Krass (club)

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Krass e. V. (registered as KRASS ) is a non-profit association founded in Düsseldorf in 2009 by the visual artist Claudia Seidensticker to support children and young people from socio-economically disadvantaged families and to integrate refugee children.

history

Due to the consequences of a serious car accident, the club's founder Claudia Seidensticker had to give up painting as a basis for income. She decided to convey art and culture to children and young people. After the establishment in Düsseldorf on October 16, 2009, the first branch opened in March 2010 as part of the social franchising of Krass e. V. in Trier . Under the heading “Krass vor Ort Trier”, measures are being implemented there that benefit the child scholarship holders. Today there are more than 10 locations. Shortly after the association was founded, the associated foundation was also established.

The seat of the association is in Düsseldorf. There are now local branches under the name Krass in Günzburg , Hamburg , Lüneburg , Trier , Stuttgart , Eupen , Athens and Shanghai . Around 150 volunteers initiate, organize and coordinate activities by Krass in the cultural and artistic field. They always work in close collaboration with various artists.

The Culture for Children Foundation was founded in 2010 to consolidate the basic idea . As a pure sponsorship foundation, it supports the social initiative Krass e. V. through the allocation of foundation funds.

tasks and goals

The purpose of the association is to support children and young people between the ages of 6 and 18 in their personality. Krass organizes and finances activities to develop creativity through contact with art and the media (e.g. painting or art schools , music schools , theater communities ), which leads to an increase in self-esteem, self-confidence and the ability to concentrate and thus also to better school grades should. Teamwork, motivation and manual activities are also an integral part of the projects. Through the activities children should learn to recognize themselves, their talents and abilities and to use them in a targeted manner.

Children and young people with a weak socio-economic background should also be able to participate in cultural life. For children from culturally distant families sponsorships are sought for different periods of time. The sponsorships finance various cultural hobbies such as ballet or music lessons.

Since 2009 there have been 108 international projects and programs on 3 continents in a total of 30 countries under Krass eV. 19,500 children and young people attended workshops , 22 sponsored children received permanent scholarships (as of 2019). Participation in the projects is free.

Projects (selection)

The first children's atelier was held on World Children's Day in 2008 under the patronage of the then Family Minister Ursula von der Leyen . Children met here - equipped with 1,000 canvases, 800 brushes and 400 liters of paint - in the Rheinbahn depot in Düsseldorf to create the largest children's studio in the world together. This event resulted in an entry in the Guinness Book of Records . Since 2018 there has been a stationary children's studio in Düsseldorf, where the children are worked on on weekdays.

Under the motto “Children paint their Europe!” (European canvas project Children's Bridge ), children from different European nations brought their ideas on the subject of “Europe” and ideas about the future of Europe onto the canvas. The work of art on an approx. 30 m² "EU canvas" went on a European tour through numerous countries, where children each painted one square meter. It was then presented in 2012 at a vernissage in the European Parliament in Brussels .

To work with the children on site, a "culture mobile" runs several times a week during the months of March to October (subject to the weather conditions) various public places throughout Dusseldorf on, especially in deprived areas .

The association also works on the children's ward and the ward for bone marrow transplants at the Düsseldorf University Hospital . Every week artists make music and paint with the little patients. Krass provides the instruments as well as the various art materials.

In the “Old meets young” project, residents of old people's homes and children from the Liebfrauen daycare center meet in cooperation with the Emmaus parish. Here z. B. Read stories, tell fairy tales and do handicrafts. The aim of this is to overcome the boundaries of the generations, sponsorships are formed and both groups benefit from each other.

In addition, Krass schools offer support in art classes, e.g. B. through joint project work, ideas of cultural institutions as workplaces, insights into artistic production and support in developing the artistic school profile. In addition, the establishment of joint initiatives is encouraged, such as B. Trial days, parent / student patent days, house portraits and public relations.

Krass is committed to the integration of refugee children and gives children and young people between the ages of 4 to 18 years of age the opportunity to develop creatively within thematic brackets, deal with trauma and develop social and personality skills in refugee accommodation every week .

Achievements and Awards

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Our locations. In: KRASS eV Retrieved on November 18, 2019 (German).
  2. ^ Aachener Zeitung: Düsseldorf: Düsseldorfer kids with Guinness world record in the "largest children's studio". Retrieved November 18, 2019 .
  3. ^ Against child poverty eV - The largest children's studio. Retrieved November 18, 2019 .
  4. ↑ Europe canvas project -Kinderbrücke-. Retrieved November 18, 2019 .
  5. ↑ Düsseldorf: KRASS on tour with the Kulturmobil - now also in Garath / News / Düsseldorf / report-d.de - Düsseldorf Internet newspaper. Retrieved November 18, 2019 .
  6. ^ By Birte Vogel: KRASS - art and theater projects for refugee children in Düsseldorf. In: How can I help? August 22, 2015, accessed on November 18, 2019 (German).
  7. ↑ Press archive. In: KRASS eV Retrieved on November 18, 2019 (German).
  8. ↑ Press service of the state capital Düsseldorf: Martinstaler as thanks for volunteer work in 2015. Accessed on November 19, 2019 .