Press releases

On Friday, July 3, Mayor Ulla Griepentrog unveiled the new Children’s Rights Tree at a children’s festival on the Children’s Rights Square at the Depot, as a visible symbol that children’s proposals are becoming a reality in Aachen. More than 70 children from various elementary schools and the local inclusive daycare center “Schikita” accepted the City of Aachen’s invitation to the festival.

The children requested the redesign of the square in one of their first proposals to the City of Aachen’s Children’s Forum. Thanks to this initiative, the children beautified the square at the Depot last year with a colorful bench and a hazelnut tree as a growing symbol of children’s rights. Since then, elementary school students have been able to discuss many other issues with representatives from the city administration and local politics in the Children’s Forum and the Aachen Children’s Parliament (a collaboration between Aachen’s elementary schools and UNICEF Aachen). The City of Aachen has now celebrated this commitment together with the children. In her welcoming remarks, Griepentrog emphasized: “This tree stands for something greater: for the fact that children in Aachen have a say and help shape their community. What began here as an idea in the Children’s Parliament is now growing as a tree right in the heart of our city. A living symbol that children’s proposals are becoming a reality.” With the dedication of the Children’s Rights Tree and the unveiling of an accompanying plaque, the City of Aachen is making children’s rights more visible in a place that was co-designed by the children themselves. Just as the tree grows, so too do the opportunities for participation and the voice of children in Aachen.

To mark the dedication, the children celebrated a festival featuring many hands-on activities organized by the Aachen Municipal Services, the Child Protection Association, various city departments, and UNICEF Aachen. The children were able to water trees themselves using heavy equipment from Stadtbetrieb Aachen, decorate themselves with water tattoos, play on large-scale play structures such as giant Jenga and giant Connect Four, and work together to paint the second concrete bench on the forecourt in bright colors.

The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child requires local governments to take children’s interests seriously and to give them a voice. The City of Aachen’s Children’s Forum, the Aachen Children’s Parliament, and, last but not least, the Children’s Rights Square and its tree show that Aachen is happy to fulfill this obligation.