Feeling at home – A place of hope for families in Dortmund
Stern im Norden – the family community centre in Dortmund’s Nordstadt, supported by wortundtat, has implemented a rich programme in recent months. The various actions undertaken have proven that Stern im Norden is a place of hope for people from diverse cultural backgrounds and generations. Here they experience selfworth and develop the confidence needed for dealing with their challenging everyday lives.
An encounter at the weekly women’s Meet ‘n Chat group shows how important personal relationships and services are for the people in the district. At the end of a Meet ‘n Chat group, Fatma, a mother who took part, swept the floor of the premises. When an employee thanked her, Fatma replied:
I’ve lost my home, but I’ve found a
new one here, and where you feel
at home, you do what’s needed.”
Fatma, a Stern im Norden community member
Women like Fatma and their families find a second home at Stern im Norden. Many of them have only been in Germany for a few years. For them, the Family Community Centre is a place where they can be accepted, get involved, and get help if needed.
Women’s Meet ‘n Chat group (Frauencafé) – Developing good everyday routines for children
All mothers know that until school and nursery age kids are out of the house, chaos, stress or quarrelling reigns supreme in any household. To start the day in a less stressful way for mothers and children, guests at the Women’s Meet ‘n Chat group looked for a solution together. After enjoying breakfast, 20 mothers creatively put their heads together to find a more relaxed daily routine for their children. Especially morning starts needed to be made less chaotic for the children. The women taking part pooled their own experiences and ideas and developed a good plan – from getting up to starting nursery or school. Good everyday routines give families security and strengthen family unity.
Women’s café: time for relaxation, conversation and topics that make everyday life easier.
Graffiti artwork – Children create the space
To encourage and empower children and give teens room for creativity and letting off steam, Stern im Norden has created an attractive programme. The central meeting space for young people is the “Theken-Raum” or activity area. In this space, kids have a place to call their own where they can play, do crafts and hang out together. With the support of friends and sponsors, the walls were able to be repainted and new, robust flooring laid.
Over the summer, the children then created expressive graffiti walls for the space. These magnificent artworks give the Stern im Norden a homely vibe.
Meals for kids:Every child should have the chance to eat well. With the support of wortundtat, children receive a healthy lunch at Stern im Norden 230 days a year. Because many families often can’t afford to eat in a healthy way or don’t know what a balanced diet is.
Partner project – A visit from Moldova
In July, the employees at Stern im Norden had reason to be happy. They were visited by the Narnia daycare centre in Ceadîr Lunga in the Republic of Moldova. Like Stern im Norden, Narnia is the facilities managed by a wortundtat partner. The Moldovan team organised, among other things, a play and sports workshop for the kids involved in the children’s meet-up. The Narnia team have learned the native languages of some of the children. This made getting to know each other easy.
The visit was also a huge plus for the employees. They intensively exchanged their educational concepts and experiences and learned from each other.
Impressions Holiday Program 2023 2023 – Summertime is adventure time
Thrills, teamwork and climbing fun. In the climbing forest, kids ascended high up into the treetops.