMCA booth: waffles with icing sugar and apple sauce! And, of course, the popular bingo rounds were not missing. Top 5 The climbing projects in No Limit—aiming high! 31 YMCA in Leipzig - Germany Finding the Way. Growing. Living. class situation and individual pupils make it possible to act quickly. Help is thus offered to students, the class and the class teacher! YMCA in Leipzig - Germany Finding the Way. Growing. Living. School Club Top 10 Let‘s get home! This does not apply to our celebration evening … but to our house visits to every family, whose child is new to Secondary School No. 16. The aim of these visits is to get to know each other and clarify initial questions. We thus were allowed to make ourselves comfortable in more than 70 living rooms last year. After a six-month break, we are happy to resume work with 20 students in the area of skills development at Secondary School No.16 at the beginning of the new school year. The focus of work is still on the development of the pupils‘ social and emotional skills. On the basis of positive references from previous years, we quickly managed to win pupils and parents over for the project idea. After an extensive analysis phase, it was possible, for instance, to determine first objectives of the common work. In the wake of this, these objectives were changed into specific support plans, which in turn form the basis for traceable and verifiable results to be reached at the end of the school year. The great benefit for the children and young people who are involved in this project is the individual support by the competence developer. This developer has the possibility to take care of individual pupils and their problems. As experience shows, the result is a considerable enhancement of attention on the part of the participants and, thus, also an individual offer of assistance. It‘s great to be able to make this offering available again. Susann Vahle and Holger Seidel 32 Just as everywhere else, we must present our figures at the end of the year. This means, we draw up a summary. Are the figures correct? Has it been a successful year? Did we fulfill the expectations? Were we capable of doing better? These are the typical questions that come up and need to be answered at the end of the year. For the School Club, the following figures can be registered for 2015: 8 = the School Club at Secondary School No. 16 has existed for eight years. For four of these eight years, its location has been in in the vaulted cellars of the school. Traces of the daily work are clearly visible, and the School Club could do with one or another coat of paint. 27 = 27 visitors (on average) spend their time after lessons in the School Club, whether with highly competitive table football games, 10-man Uno rounds, handicraft offers, Wii tournaments, or simply in order to have a casual chat with the in-school social workers. 81 = we sell 81 cereal bars (maximum) during the long school break in the School Club. Add to this apples, bananas, and drinks which the pupils buy as snacks. In the afternoon, the popular sandwich is on the menu as well as various sweets for the way back home. 32 = 32 nations are represented at the school. This is also reflected in everyday life at the School Club. Nationality does not play a role for the large variety of games offered in the School Club. No matter whether pupils are from Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Turkey, Romania, Russia, or 33 YMCA in Leipzig - Germany Finding the Way. Growing. Living. YMCA in Leipzig - Germany Finding the Way. Growing. Living. Germany—the rules of the game are the same for everyone; the only thing that has to be decided on the spot is who starts and who is next in line. 5 = five pupils from sixth-grade classes are represented in the Club Council. Four girls and one boy help us out at the bar during breaks and in the afternoon. They will support us with lots of joy and enthusiasm in the School Club. 2 = two break activities are offered weekly for sixth-grade girls and boys. The offer, which is gladly embraced, includes burning ball, football, dodgeball, “zombie ball” and all sorts of sports games. 7 = seven pupils from Secondary School No. 16 participated in the action days in summer 2015. The focus was on “Highland Games”, i.e. sports and games all around the Scottish national port . At Archery, everyone had a chance to demonstrate how much arm strength he or she really has. In conclusion it can be said: It has been a good year with many highlights, everyday challenges and beautiful moments. Franziska Ponitka Parents‘ Work at Public Elementary School No. 16 After the expiry of the model project “Home-based Parents‘ Work at Secondary School No. 16” in the school year 2014/2015, we succeeded in maintaining and continuing this component of YMCA‘s activities—a component highly important for students and parents alike. The Free State of Saxony has been won as new sponsor as from summer 2015. Pro Bildung Leipzig Ost gGmbH continues its sponsorship. At the same time, the City of Leipzig enables YMCA Leipzig‘s in-school social work to take up its home-based parents‘ work at Wilhelm Wander Primary School. But what is so important about parents‘ work, especially if parents are visited in their private rooms? Home-based parents‘ work in the form of home visits by in-school social workers at the start of children‘s (primary or secondary) school career creates the basis for a long and trusting cooperation