German Red Cross Children's and Youth Home Swiss Quarter

For children and young people in Osterholz

The children's and youth center in the Swiss Quarter offers children aged 8 to 12 a place of community and an "island of relaxation" on the playhouse side and young people aged 12 to 21 on the youth center side. Here, the little ones and the older ones can relax, chill out, have fun, meet up, play, be creative, work on schoolwork or prepare for their apprenticeship, cook, or (co-)plan and implement activities, projects, and excursions.

The children's and youth center promotes the social and creative development of young people between the ages of 8 and 21 and offers them an attractive alternative to meeting places on the street or other public spaces in the neighborhood. The center's guiding principle is "Open Door." This means that everyone is welcome to participate and be involved during opening hours – regardless of gender, origin, language, beliefs, or religious or political views. Of course, there are still rules for interacting with others and our young visitors – these are established collaboratively in an ongoing process and discussed regularly. Mutual respect and non-violence play a crucial role.

We particularly promote social skills such as tolerance, respect, solidarity, teamwork, and a willingness to solve problems and conflicts. Our curriculum focuses on the topics of inclusion, participation, interculturality and migration, creativity, physical activity, sustainability and mobility, as well as gender-specific work with girls and boys.

Homework help

Funded through WiN (Living in Neighborhood) grants, a homework support program was established. The "learning time" takes place on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 3:30 pm to 6:00 pm in the children's area/gaming room, supervised by a dedicated specialist.

Rooms, offers and promotions

The existing facilities (a large communal kitchen, three rooms on the youth center side, one large room and one smaller room in the playhouse, and an office including three storage rooms) offer space for approximately 40-60 regular visitors. The playhouse provides a large, bright playroom on two floors. Here, various toys, books, and board games are available, as well as opportunities for creative activities like crafting and painting. The second room in the playhouse offers a console with child-friendly games (Nintendo Wii) and provides space for individual support (e.g., homework help) and group activities.

The youth center features a new creative/workshop space, a common room with a sofa and exercise area, and a chill-out room with a pool table where you can also play games. We also offer laptops for working on school projects or internship reports, homework, job applications, and research. Table tennis, foosball, and darts round out the activities on offer.

In addition, the large outdoor area with seating, a playground for the kids, a large garden at the youth center and a new football pitch with calisthenics equipment (since 2020) can be used around the clock.

Cooperations and project groups

Project collaborations involving professionals exist at the youth center with the Bremen Child and Youth Welfare Association (KJHV) and Vaja – Streetwork Bremen. Every second Friday morning of the month, the German Red Cross's "HIPPY" project takes place in our large communal kitchen. It supports mothers with a migration background and their preschool-aged children in preparing for starting school. The youth center in Schweizer ¼ also opens its doors once a year to the 7th grade students from schools in Bremen East as part of a neighborhood rally for the surrounding schools.