Germany: “Starkmacher” Association makes youth powerfull without violence

“We are sure that in everybody there is something good and we would like to make it visible to the society” is the motto of “Starkmacher” (who makes stronger) Association. That goal is promoted across various projects in Germany, Europe and all over the world and it is direct to youth coming from the more degradated and dangerous realities.
“Stark ohne Gewalt” (strong without violece) for example, actively involved since then 25,000 youth all over the world.

Promoted with Gen Rosso international performing Group, Diözesan-Caritasverband für das Erzbistum Köln and many other partners, this project involves every year students of secondary and hight schools into the production of a musical about the living experience of Charles Moats. He was a young boy, who was killed by a gang of Chicago beacuse of his concrete engagement into the promotion of fraternity in the slum where he lived.

Students, youth from prisons, orphanages and special institutions (specially in Germany, but also in Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and in Brazil), have so the possibilty to work together, collaboring in order to produce the final show. By these experience, they experiment the Ideal of fraternity for the promotion of which, Charles during the 60s was engaged.

Since two years the project has been extended to the “Copetence training of Heidelberg” (“Heidelberger Kompetenztraining” – HKT). This training of mental power cames from the field of sport and is now adapted to the various challenges of everyday life. HKT’s goal is to enable people to master challenging situations in a resource-oriented manner. The approach and methods of HKT complete the emotional and interactive experience of the musical project.

In the field of sports, “Starkmacher” collaborates to the “Sport4Peace” progject. This project was born in Austria, but it spread all over the world. It consist of youths sport competitions and tournaments with in adjunction of the ‘tradional’ rules of the different sports, six other main rules: PLAY FAIR, TAKE CARE OF referees and adversaries, CELEBRATE your succes as of the adversaries,…

During the years, “Starkmacher” promoted various project in the field of education to the politics too. Youth from some of the most degradate areas of the EU re-discovered the importance of polical engagement thank’s to projects as “Heimat Europa” – which consisted on the simulation of consituencency of an European party – or the meeting “Brauche ich Politik? – Braucht Politik mich?” – on which youth from various European Countires met with political representant of different parites, in order to discuss about the importance of their political engagement and the safeguard of the common good.

Other ventures were promoted in the fields of the Social Engagement, Environment, Culture and Communication. Indeed, as the “Starkmacher”’s masters explained, «we doesn’t like to have prepared remedies, because we only need to open our eyes in order to discover the possibilities of development of eachone and today we are supported also by several years of experience.»