Senior citizens and integration office plan eye-catching actions in the city center

For the International Week against Racism, the senior citizens' office and the integration office of the city of Bocholt have come up with something special: For the coming Thursday, March 17, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., eye-catching actions are planned in Bocholt's city center.

"We want to make people think with our floor newspaper and pithy slogans on our bicycle that we set up in the city center," reported Nina Kremer, head of the senior citizens' office of the city of Bocholt. The seniors' advisory council and the seniors' office, together with the integration council and the integration commissioner, are setting an example against the increasing everyday racism. Bocholt, like many other cities in Germany, belongs to the Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft für Seniorenbüros e.V. (BaS).

"We want to create opportunities for encounters in the city center between younger refugees, people who are on average two generations older, but also with the people of Bocholt of all ages," adds Bruno Wansing, Integration Officer and Managing Director of the Integration Council of the City of Bocholt. BaS's experience shows that this is enriching for both sides, especially since some of the older volunteers have also experienced flight or migration.

Generations-Cultures-Diversity (GenKuVie)

The actions take place in March as part of the "International Weeks against Racism". Organizers of the campaigns are the local senior citizens' offices in cooperation with the integration offices and commissioners as well as the integration councils. The campaign is coordinated by BaS. In this way, BaS is drawing attention to its federal model project "Generations-Cultures-Diversity," in which young and old work together for an open, diverse society.

Further information:
https://www.generationen-kulturen-vielfalt.de/
https://stiftung-gegen-rassismus.de/iwgr

Ellen Edelmann from the senior citizens' office in Bocholt can be contacted by phone on +49 (0) 2871 953-758 or by e-mail at edelmann(at)bocholt(dot)de.

Background

For commitment and participation in old age! BaS is the network of around 450 senior citizens' offices in Germany. Senior citizens' offices promote the voluntary commitment of older people, advocate for a good quality of life and help shape municipal assistance for the elderly.

BaS is committed to a vibrant civil society, among other things with the projects "Alt&Jung - Chancenpatenschaften" and "GenerationenKulturen-Vielfalt". In these projects, older people work together with younger people to promote a
tolerant, diverse and open society.