on 34 equal terms between the parental home and the school. Schools and parents are partners that discuss with each other how to enable children and young people to reach the best possible education degree. Likewise, we found ways to lend effective support to parents educating their children. Successful communication does not fail because of communication difficulties—cultural and linguistic mediators offer help in families where German is not spoken as a mother tongue. “As many people as possible should know as much as possible,” the late German President Richard von Weizsäcker once said. Home-based parents‘ work is capable of providing the basis for this. To quote from the YMCA Annual Report 2015, which can be adopted without amendment: “We aim to guarantee that all parents of children between grades one and five are visited at home and can have a specific contact person in their schools for the following years. Whether it‘s a social worker or a teacher freed up from other responsibilities, a full-time expert from the field does not represent a cost factor, but rather the guarantee that kids and teens can be given a real opportunity for their futures!” We would like to thank Norbert Rentsch 35 YMCA in Leipzig - Germany Finding the Way. Growing. Living. In-school Social Work at the Clara Wieck School Over the past three years, we have established the project of in-school social work as a mainstay at Clara Wieck School. In 2015, there was an increase in the requested social learning lessons. On the one hand, this shows how firmly the project is established and the extent to which it has met with the teaching staff‘s acceptance and cooperation; on the other, it means that in-school social work has reached its limits with the available quota of hours. The “getting-to-know-you” days for the new first-grade pupils of Clara Wieck School were a special experience this year. As was already the case last year, four fully-packed first classes contributed to the rising number of pupils at Clara Wieck School. Another major challenge in-school social work is facing every year is the need for advice, which is far higher than in many other grades, especially for the parents of new primary school pupils. Particularly, teachers in the first-grade classes at the beginning of the school year relied on the support of in-school social work in the framework of jointly-organized parents‘ talks. In the first four grades, the “heart circle method” was introduced in the context of social learning both in school and in the after-school center. It allows the children to better identify their feelings, to share YMCA in Leipzig - Germany Finding the Way. Growing. Living. them with each other, and to learn problem-solving strategies from one another. The acquisition of new conflict-solving strategies was one of the themes of the two-day conflict mediator training at the YMCA. Immediately after the summer holidays, the application phase for the conflict mediator training began at the school. Up to 20 pupils from the new fourth grades wrote an application for this challenging task. From the many dedicated submissions, 10 pupils (7 girls, 3 boys) were eventually selected as new conflict mediators. During the last two days before the autumn holiday, they participated in the two-day training at the YMCA. The training was conducted in co-operation with Wilhelm Wander Primary School, which trained a total of 6 new conflict mediators. The two in-school social workers were actively supported by two employees (one from each of the after-school centers) and two committed teachers. Since this year, in-school social work is benefiting from the after-school center‘s participation in the agenda of the weekly meetings of the conflict mediators. In the summer, in-school social work contributed once again a week of holiday game activities in the YMCA. Although only about half of the participants in the holiday package were pupils from Clara Wieck School, there were a number of children who had already participated in the previous year. The age group of children targeted by this offer were seven to ten-year-olds. Due to this limitation of the target group, the holiday packages were better adapted to the age group. As in previous years, the experience of the activity days showed that two full-time employees are indispensable for a highquality implementation. Cathrin Krauße In-school Social Work at the Wilhelm Wander School The impact of the extensive construction work made itself felt also in the school year 2014/15. The school spent the first half of the year in the adjacent building, and even after some of the classes were relocated to the main building in February 2015, the repercussions of the new situation impacted on the in-school social work. Thus, for the pupils and parents of the first-grade classes, it was a big challenge to find their bearings in the new rooms. Another difficulty was the illness of the class teacher in one of the first-grade classes. For this reason, the pupils of this class were distributed in the other two firstgrade-classes, placing additional strain on both the pupils and teachers of the existing classes as well as the pupils and parents of the distributed class. Here, many questions and discussions came up between the parents and in-school social workers as well as between the teachers and in-school social workers. The fact, however, that both parents and teachers got in touch with the in-school social