Young voices echo in Hattingen: Eighty-four aspirations voiced at the Second Youth Congress - Youth Congress issues bold statement in Hattingen
The Youth Congress 2027 in Hattingen is already in the planning stages, and organisers Jusos Hattingen are eager to ensure that the voices of young people continue to shape urban development. The second Youth Congress, held in 2022, saw approximately 900 young participants come together to discuss and formulate concrete proposals for improving their city.
Despite limited information available, it is known that the event resulted in 84 demands covering various topics such as urban development, schools, and expectations for the mayor. These demands likely represent solutions-oriented ideas from young people aiming to influence local policies in Hattingen.
Among the demands, participants advocated for improved security, environmental and animal protection, leisure activities, affordable prices, and better transport connections. For schools, they expressed a desire for shorter lesson times, clean toilets, water dispensers, smaller classes, digital content, and more protection against bullying.
In addition, young people expressed a need for amenities such as more swimming pools, cinemas, bike parks, clean public toilets, retail offerings like Zara, Action, or Rossmann, free Wi-Fi throughout the city, festivals, a 16+ club, more civic education, and support for the mosque community.
From the mayor, young people expect closeness, transparency, modern communication, and concrete implementation of ideas, as well as regular visits to schools. Dominic Zülch, board member of Jusos Hattingen, emphasised the importance of listening to young people's ideas in politics.
Ugur Ince, chairman of Jusos Hattingen and candidate for city and district council, reported that their ideas stand was popular and received feedback beyond the event. He also stated that the Youth Congress should be held annually in the future, with many young people expressing a desire for real co-determination.
Jusos Hattingen plans to hand over the complete list of demands, including concrete implementation proposals, to the city administration, organisers, and local decision-makers. The Youth Congress is organised by Jusos Hattingen, with mayoral candidate Melanie Witte-Lonsing also attending.
While specific details of the 84 demands remain to be confirmed, it is clear that the Hattingen Youth Congress is an important platform for young people to voice their concerns and shape the future of their city.
- The Youth Congress in Hattingen, planned for 2027, will continue to foster discussions on a range of topics including lifestyle, education, politics, general news, fashion-and-beauty, food-and-drink, travel, and self-development.
- Young participants at the Hattingen Youth Congress, such as those in the past, have notably advocated for various amenities like Zara, Action, or Rossmann as part of their retail preferences within the fashion-and-beauty sector.
- During the annual Youth Congress, young people express expectations for their local politicians, including transparency, modern communication, and concrete implementation of ideas in areas like politics, urban development, and education.
- The Hattingen Youth Congress is not only a platform for voicing concerns but also a potential avenue for real co-determination, as young people showed a strong desire for influence in shaping their city's policies and development, encompassing aspects such as lifestyle, education, and politics.
