Press releases

Children have ideas for their city, and the Children’s Forum gives them a voice. This year’s special session of the Citizens’ Forum—the Children’s Forum 2026—will take place on Wednesday, July 15, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Super C at RWTH Aachen (Generali Hall).

The focus is on the ideas and concerns of Aachen elementary school students, who personally present their proposals and engage in dialogue with politicians and government officials. The Children’s Forum provides elementary school-aged children with a platform to voice their wishes directly to local policymakers. The goal of the event is to inspire young people to engage with democratic processes at an early age and to give them the opportunity to actively participate.

What moves Aachen's children?

The four selected proposals highlight the issues that are currently of particular concern to Aachen’s elementary school students, ranging from safe routes to school and greater social interaction to a child-friendly school environment. The specific topics to be discussed at the 2026 Children’s Forum are as follows:

Safe Routes to School for Everyone: The children at Dreieins Elementary School are working to improve traffic safety on Aachen's school routes.

Greater Safety on the Way to School in Richterich: The student council at GGS Richterich has developed specific proposals for improving the route to school around their own school.

A Friendship Bench to Foster Togetherness: The children at KGS Hanbruch would like to have a friendship bench on their school grounds. It is intended to help children connect with one another more easily, make new friends, and strengthen the sense of community at school.

More shade in the schoolyard: The children at Karl-Kuck School would like to have shade installed in their schoolyard. This would provide plenty of shaded areas for playing, resting, and spending time outdoors, even on hot summer days.

How does the children's forum work?

From January through March 2026, elementary schools in Aachen were able to submit their ideas for making Aachen more child-friendly and vote together on which issues were particularly important to them. City staff prepared the four selected proposals as administrative documents, and these now form the basis for political deliberations in the Children’s Forum.

With the Children’s Forum, the City of Aachen is sending a clear message about the importance of youth participation. Children learn that their opinions matter and that they can actively help shape their city. All interested Aachen elementary school students, as well as their accompanying teachers and staff, are cordially invited to attend the 2026 Children’s Forum. For more information, visit aachen.de/kinderforum.