Young people gather at the Enerergeticon in Alsdorf. They are all dressed up. Today is a very special day for her. The Sports Youth Service Award is being presented for the first time by the regional sports associations under the motto ‘Youth in Motion’. The winners are between 14 and 27 years old. The sports youth is the main character of the award ceremony.
Every week, 12 young people, whether students, trainees, students or already working, invest countless hours in their hobbies. They participate in sports, work with children and young people, and do all this for free. “With the Volunteer Award, we want to show our gratitude and appreciation to the dedicated young people,” says Namik Luffy. He is the youth chairman of the sports youth organization, a division of the Aachen Regional Sports Association.
Edda Welter is the youngest winner. She is only 15 years old and goes to school. She coaches her colleagues in volleyball. Mutual respect is very important. Photo: Tom Wyan Becker
Luffy and his adjutant, Kathrin Houben, are experts when it comes to young volunteers. For them, the award ceremony is a matter of the heart. In addition to their volunteer work with youth sports teams, they are both involved in clubs. Luffy is in DLRG Stolberg and Kathrin Houben is involved in church youth activities. They played a major role in organizing the award ceremony.
It took almost a year and a half to plan the event. “We had to book rooms, provide food, hire a photographer. We didn’t know much about the event. “It wasn’t that easy!” says Lupi. Volunteers could apply for prizes in advance. A total of 36 young people registered. The city’s regional council, the local sports association, the community sports association and of course the sports youth committee selected the 12 winners. Each of them received €300.
The youngest winner is Edda Welter. At 15, she is the coach of the Stolberg Gymnastics Community Volleyball Junior Team. “When I first heard about the award, I was surprised. It’s nice that there is something like this. Volunteer awards are rare.” Edda is currently in grade 11. She often stays at school until the afternoon. This makes her volunteer work even more difficult.
Winners
Only volunteers from urban areas other than Aachen are eligible to receive the award. Regiosportbund cannot be held responsible for this. A total of 11 young volunteers received the award. One of the winners was unable to attend the event. Unfortunately, the award was not given.
Ben Alders (20) In 1952 he was honored for his contributions to the Roetgen Chess Club.
Julian Homme (19) Originally from Stolberg, he is involved in youth activities at SV Breinig Breinigerberg.
Aliza Jablonska (20) She plays volleyball for the Stolberg gymnastics community. She also coaches two teams there.
Eva Murer (17) She is part of the youth committee of the DLRG OG Weisweiler. Among other things, she gives swimming lessons and is also involved in the water rescue service.
Miguel Ripper (18) F Youth trains at Eschweiler SG handball.
Julian Heeren (21) He was awarded for his volunteer work at DJK Armada Euchen-Würselen. He coaches the youth athletics team.
Celine Jordan (23) She lives in Cologne. She came to Aachen specifically to give dance courses at TSC Gold Aachen.
Robin Klinger (27) 1. Trains the E1 team at JFC Alsdorf. He also plays for the senior team.
Sandra Meyer (23) Trainer and judge for the Bardenberg 1892 gymnastics community.
Lena Rice (21) Volunteer providing ball and movement courses at TABALiNGO Sport & Kultur Integration.
Eda Welter (15) Awarded for her dedication to the Stolberg Gymnastics Community Volleyball Youth Team.
How does a 15-year-old actually become a trainer? “I started playing volleyball five years ago and it was really exciting. I wanted to motivate other kids and teenagers to take up the sport. I did that,” she says with a laugh. She trains kids between the ages of 11 and 15. Does she hear that from people her age? “Mutual respect is very important. There needs to be trust between the student and the trainer. Then you’ll be successful!”
The idea of creating an award for young volunteers came to the youth sports community early last year. “There are already funding programs for volunteers in urban areas, but they apply to all volunteers, not just those in sports. There was still some money left, so we came up with the idea of honoring young people in sports,” says Luffy. “We want to use this award to raise more awareness of the dedicated young people. Their dedication is not self-evident. They sacrifice a lot of time in their daily lives. They are rarely rewarded for it,” says Houben.
Ben Alders also won an award. He is the president of the chess club 1952 Roetgen. The 20-year-old has been playing the puzzle game since he was five. He is one of the youngest in the club, but he was elected to the board. “We are a small club. It is always difficult to find members. Especially because of Corona, the number of members has decreased and people have switched to online chess,” he said.
Ben Alders received an award for his contribution to the Roetgen Chess Club in 1952. The 300 euros he received was also a financial aid. He does not consider volunteering as work, but rather as a hobby. Photo: Tom Wyan Becker
A club member nominated him for the award. Ben is studying physics. How does he juggle all this? “It’s hard, especially when you’re studying something like physics.” He has set up a training session with the club on Tuesdays. That takes him four hours. “I believe in prioritizing in life. “My hobbies are as important to me as my studies, and everyone studies four hours a week,” he says.
Robin Klinger has been training the team since he was a child.
There will be another award ceremony next year, and Namik Lupi hopes more volunteers will receive prize money by then.
