structural development

Hello! 

As promised, I'll start today with the presentation of our municipal team - with project manager Uwe Garack. He will be in the Structural Change working group (together with others) as a contact for mayors, municipalities and initiatives that are thinking about life in the villages through "active village cores", for example. to make the localities in the LK GR fit for the future... Uwe has experienced first-hand that "structural change" does not have to be negative, and that "changes" and "challenges" do not just have to gloss over "new problems".  

As he says with a smile, his own "structural change" is already behind him.  

Because Uwe Garack from our new ENO municipal team is originally known to many in the region as a photographer and owner of the photo shop "Foto-Garack" in Niesky. He ran his business until 2019 - then, as he says, he wanted to "reorientate himself" - and doesn't seem a bit sad when he reports on his own "change". Even if it must not have been easy to give up your own business.

After all, Uwe has accompanied thousands of happy bridal couples, child births and golden weddings for twenty years and has given amateur photographers expert advice on putting together their equipment. But at some point it became difficult to do business profitably. Due to digitization and the constant use of mobile phone cameras, sales of photo technology, accessories, albums and picture frames declined worldwide and also in Uwe's specialist shop. The entire photo industry is affected by this change. As a trained photographer, it was clear to him: “Today, good mobile phones take such perfect pictures that require a great deal of technical effort with conventional photographic technology. In addition, such a mobile phone fits in every jacket pocket.”.  

So Uwe Garack looked for a new field of activity and became a project manager at the Saxon hands-on fund.  

In 2020 alone, Uwe and his colleagues received almost 2000 ideas for evaluation, 560 of which were awarded and honored by Prime Minister Kretschmer. The creativity, the energy and the attachment to the homeland of the people who live here are fun for Uwe and are important to him. With his experience from working with the Saxon hands-on fund, he will support the municipalities in developing and submitting new ideas that are worthy and eligible for funding for communities that are worth living in and "suitable for grandchildren", as well as innovative and forward-looking projects.  

Our new municipal consultant and project manager, who is well connected in the northern region of the district of Görlitz, may also be known to some from another context: as the non-party deputy mayor of Rothenburg. In the two years, Uwe was able to learn a lot and shed his personal fears about "structural change". Did he really have these concerns at all? After all, Uwe embodies optimism, zest for action and beams when he talks about the opportunities of structural change. "Of course, changes in living conditions and the environment initially raise concerns in everyone - after all, things can always get worse. But I am happy that I can work here for improvement and renewal. Even if we know that everything has its time will need and nothing can happen overnight."

In any case, he is convinced of what the ideas competition of the Saxon hands-on funds showed him: "Successful regional development comes from the bottom up. The citizens and the attentive local mayors know what is good for their location and therefore also for themselves Public participation is the be-all and end-all when it comes to the success of structural change projects," he is convinced.

In Rothenburg he has so far been involved in the new high school and the community center and is particularly pleased with the progress that has already been made. "I would like to see a positive development for the Rothenburg airport site, towards a commercial location," explains Uwe enthusiastically.  

Welcome to the ENO, dear Uwe!

In the coming week we will introduce Saskia Brosius from our innovation team.

Best regards

Your 

Yasna