Playground sponsor
As a playground godparents individuals, groups and organizations are designated, the public or private playgrounds across a longer period of volunteer care and voluntary. Playground sponsors aim on the one hand to maintain and improve the quality of playing conditions and on the other hand to initiate (play) activities on playgrounds.
NRW study
So far, there are hardly any empirical findings on playground sponsors. An exception is a study carried out by the ABA professional association in North Rhine-Westphalia in 2008, in which all cities and municipalities in North Rhine-Westphalia were asked "about the municipal playgrounds and the possible use of voluntary playground sponsors" .
Based on the study, a total of around 2900 voluntarily active playground sponsors can be identified in 71 out of 149 municipalities in North Rhine-Westphalia with their own youth welfare office and in 44 of 248 municipalities without their own youth welfare office. If you include the probably 100 or so playground sponsors who are active in other forms of organization (e.g. housing associations ), you get a good 3,000 playground sponsors (as of the end of 2008). Since several new sponsors were able to organize a number of new sponsors after the survey, around 3,500 can be assumed - based on North Rhine-Westphalia. There are clear differences between the cities in which sponsors are active, for example with regard to the number of playground sponsors in relation to playgrounds.
organization structure
Findings so far show that playground sponsors are mostly individuals. There are also sponsorships in the form of (parent) initiatives, associations and other organizations (e.g. day-care centers). As a rule, playground sponsors work with part of the local administration, such as the youth welfare office , and are supported by full-time employees within the local administration. In some cases, the municipalities have also entrusted the organization of sponsorship projects to independent youth welfare organizations, or independent organizations have initiated the initiation themselves within the framework of civic engagement.
So far there is no model that generally describes the organization and structure of sponsorship projects. Playground sponsors are fundamentally independent in their work organization and are looked after by municipal authorities that deal with children's interests and the maintenance of public playgrounds. An incentive to take on playground sponsorships is the self-interest in enhancing the game situation in the area by the sponsors themselves. In addition, their commitment is rewarded in some form by the cities: be it through financial, personal and / or professional support (for example through annual Expense allowances) and / or through other gestures of recognition (e.g. through thank-you events).
tasks
With regard to the range of tasks of playground sponsors, there is a wide range of content. The following tasks of playground sponsors can be named as examples:
- act as contact persons and intermediaries,
- visit the playground regularly,
- report defective play equipment ,
- Promote understanding and participation in the neighborhood,
- Organize game actions.
In addition, numerous other areas of responsibility can be identified, which, depending on the formulation, set different priorities:
- Commitment to the interests of children,
- Keeping the playground clean
- Example of a tolerant and understanding interaction with one another
- Forwarding and formulation of requests and suggestions
- Integration of people with a migration background
literature
- Christa Burghardt , Rainer Deimel : “What are playground sponsors?”; no place, 2010.
- German Child Protection Association Wuppertal eV / City of Wuppertal; Children, Youth and Family Department; Youth & Leisure Department: leaflet playground sponsors.
- German Child Protection Association Essen eV / City of Essen ; Children's and family office: leaflet playground sponsorships.
- City of Krefeld; Department of Youth and Employment Promotion: leaflet playground sponsor.
- City of Mülheim an der Ruhr ; Office for Children, Youth and School: Information sheet “Playground sponsors in Mülheim an der Ruhr”.
- Nicola Hengst-Gohlke , Anette Windmeisser : Playgrounds need commitment and volunteering. In: Playground @ Landscape; International trade magazine for play, sports and leisure facilities. Bonn, 2012.