Thomas menz, a first aid instructor with the bavarian red cross (BRK) in bad kissingen for 15 years, teaches not only first aiders or people waiting for their driver's license how to give first aid to other people and maybe even save their lives. He also goes to schools and kindergartens. A few days ago, boys and girls between the ages of five and ten visited him on the BRK premises in hartmannstrabe. The one and a half dozen children took part in the joint vacation program of the district association of the workers' welfare association (awo) and the generational network in the district of bad kissingen.
A look inside an ambulance
"What can happen with you??", thomas menz wanted to know. Fingers went up quickly. "A wasp sting", "a headspace wound", "a scraped knee", "a
broken arm", "you can fall down the stairs" – the kids came up with quite a few ideas. Menz also showed the children how to put injured people in a stable lateral position without much effort and how to apply bandages. He reminded them that if something worse happens, call the red cross at 112 "and tell the adults".
Of course, they found it particularly exciting to take a look inside a BRK ambulance, whose martin horn was switched on for a short time and made a big noise. Thomas menz told the girls and boys "no one is too small or too young to help". This is the fifth year that the arbeiterwohlfahrt and the multigenerational network have organized this vacation program. For boys and girls, the
the vacations can't be long enough, but it can be a problem for their parents if they don't have anyone to look after them. The target group for this campaign is therefore children whose fathers and mothers have to work during the vacations.
Christine muller had read about such a project in an awo magazine in 2012, she said. She wanted to set up something similar in bad kissingen and teamed up with rosalinde heider, who was then chairwoman of the awo district. Barbara spies is also a member of the organizing team. "A full-day program for the children of working parents is only available here", christine muller noted.
Already participated several times
The exchange was rough when too few children were registered in 2012 and the vacation care had to be cancelled as a result. But that changed the following year, when the advertising for the program began, and since then the childcare has been going very well year after year. Two groups of up to 20 children each, aged between six and ten years, receive
a colorful and varied program is offered for one week at a time. Some children are already permanent guests. One of them has been here for the fifth time, several others two or three times. Some refugee children are also taking part and, as you can easily see, they are integrating perfectly into the group. The parents have to contribute 60 euro per week to the costs of the childcare. When necessary, however, the district office steps in. Some sponsors make financing easier. The city of bad kissingen is supporting the campaign by providing the necessary space at the jukuz (bad kissingen youth center) again this year.
Christine muller and rosalinde heider are primarily responsible for organizing the program, but they also check in on the children from time to time. They are looking forward to the delicious cakes that rosalinde heider bakes for them. The three caregivers who work with the children every day all have a pedagogical background. Jana muller has been with us from the beginning.
Mona halboth and mahmud hassani join in for the first time. In addition, there is lena reinisch, a trainee who wants to get a taste of childcare. The children come every morning from 7.30 o'clock to the jukuz. After the free play time, a joint breakfast and then excursions or other activities, for example handicrafts or soccer, are on the program.
On the road all day
After lunch in the former afz there are again excursions and offers like the already mentioned visit to the red cross. The trips by boat on the saale or the visit to the police are particularly popular. The aschach castle has also been part of the fixed program for years. New is geocaching, an electronic scavenger hunt or treasure hunt. After nine and a half hours, the fathers or mothers pick up their boys and girls, who surely have a lot to tell about what they have experienced during the day.
On friday, 10. August, starting at 4 p.M. This year's children's vacation care of the arbeiterwohlfahrt and the generationen-network will end with a closing party.