Gunfire heard at barn entrance
### Title: Bolzplatzhelden Project in Mettmanner Straße: A Beacon of Community Cohesion and Youth Development
In the heart of Mettmanner Straße, Germany, the Bolzplatzhelden project is making a significant impact on the lives of local children and young people. This initiative, centred around football (soccer), is more than just a sports programme; it's a platform for promoting physical activity, fostering social integration, and nurturing personal growth.
#### The Project's Purpose
The Bolzplatzhelden project is primarily designed to:
1. **Promote Sports Participation:** By offering football training, the project encourages children and youth to engage in physical activity, promoting a healthy lifestyle. 2. **Encourage Social Integration:** The project brings together young people from diverse backgrounds, creating an inclusive environment where they can learn from each other and break down social barriers. 3. **Support Community Cohesion:** By providing a safe, structured environment, the project helps children and adolescents interact positively, build friendships, and develop social skills. 4. **Offer Educational and Developmental Opportunities:** Through sports, participants learn teamwork, discipline, respect, and conflict resolution, skills that extend beyond the pitch.
#### The Project's Impact
The Bolzplatzhelden project has had far-reaching positive effects on the local community:
1. **Increased Physical Activity and Health Benefits:** Regular engagement in football and related activities improves fitness and overall well-being, encouraging children to adopt active lifestyles early on. 2. **Social Integration and Inclusion:** The project successfully fosters interaction among youth from different cultural backgrounds, reducing social barriers and prejudices, and helping marginalized or immigrant children feel welcomed and valued. 3. **Youth Empowerment and Personal Development:** Participants gain confidence, leadership skills, and a sense of belonging, the supportive environment helping youth develop positive behaviours and avoid risks associated with social exclusion. 4. **Community Building:** The project strengthens ties between families, local organizations, and stakeholders invested in youth welfare, transforming the football pitch into a community hub that enhances neighbourhood safety and vibrancy. 5. **Educational Outcomes:** Some programs integrated into the project provide mentoring or workshops that complement sports with learning and life skills.
#### Notable Figures and Aspirations
The project boasts the involvement of real Fortuna legends as volunteer coaches, including Gerd Zewe, a former Bundesliga player known as "Schädel." Zewe, who has looked after around 700 kids in the past ten years, provides substantial training content for the project. Zewe humorously mentions his search for a potential centre forward among the "Bolzplatzhelden" since there isn't one in the national team at the moment.
Oliver Fink, active in Fortuna's U23, and Gerd Zewe, a Fortuna idol of the 1970s, are ambassadors for the project. Robert Engel, managing director of the project's sponsor Deutsche Postcode-Lotterie, believes that football is an effective means to convey values such as social behaviour, team spirit, rules, and consideration.
Project leader Heribert Eisenburger believes the location is ideal due to the presence of a football club and a primary school with diverse nationalities. Klaus Allofs is the patron of this year's project at the location. Franco Clemens, involved in the open youth centre "Rheinflanke" e. V., emphasizes the value of the project in the current pandemic situation.
The Bolzplatzhelden initiative on Mettmanner Straße embodies a powerful model of using sports, particularly football, as a tool to promote health, social integration, and personal development among children and young people. Its impact transcends the pitch by building a more inclusive, active, and cohesive community in Mettmanner Straße, offering lasting benefits to participants and the area as a whole.
The Bolzplatzhelden project, with its focus on football, not only promotes physical activity and a healthy lifestyle among children, but also serves as a platform for learning important social skills such as teamwork and conflict resolution. Furthermore, the project's involvement of notable figures like Gerd Zewe, a former Bundesliga player, provides an opportunity for youth to gain valuable insights and mentorship in education and self-development.
