They got talking to each other: participants in the \ — © Stadt Bocholt
They got talking to each other: participants in the "Sehnsuchtsorte" project in Bocholt.

19. September 2022Social

Young people and senior citizens photograph favourite places in Bocholt

14 participants from 5 nations take part in the project "Generations, Cultures, Diversity" // Collage is exhibited

Schoolgirls and senior citizens from Bocholt have now gone in search of their favourite and "longing places" in Bocholt and captured them in pictures. Prepared in a collage, the photos will soon be on public display in various places in Bocholt.

The campaign is part of the "Generations, Cultures, Diversity" project, which is funded by the Federal Association of Senior Citizens' Offices and aims to facilitate intergenerational and cross-cultural encounters on the topics of "art and culture". The programme is supported locally by the city of Bocholt together with the associations "Leben im Alter" and "jusina".

14 participants aged between 15 and 72 from five different countries took part, reports Ricarda Leson from jusina e.V.. After getting to know each other briefly, the participants set off in pairs with the camera to their personal "places of longing".

"Places of longing can be very different", says Agnes Wellkamp from the "Leben im Alter" association. "For
some, they are places associated with positive memories of childhood or the past,
and for others, they are places where you like to meet up with friends or where you can find peace and quiet
."

And so the favourite places that were subsequently presented to the group were actually very different. They ranged from places of industrial heritage to leisure facilities and Bocholt landmarks.

Together, the senior citizens reminisced and exchanged numerous anecdotes. The schoolgirls realised how much Bocholt has changed over time. They found the stories from the past fascinating. "In the past, we didn't need an ice rink, there was a disco on the frozen Lake Aa", for example. An experience that is hard to imagine today.

Together, the participants selected the best pictures, which will now be edited as a collage and exhibited at
at various locations in Bocholt.

Bruno Wansing, integration officer for the city of Bocholt: "In Bocholt, we want to promote dialogue between cultures and generations. Projects like this one, where young and old people from different backgrounds and with different life experiences come together, are a small building block in this endeavour."