The Family Alliance continues

Interview with Monika Hoppe

How are you involved in the IBA process?

Monika Hoppe: I was a member of the IBA Committee. In order to get the process started, we, the city, invited the clubs to the table. I chaired this group at the time and was reminded very strongly of family life. Life in a city does not function all that differently to life in a family – it is absolutely vital, but psychologically speaking, there is a hardly a more difficult constellation.

What was so difficult about it?

Monika Hoppe: Getting the clubs to become involved. Until then, they had all tried to get the ball rolling by themselves. But the cooperation worked out. We now already have lovely, big events such as the Soapbox Race, the Family Day, “Cinema in the Park” for Wanzlebeners to take pleasure in and that one club alone could never get up and running. Club life and also life in the city have become more attractive.

What has the IBA given Wanzleben in the sense of family-friendliness?

Monika Hoppe: Participation in the IBA lent impetus. There is a series of aspects relating to family-friendliness, from housing construction subsidisation for the properties am Burggarten through to services for young people, securing the school sites through to the range of child daycare centres. And in 2006, we did win the badge “Child and Family- Friendly City”. And our highly respected programme of bus guardians would hardly have been possible without the IBA.

What is that?

Monika Hoppe: As a central school location, Wanzleben experienced an accumulation of problems with pupils travelling to and from classes by bus. The IBA Committee developed the idea of employing bus guardians on the basis of the one euro job scheme. Their simple presence alone ensures greater discipline. Additionally, the younger schoolchildren especially see in them trust figures. Our project has been copied throughout the county.

So even a family-friendly small town is not immune to problems such as young people loitering?

Monika Hoppe: No, Wanzleben is not an exception. The special feature is, perhaps, that we talk to each other. This does not solve the problem, but it does defuse the situation. And I find it particularly interesting that a study carried out by Magdeburg-Stendal University discovered that most young people interviewed were satisfied with their City of Wanzleben.

The IBA focuses on urban redevelopment; in the topic of “Urban Family Fields” also, it is not enough to maintain family-friendliness in the traditional sense.

Monika Hoppe: We see families in a wider scope also and have many partners with their services: the multi-generation house, living without barriers through redevelopment of the “Tenne”, the “Tafel” food welfare service, planned redevelopment of the railway station grounds to create an Integrated Social Centre; wherever possible, living without barriers in the entire city with sport and social activities for seniors. The scope with which we define the term of family is also seen in the photography action “We are family because …” in which groups, whether real families, groups of friends and clubs were photographed in 2004 and 2009, and explained why they are “family”. The commentaries are very interesting; the exhibition is part of the events marking the IBA Final Year.

Will the topic of families continue after the IBA Year?

Monika Hoppe: Of course. We want to build the generation playground. The discussion on the right location – Volkspark or where the children are anyway – is worthwhile, I think. Parents, who joined together in the “Burgkrümel” club through the IBA, are involved in the design. The “Alliance for Families” is also a brainchild of the IBA; it will remain in place as a contact point for people with ideas and projects and will itself continue to ensure that Wanzleben remains an increasingly better place for families. In addition to supporting the playground initiative, Wanzleben has taken up the cause concerning the use of the Volkspark, extending the education sector, enhancing advisory capacities and other topics also.