Around two months before the local elections, Aachen's children can experience what democratic participation can look like in a special session. On Wednesday, July 9, from 11 a.m. to 12.30 p.m., the special meeting of the Citizens' Forum political committee will take place at the Grenzlandtheater Aachen. All interested Aachen primary school children and their accompanying teachers and specialists are cordially invited to attend the Children's Forum 2025. The focus will be on the ideas and concerns of children, brought in by pupils from various Aachen elementary school.

Mayor Sibylle Keupen emphasizes: "It is particularly important to me that children can also contribute their views. The Children's Forum shows in a wonderful way how young people experience things at an early age: My opinion is important and I can help shape how our city develops."

How does the children's forum work?

From January to March 2025, Aachen's elementary school and institutions were able to submit one proposal each and vote together with the children on which topics were particularly important to them. The five most popular proposals were then dealt with by the city administration - as the basis for the political consultation for this year's Children's Forum.

What moves Aachen's children?

The five selected applications show that children know exactly what they need and what changes are important to them in order to grow up well in their city:

• More mobility for all: children demand free bus travel for all children and young people in the greater Aachen area. They want to gain more independence in everyday life and at the same time make a contribution to climate protection.
• Promoting diversity in sport: We would like to see regular sports days where children can try out new sports such as fencing, climbing or dancing. The aim is to make exercise more fun and to get to know new approaches to sporting activities that go beyond everyday school life.
• More green space for the city: Children want more child-friendly green spaces and play areas in the city, safe places close to nature where they can run around, play and relax.
• Safely to school: An application deals with the installation of a crosswalk in front of an elementary school in the Burtscheid district. The aim is to defuse dangerous situations in morning traffic and make the route to school safer.
• More safety in the school playground: A fall protection surface for the multifunctional field should make playing in the school playground safer and make the school playground an even more attractive place for exercise and socializing.
  

The pupils from the applicant schools will present their proposals in person and contribute their voices directly to the political decision-making process.

The format offers children between the ages of six and twelve a platform to address their wishes directly to local politicians. The aim of the event is to get young people interested in democratic processes at an early age and enable them to play a concrete role in shaping them.

Information on the meeting and the items on the agenda can be found in the Council information system for citizens on the City of Aachen's homepage and at aachen.de/kinderforum.