Civic engagement is a cornerstone of democracy, ensures freedom, creates quality of life and shapes a sense of community. The "Engagierte Stadt" program supports the development of lasting engagement landscapes in cities and municipalities in Germany and promotes cooperation instead of projects. The Engagierte Stadt accompanies local people and organizations on their joint path to strong communities of responsibility.(engagiertestadt.de)
In Aachen, the City of Aachen, Team Engagierte und kooperative Stadt, engagiertinaachen@mail.aachen.de, the RWTH, www.hub.rwth-aachen.de, Kontakt: rri-hub@gdi.rwth-aachen.de and https://www.asta.rwth-aachen.de as well as the Bürgerstiftung Lebensraum have joined forces for this purpose and jointly formulated the following self-image of the Engagierte Stadt Aachen:
In the Engagierte Stadt Aachen, various actors from civil society, politics, administration, business and universities work together to create a democratic, diverse and solidary society in which engagement is actively practiced. We see civic engagement as a central element in the ongoing development of the city's quality of life. For this reason, we would like to encourage and motivate independent projects, particularly through active recognition and appreciative cooperation. To this end, we see coordinated opportunities for participation and the strengthening of long-term, reliable and transparent framework conditions for engagement as essential. A key component of this is equal opportunities and low-threshold access, which enables all Aachen citizens to use their own skills to make the best possible contribution to the common good of the city and a high quality of life. To this end, we support offers in various districts of the city. We see intensive networking and exchange between different stakeholders as essential for sustainable urban development so that it can benefit as much as possible from the resulting diverse synergies. With the aim of pooling and networking existing resources, we want to achieve the best possible added value for all citizens in the interests of the common good and effectiveness.