• Last Saturday, January 11, Mayor Sibylle Keupen welcomed committed citizens of the city to the traditional New Year's reception in the Coronation Hall.
• The Lord Mayor gave the starting signal for registration for the big "Aachen shows commitment" day of action. On May 18, 2025, all associations, initiatives and groups are invited to once again turn the Stadtpark into the stage for Aachen's engagement landscape.
• A varied program with an a cappella choir, a cell phone query by numbers and opinions and cabaret artist Jürgen Becker delighted the 700 guests.

Last Saturday, January 11, Lord Mayor Sibylle Keupen welcomed committed citizens of the city to the traditional New Year's reception in the Coronation Hall. The historic setting was well filled in the morning, with over 700 guests accepting the invitation, including representatives of more than 300 Aachen associations, organizations and initiatives. Under the motto "Together into the future", the event was all about appreciation, exchange and inspiration.

A city society cannot function without voluntary commitment to the community, emphasized the Lord Mayor in her welcoming speech: "Volunteering is particularly important for cohesion and, above all, mutual understanding in society. A functioning community needs people who work independently and voluntarily". She thanked those present for their commitment, which makes Aachen a vibrant city of solidarity. According to the current volunteering atlas, 58 percent of the population are already involved in Aachen and the city region. That is remarkable.

Starting signal for registration "Aachen shows commitment"

The Lord Mayor then gave the starting signal for registration for the big "Aachen shows commitment" day of action: on May 18, 2025, all associations, initiatives and groups are invited to once again turn the Stadtpark into a stage for Aachen's commitment landscape.

Varied program

This was followed by an hour-long program moderated by André Schnitker, put together by the Engagierte und Kooperative Stadt team of the Bürger*innendialog and administrative management department. First, the a cappella choir "Flow" from the Aachen Music School delighted the audience with their songs and created a great atmosphere. Standing ovations prompted the young singers to spontaneously perform an encore. "Very impressive, what a sound experience can be created with just the voice," was the unanimous verdict from the audience.

A cell phone survey not only revealed that 50 percent of those present have been active in voluntary work for over 20 years. The majority would also like to see better funding for their projects and tasks. Many miss the recognition of charitable work. Those present are active in a wide range of organizations, from church and religion to sports, fire departments, bird breeding, art and culture. The guests also answered the question of why they get involved. With a wink, the word "beer" also flashed up on the screen, but the main tenor was that they wanted to make a meaningful contribution to the community and the common good. It was also impressive that a quarter of the guests volunteered hours equivalent to a full-time job. On a scale of 1 (really bad) to 6 (really great), those present rated the appreciation of their own commitment by society and politicians at an average of 3.8. Although this puts them above the NRW average, there is still a need to hear a "thank you" more often.

Finally, surprise guest Jürgen Becker provided humorous food for thought on how to deal with the crisis-ridden future and repeatedly gave examples from voluntary work. He also emphasized how important this commitment is today and for the future. For example, Becker described his own trip to Ukraine as a driver in an aid convoy and the emotional atmosphere in the volunteer team after a successful mission. "The future is always uncertain," he stated and encouraged all those involved to continue to work hard for their cause. He described the acquisition of young volunteers as rather difficult these days. However, he also saw opportunities for new volunteering opportunities to arise as a result of the digital transformation. Overall, the Cologne cabaret artist, who was in the Coronation Hall for the first time, encouraged the guests to have a healthy dose of optimism and, above all, a good dose of humor in order to face the challenges of the future.

Mayor Sibylle Keupen concluded by thanking the popular cabaret artist: "You have enriched us greatly with your thoughts and, above all, encouraged all those present to continue being active," said Keupen, summing up Jürgen Becker's appreciative performance, which also received a standing ovation.

Over drinks and finger food, the 700 or so guests rounded off the reception in a convivial atmosphere. The New Year's reception offered a mixture of appreciation and entertainment and motivated the participants to work together to create a committed and future-oriented urban society.

Further information on engagement in Aachen can be found at www.aachen.de/engagiertinaachen.

Interested parties can find opportunities to become active themselves on the Engagementdirekt platform: www.engagementdirekt.aachen.de.