Colorful festival attracts children to paradise for Children's Day

Under the motto "We make the world the way we like it! 70 years of World Children's Day", a big festival will be celebrated in Jena on 20.09.2024 on Rasenmühleninsel. Children, young people, parents and grandparents are cordially invited to try out the numerous free activities on offer in paradise on this day between 2 pm and 6 pm. More than 40 stands from a wide variety of associations and sponsors invite you to join in, while numerous other groups have organized a varied stage programme.

"A big thank you to everyone who has prepared this fantastic program," said Lord Mayor Dr. Thomas Nitzsche, who will officially open the festival as patron. World Children's Day was introduced in 1954 and has been celebrated regularly with a festival in Jena since 2007. "We would like to thank the city for its support and for allowing us to use the large meadow on Rasenmühleninsel," said Anna Uslowa from Kindersprachbrücke, which has been involved in organizing the children's festival with the Democratic Youth Ring (DJR) for 17 years. According to Uslowa, the event has constantly evolved over the years. The topic of sustainability plays a particularly important role today - the balloons made from biodegradable rubber are just one of many examples.

Gathering knowledge on the topic of children's rights

Strengthening children's rights is an important concern of World Children's Day. Visitors can find out more about this topic not only at the UNICEF stand. Here, anyone interested will also receive a stamp card with which they can take part in a rally on the event grounds. At many different stations, children, parents and grandparents can engage with the topic of children's rights through games, tasks and questions. The stations can be completed in any order and there is a reward at the end for the knowledge gained.

Painting competition for schoolchildren about visions of the future

Jena's schools were also involved in the run-up to the event and teachers were provided with materials on the topic of children's rights. Girls and boys from first to sixth grade were asked to create a picture for the Children's Day poster showing how they imagine their future. More than 100 entries - some of which were created in groups - were submitted to the Democratic Youth Ring. The winning picture will be chosen at an awards ceremony on 20.09.2024, and 15 works will also be awarded special prizes. The young artists will be interviewed about their picture ideas at the award ceremony. All award-winning pictures can be admired in a tent on Children's Day.

Festival aims to attract families from all corners of Jena

"It is particularly important to us that we reach our target groups," emphasized Ira Thiergart from the Klex children's and youth center, which has been supporting World Children's Day in Jena for six years together with the Winzerla leisure store. In order to attract as many families as possible from Lobeda and Winzerla to the Rasenmühleninsel, the festival will be specially advertised in the districts - also in several languages. Joint trips to the event are also planned. "It is also important to us that our offers are barrier-free - the Paradies site is ideal for this," says Thiergart.

International stage program by and for children and young people

Dance, acrobatics, music, puppet theater - the program on stage will be varied and international. Numerous clubs and migrant organizations have prepared performances in which children and young people in particular will present their skills. Cakes, muffins, coffee and vegan hotdogs will also be available on the grounds - the proceeds will be donated to good causes.