In an open letter, the German Scouting Association Sankt Georg in the Diocese of Essen appeals not to lose sight of child and youth work in the Corona crisis.
(Photo: Pathfinder district Duisburg / Christian Schnaubelt)
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Essen – The German Scouting Association Sankt Georg (DPSG) turns with an open letter Diocesan Association of Essen to state politics. With this, the scouts want to strengthen the situation of the association work of children and young people in times of the corona pandemic and make themselves their mouthpiece. As part of the crisis policy, children and young people have repeatedly been spoken of as the “big losers” of the pandemic in recent weeks. The DPSG agrees. She does not want to relativize the challenges of financially and health-suffering people. But she would like to point out how very many children and young people in particular suffer from the contact restrictions. Studies on the psychological and emotional effects of the pandemic have already shown this.
DPSG demands that politicians noticeably broaden their view of education
Children and young people are dependent on educational offers that are not provided in many families. The association observed with great concern that a lot of thought was being given to opening schools, but that extracurricular education hardly seemed to play a role. The DPSG points out that it is precisely at this point that the work of the 8,000-member church youth association in the Essen diocese must play a role. What happens in the group lessons and in the Don Bosco youth education center in Hagen is more than just a leisure activity. The association demands that politicians noticeably broaden the perspective of education in the debate about necessary infection control measures. It is incomprehensible and cannot be conveyed why school and extracurricular education are assessed with two different standards at this point. Both aspects are important. Many of the people who support society today to an extraordinary extent come from youth association work.
The DPSG emphasizes that broad and existential parts of education also take place outside the school system. With the program “Wir wird Klasse”, for example, which fifth grades perceive in the youth education center, they learned in a playful, experiential way how important it is to function as a community. The experiences also had a positive effect on learning behavior in school, for some they were even fundamental. The program would also reach children from structurally weak contexts.
Don’t just focus on curricula
Knowledge transfer is an indispensable part of society. However, it also included social factors outside of school, at least as equals. The hygiene concepts that groups developed on site in summer met high standards and minimized the risk of infection. It is about much more than “mere fun”, instead about perspectives. The DPSG demands the same for extracurricular offers in youth education centers. School trips with an educational background should be possible again when the schools open. Here too, high hygiene standards would ultimately apply, which made it difficult to understand why there should be a higher risk of infection there.
The DPSG emphasizes that the focus should not be solely on adhering to curricula and achieving the same learning goals as before the pandemic. Otherwise, the social deficits that have arisen in particular are difficult, and perhaps even impossible to catch up. Education is a holistic process that must be observed as such. It is the responsibility of politics not to abandon children, adolescents and young adults now. “Don’t forget this group, whose voice may not always be the loudest, but it is an infinitely important one”, so the urgent appeal.
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