Reaching New Heights Together: Climbing for the “Lückenkinder”

This year, we were once again able to expand our partnership with Kindernöte e.V. and support various projects. This time, the focus was on the children in the “Lückenkinder” project. There, about ten boys and girls between the ages of six and ten who have social and emotional challenges meet regularly in two groups, accompanied by a team of two educators who provide the children with reliable guidance and positive role models. The program is designed for children who have difficulty finding their place in a community or forming friendships, who are often home alone, and who face rejection everywhere they go because they or their families are seen as “different.” Because of their family, social, or financial circumstances, these children often experience exclusion. Language barriers can also make it difficult for children from families with a history of migration to feel like they belong. The feeling of not belonging can have a lasting negative impact on self-esteem and lead to aggressive, highly anxious, or withdrawn behavior in children. This can lead to further conflicts among friends, at school, and at home — and the children find themselves increasingly marginalized. The “Lückenkinder” group therefore creates a safe space where children can experience a sense of community, discover their strengths, build self-confidence, and practice their social skills.

To support this valuable work, we were able to make a special recreational activity possible through a donation. Each group went together to a nearby climbing gym a total of six times, for 1.5 hours each time. There, the children were able to try things out and let off some steam, and — under the guidance of their group leaders and the climbing gym’s staff — gain their first experiences with climbing. Through climbing, children can build courage, experience trust, overcome personal limits, and support one another — valuable experiences that strengthen their sense of community. In this way, we provide children with a special recreational activity and the experience of knowing, “I can achieve something — and I belong,” regardless of their families’ financial circumstances.