structural development

These are our winners of the simul participation competition!

198 creative project ideas made it.

They were selected by four juries from 558 project ideas submitted and will receive prize money totaling three million euros within the nationwide ideas competition simul+ . As a development company, we warmly congratulate the applicants and are today introducing the award winners we advised as ENO.

"I am very pleased about the great response to our new participation competition simul⁺Kreativ, especially from clubs and companies from all Saxon regions. I am also impressed by the participation of numerous scientific institutions, especially in cooperation with the municipalities," said State Minister Thomas Schmidt . Behind the submitted project ideas are committed citizens who have collectively thought about the further development of their living environment, he explains. “With prize money ranging from 5,000 to 150,000 euros, we have the opportunity to support the implementation of ideas that people in the villages and cities have come up with themselves. In doing so, they help shape their living environment and take their future into their own hands,” said State Minister Thomas Schmidt.

ENO project and innovation manager Wilhelmine Buscha advised one of the projects, which even won two competitions. The Generationscafé Youth Club Schönau-Berzdorf eV . had already been awarded in September at “machen 23 – ideas competition of the East German federal states”. Now she warmly congratulates again and is happy with the youth club about the 10,000 euro prize money: "The simul+ competition is a nice competition that enables smaller projects to receive funding at a low threshold. That I was able to advise the Generationscafé Jugendclub Schönau-Berzdorf eV , and it has now won two prizes, makes me really happy." Wilhelmine reports and begins to explain the project.

The Generations Café project is intended to offer young people between 10 and 16 the opportunity to actively participate in the design and organization of the café. Events, workshops and creative activities should be planned together that promote intergenerational exchange and strengthen understanding for one another. A focus of the project will be on the production of food. Here, the young participants will get to know local producers through workshops and experience food production up close. This is not only intended to create awareness of sustainable nutrition, but also to promote appreciation for local products. "Through the Generations Café project, we not only want to strengthen the sense of community, but also enable young people to spend their free time in a meaningful way. We are convinced that this intergenerational collaboration will lead to an enriching experience for everyone involved." it said in the application.  

There was also 10,000 euros for the project “Learn sustainability with the research mobile” at the Emil Ufer Olbersdorf elementary school, which was advised by ENO project manager Franziska Kusche.

Picture above: "The children at the primary school are so happy about the research mobile, and the parents are also helping with the construction!" explains project manager Franziska Kusche (bottom left) enthusiastically. Bottom right: Schönau-Berzdorf youth club, where the generation café will soon ensure more exchange

"The Olbersdorf elementary school would like to convert an old construction trailer into a research mobile." explains Franziska. "It was really a pleasure to support the primary school in creating the application. The ideas and the motivation to try something new in order to make the primary school future-proof and sustainable step by step were infectious." she remembers fondly.  

The research mobile is intended to enable extracurricular learning locations of regional value creation and circular economy - forests, meadows, ponds and fields - to be integrated into everyday school life more flexibly and in a more interest-oriented manner by being placed directly at the excursion and learning locations. This novel approach to mobile learning combines school education with the regional and sustainable development of the community and the region. By equipping the school grounds with a solar panel and an incubator, it becomes a place for living learning about the transformation towards more regionality and sustainability. The aim is to raise awareness of how to use regional resources and how to use them responsibly, even at primary school age. The project will be implemented by teachers, parents, children and skilled craftsmen until March 2024 - we from the UBL blog editorial team will be happy to take a look next spring and report back!

Franziska also congratulates the other winner she advised, “Der Anders Wurzeln eV”.

The association brings people together again where community could no longer be expected - so the association is developing a lively village center in the former opencast mining expansion area of ​​Olbersdorf. For activities and neighborhood work in the winter months and in bad weather, it was planned to set up a multifunctional room with a children's area in the storage building of an empty 150-year-old three-sided courtyard. This room serves as a meeting and event location for club members and the neighborhood. It is intended to promote new initiatives and enrich village life. Above all, (young) women, committed people and people with difficult access to commitment should be addressed. The project includes preparing the staircase, setting up a children's area and renovating and securing the room - which can now be done with the prize money of 10,000 euros.

Do you already have ideas for further, upcoming, different competitions, calls for funding or the same participation competition again?

Or other approaches to make our unaffordable country even more beautiful?

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Best regards!

Your ENO structural development task force