workers shows their wide acceptance 36 37 YMCA in Leipzig - Germany Finding the Way. Growing. Living. at the school. Another challenge of the past school year was, next to there being three first-grade classes, the increase in school beginners with substantial behavioral and emotional disturbances. For instance, one first-grade pupil was suspended; two others were partly suspended, being allowed to attend lessons after their time tables had been reduced. Also cases of school refusal occur already in the first-grade classes. These cases are met with intensive individual help and all of the available options (e.g. report to the General Social Service ASD, report for administrative offense). Other positive developments are the high number of consultation requests from all user groups and the strengthening of preventive structures, such as the weekly hours of social learning in most of the classes as well as the further increase of schoolyard helpers and the introduction of the conflict mediators program. Since the school year 2014/2015, Wilhelm Wander School participates in the program entitled “Children solve conflicts by themselves,” a project for the introduction of conflict mediators to a primary school, funded by the Saxon Accident Insurance. In the context of this project, ten pupils were trained as conflict mediators at the beginning of the school year. The program was presented in all third and fourth-grade classes; subsequently, the children could apply for the position of a conflict mediator. In letters to parents, persons entitled YMCA in Leipzig - Germany Finding the Way. Growing. Living. to custody were included and asked to support the applications. A team of teachers, after-school center workers and in-school social workers reviewed the applications and selected six third-grade and four fourth-grade pupils for this responsible task. Within two days, the responsible in-school social workers then trained the candidates as conflict mediators at the YMCA house, together with the candidates from Schule am Rabet. The tasks, framework conditions and the procedure of conflict mediation were discussed and practiced in this context on the basis of a manual. Eventually, an examination was held which, if taken successfully, culminated in the award of a certificate. The new-fledged conflict mediators were then presented to all pupils and teachers in a pupils‘ assembly. On two days of the week, the conflict mediators‘ office is open, so that pupils who want to resolve a dispute can seek the conflict mediators‘ help. In their work, the conflict mediators are accompanied by teachers, after-school center workers and in-school social workers, who, when the conflicting parties are absent, carry out reflections and exercises with the conflict mediators. At the end of the school year, the conflict mediators from the fourth-grade classes were dismissed together with the leaving schoolyard helpers; in recognition of their services, they received a book as a gift. Natalia Wolter Being Human A child is born—perhaps the epitome of innocence and purity. What else can be said to be “pure” on our earth? An almost paradisaical condition is this purity. Thus God created a new addition to the human race, helpless at the outset and then gradually growing more and more independent—purity is then lost, too. So man oscillates all his life long between wanting to be good and not always being able to be good. But what always motivates us anew to be good is the encounter with God. But where can we meet him? A look at Jesus‘ life provides a clue. He is born in the mud, on the edge of society, in a stable. At first, nobody wants him. The first to find him were not wise men and kings, but people still on their feet at night. He will spend his life together with fishermen, tax collectors and prostitutes. He will die as a felon—naked, exposed, again on the margins of society, in the mud. Died for our failures in wanting to be good. If we want to increase our ability to be good, then we must start ouf and search for him: we will find him, but not where we most likely suspect to do so. Not on a track trodden for a thousand times but on the margin. And in the purity of the child. Ansgar Haller 38 39 Mission Statement Finding the Way. Growing. Living The YMCA in Leipzig aims to reach children, teenagers and adults with comprehensive free-time and educational offers. In the context of this work, we offer counseling services and orientation for a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. People from many different cultures and denominations belong to the diversity of the YMCA. We encourage those in our organization to grow in acting on their own initiative, taking part in the activities and sharing responsibility with the others in this. The staff members of the YMCA live out their faith authentically and form a living community. Thus the YMCA has been an irreplaceable part of Leipzig life since 1893. legal info Contact Address: CVJM Leipzig e. V. Schönefelder Allee 23 a 04347 Leipzig Germany Göran Michaelsen (chairman) and Aaron Büchel-Bernhardt (senior executive) Publisher: CVJM Leipzig e. V. Register of Associations Leipzig VR 1059 Content: Management Board YMCA Leipzig Layout: Peter Snyder Fon YMCA Leipzig 0049 341 26 67 554 - 0 www.cvjm-leipzig.de info@cvjm-leipzig.de Account for donations Account holder: CVJM Leipzig e. V. IBAN: DE74 5206 0410 0008 0073 81 BIC: GENODEF1EK1 Bank: Evangelische Kreditgenossenschaft