Not just breaking down barriers, but actually "knocking them down": this is what will happen on Monday, May 5, at the Köhlstraße playground. The visible and symbolic overturning of barriers will be just one of many activities at the open and inclusive children's and youth club, the "CuBi" - Container und Begegnung inklusiv. The project, which is sponsored and supported by the city of Aachen and run by the Lebenshilfe Aachen family support service, opens on Monday.

The "CuBi" is intended to create a low-barrier space for encounters and education in the Unterforst district in order to strengthen inclusive work in the neighborhood. The plan is to create a freely accessible, open meeting point for all children and young people. The red-colored container as a new meeting point on the playground offers many indoor and outdoor play, craft and seating options and can also be used for maintenance.

The Lebenshilfe family support service has applied for funding for the development of the new inclusive meeting place via the city's "Future Forst district perspective". In order to support civic projects with momentum for the district, a disposition fund was set up for the first time in 2024 via the municipal budget. Applications are decided on by the Forst steering group, which is made up of local stakeholders, political representatives and advisory members of the administration. In addition to urban development and social projects from the "Forst district perspective for the future", this has created an additional opportunity for the people of Forst to contribute their own ideas. EUR 10,000 was made available from this fund for the implementation of the "CuBi" project.

The installation was made possible with the support of the city's Neighborhood Management and the City of Aachen's Climate & Environment Department as the department responsible for public playgrounds: a suitable location for the new concept was found on Köhlstraße and made available to the Lebenshilfe family support service. The employees from the green planning and construction department also provided technical support during the installation and coordination of the play container. The next plan is to equip the Köhlstraße playground with several new benches. After that, the focus will shift to the Trierer Straße playground, which is also being redesigned.

The plan is for the "CuBi" to serve as a pilot project for other locations and facilities in the city based on the experiences of Lebenshilfe in Unterforst.

Opening and action day

The date of the container's opening was not chosen in vain. May 5 is the European Day of Protest for People with Disabilities, which is why the playground on Köhlstraße will be used to loudly campaign for inclusion, solidarity and against exclusion. It starts at 3 pm at the "CuBi" with the throwing down of the "barrier wall".