- Award-winning network project helps young people in inner city neighborhoods of Cologne
- arvato Systems employees support Cologne’s ‘Turn 180°’ initiative
Based on his many years of corporate experience, Dr. Manfred Heinen, CEO of arvato Systems S4M GmbH, knows only too well how much innovation, openness to new paths, and establishing a stable network contribute to project success. “It’s great to come across a project in the social sphere that’s operating successfully using this approach,” he says. arvato Systems employees in Cologne wanted to make a special contribution to a social cause. A search got underway to find a recipient for the €2,960 check – a recipient as committed and open as the employees are when it comes to donations.
Cologne’s ‘Turn 180°’ initiative, which has already won an award from the place-branding ‘Germany – Land of Ideas’ initiative, quickly made an impression. The initiative operates in inner city neighborhoods where unemployment, drug abuse, and criminal activity form an everyday part of the lives of young people. The underlying motto is ‘One City, Ten Coaches, and 100 Multipliers.’ Young people and coaches work together to provide programs for adolescents in Cologne in areas such as drug prevention, civil courage, and anti-aggression strategies. They, in turn, can apply this knowledge at home, on the streets, and at school. In this way, they become credible contacts and role models in their neighborhoods and simultaneously expand the network, which can ensure further protection against criminal activity and radicalization.
“The benefits and strengths of our project mainly lie in the fact that it originates from adolescents and young adults: They co-developed it and carry it close to their hearts,” explains Mimoun Berrissoun, project leader and initiator. It’s a cause that arvato Systems’ employees in Cologne are happy to support.
Find more information on the innovative social project at www.180gradwen.de.
