Under the motto “City in miniature”, the young “citizens” between the ages of six and twelve experienced first-hand what it means to live and work in a city. With their own currency, the Äsch, self-elected mayors and daily “Tagesschau” (news), they were offered a week’s holiday full of education and fun.
Bank, post office and businesses
The children’s play town consists of seven businesses: a bank, a cocktail and juice bar, the post office with the newspaper office, the town hall, a tailor’s shop that is also used as an art studio and a carpenter’s shop. There is also a large general tent in the middle of the square where the latest announcements are posted. Twelve children work in each business, supervised by three adults.
What is special about the children’s play city is the realistic design of urban life. “It is a piece of political education in a colorful and fun holiday spectacle,” explains Dorothea Roth from the municipal and preventive youth work in the Miltenberg district office.
Yannick Hornich, her colleague, adds that through the products produced and services offered, the children not only learn something about work and the economy, but also understand how a community actually works. “They have their own currency, the ‘Äschischer’, earn their own money and use it to pay for their purchases, taxes and even pension contributions,” explains Hornich.
Mayors elected
A highlight of the week was the election of the two mayors, Greta Schröder (10) from Streit and Anna Hartmann (10) from Mechenhard. The election was exciting and ended with a narrow majority of 37 to 34 votes. But not everyone is happy. Many boys are calling for a football club, while the girls have drawn up a list of various sports activities such as table tennis, skipping and basketball. The boys’ dissatisfaction could even lead to the mayors being ousted if their demands are not met.
Every morning the children start their day in a large circle where the daily routine is discussed. They then go to their companies, where they are supervised by their supervisors. Johann Völker from Eschau, for example, works in the bank and Lisa Banfi from Kleinwallstadt works in the juice bar (see box). Next door, Emely, Cheyenne, Ina, Zoe and Annabelle work in the newspaper “Eschauer Meilenstein” under the supervision of Amelie. They prepare interviews, write articles and publish breaking news. One particularly exciting piece of news was the discovery of counterfeit money, which was immediately broadcast on the midday radio. All companies were asked to report to the newspaper if they found any suspicious-looking notes.
Only girls work in the tailoring and art studio. Emely, Anna, Giuliana, Paula, Elli, Zoe, Lena, Lisa and Yve are creatively active there. They make items such as buttons with names on them or paint pictures and make picture frames. They are supervised by Muriel and Hannah.
Big closing event
A special event was the visit of the real mayor of Eschau, Gerhard Rüth (CSU). He congratulated the newly elected mayors Anna Hartmann and Greta Schröder and praised the children’s commitment. Rüth reported that Eschau was awarded the contract for the joint project at the beginning of the year and made the area available free of charge. “It is impressive to see how committed and creative the children are in shaping their town,” said Rüth. The children’s play town ends on Friday with a big closing event to which parents are also invited. They can then admire their children’s work and experience the atmosphere of the small town. Until then, it will be exciting to see whether the mayors can hold on to their positions and how life in the children’s play town develops.
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Background: Actors in the children’s play city
Johann Völker (11) from Eschau is an employee at the Eschau bank in the children’s play town. He has a responsible position there, as he is responsible for managing the Aeschisch currency. “We have customers who want to withdraw money. I wrote down their names and paid out the money,” says Johann.
Lisa Banfi (13) from Kleinwallstadt works in the juice bar in the children’s play city. She mixes non-alcoholic cocktails such as Kiba (cherry and banana juice) or Florida (pineapple, passion fruit and orange juice). She states: “The most popular cocktail is the Florida cocktail.” ()
