PingPongParkinson Wolfsburg - Table Tennis for People with Parkinson's Disease
The Sports Division has joined the "PingPongParkinson Deutschland" initiative together with the KISS self-help contact point of the Wolfsburg Paritätischer, the StadtSportBund Wolfsburg and some sports clubs. We would like to give affected people in the Wolfsburg/Gifhorn region the opportunity to play table tennis. The positive aspects of playing ping pong have meanwhile been scientifically proven.
At a kick-off event, which will take place on October 16, 2022 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. in the sports hall of the Käferschule in Reislingen, interested sufferers will have the opportunity to get to know the sport of table tennis and the clubs participating in the campaign in more detail. In addition to trained training staff, medical care is also provided on site in case of emergency.
The 8th Forum Sport and Education deals with the consequences and prevention of lack of physical activity in school children. Prof. Dr. Uwe Tegtbur, Director of the Institute for Sports Medicine at the Hanover Medical School, was invited to give the keynote lecture. Together with his team, he has been supporting elementary school children in the Wolfsburg area with the physical activity concept since 2022 and will report on experiences and initial results.
The forum "REBIRTH active School - a preventive exercise concept for primary school children" will take place on 13.10.2022 in the auditorium of the Neue Schule in Wolfsburg.
Further information about the event:
"Join in - have courage! Ideas for games and exercises for anxious or socially insecure children" was the title of a workshop held recently on the premises of TV Jahn Wolfsburg e. V. as part of the 7th Forum Sport and Education. The sports scientist Dr. Christiane Bohn, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, gave the 30 participants a theoretical introduction to the topic of fear and insecurity in children and how to deal with it in everyday life at school, daycare centers or clubs, with many practical examples to follow.
After a theoretical input on the recognition, causes and handling of fears in children, numerous practical exercises followed, which can be used in the work with children. Games for self-awareness and experiencing one's own body were on the program, as were activities and rituals that strengthen the group feeling, and cooperation tasks as well as role plays to strengthen social-emotional competencies. During "cow shed", "walk the dog", "enchantment" or "car wash", the participants not only learned about suitable play and movement activities, but also reflected on their use and their effects on children of different age groups under the guidance of the lecturer. Dr. Bohn emphasized that many professionals in schools, daycare centers and clubs already have an extensive reservoir of exercises and games at their disposal; it is simply a matter of using them in a more targeted manner for the benefit of the children.
The participants themselves had a lot of fun at the workshop and were able to take home new ideas and easy-to-implement examples for their own practice: "I liked the seminar very much. It was practice-oriented and the theory was conveyed in an understandable way. Also the group size was great to get in contact with everyone and to implement the exercises together. During the various games, I was already thinking about how I could incorporate them into my lessons tomorrow," summarized Merle Gade, a teacher at the Friedrich von Schiller School in Wolfsburg.
Successful workshop for the development of the pool landscape
Development of a sustainable pool concept
On Thursday, members of the municipal sports committee, representatives from clubs and schools, two randomly drawn swimming enthusiasts and the administration "immersed" themselves in a workshop to get things underway for the city of Wolfsburg in cooperation with Professor Dr. Christian Kuhn and Marie Gudorf from the Deutsche Sportstättenbetriebs- und Planungsgesellschaft (DSGB), Herne.
The intensive working meeting began with a detailed presentation of the existing water areas and their use by schools, clubs and the public, as well as a presentation and analysis of visitor numbers. In addition, the structural-technical condition of the outdoor and indoor pools and the general economic conditions for the individual pools were explained. Equipped with this information, the participants were then asked to formulate their ideal ideas for the development of the pool landscape and to compare these with the results of the online survey.
This was followed by further input on content - for example, the competitive situation of Wolfsburg's pools within the region was examined. The need for pools was also discussed in view of the changes in the exercise and leisure behavior of the Wolfsburg population due to Corona and demographic change as well as new trend sports. The cost side was also considered, i.e. the so-called life cycle costs of pools. In the third and final phase of the workshop, the data presented and the ideas formulated were used as a basis for drawing up the most realistic possible ideas on the direction of Wolfsburg's pool landscape for the next 15 to 20 years.
The participants were very satisfied with the results of the workshop, especially since despite the presentations there was enough room to discuss different assessments in depth. The results of the workshop will be summarized in writing in the coming weeks and provided with recommendations for action regarding the future orientation of the Wolfsburg baths. The resulting master plan for the pools will then be presented and discussed in the municipal committees. "It was and is important to all those involved to secure and strengthen swimming as a sport and bathing as a leisure activity and health prevention in Wolfsburg. Together, we have come a good deal closer to this goal, developing new ideas from the wealth of experience of the moderators, but above all from the group of participants themselves. The workshop was therefore almost as refreshing as jumping into cold water and promises a further constructive course of the concept development". sums up Monika Müller, head of the sports department.
The future of volunteering in sports
Once a board member, always a board member. Once a training supervisor, always a training supervisor. What has worked for decades is no longer sustainable today. Although sports are still the biggest player in civil society, with around eight million people involved, commitment is changing and crumbling in one place or another.
The Sports Division and the StadtSportBund Wolfsburg are therefore focusing on the "Future of Volunteering in Sports Clubs" at their next joint event as part of the "Clubs in the Area of Conflict between Tradition and Modernity" series.
At the digital event
on Thursday, 05.05.2022, 17:30 to 19:00,
will first present facts and figures on the development of volunteering in Wolfsburg sports in short presentations. This will be followed by the keynote speech by Prof. Dr. Sebastian Braun from Humboldt University in Berlin. He has been researching and publishing on voluntary and civic involvement in sports as well as in clubs and associations for years. Finally, together with Prof. Braun, ideas for contemporary volunteer engagement and successful integration of volunteers in organized sports will be developed.
Interested parties can register by Monday, 02.05.2022, by email at info@ssb-wolfsburg.de to participate in the event.
Wolfsburg is host city at the Special Olympics World Games 2023
As host town, Wolfsburg will receive an international delegation of athletes and their families from June 12 to 15, 2023. The delegation will get to know the country, the people, the language and regional characteristics.
Part of the concept submitted by Wolfsburg is to use the participation in the 2023 SOWG as a kick-off for more measures around inclusion and to set up a joint annual celebration of inclusion with numerous partner institutions. The Host Towns are to be the starting point for more participation and recognition of people with disabilities. Their visibility and equal participation drives the commitment of cities, towns and counties in regions across the country.
"It is great news that Wolfsburg has been selected as the host town for the Special Olympics World Games," said a delighted Dennis Weilmann, Lord Mayor of the City of Wolfsburg. "Being part of this Germany-wide event and being able to welcome international athletes means a lot to us. It's about going beyond sports to focus on the perception of people with intellectual and multiple disabilities and positioning ourselves as a welcoming city for all people."
"The Special Olympics World Games set a global example for inclusion and participation - we are very grateful to be able to play a part in this," explains Monika Müller, Head of Department for Social Affairs, Health, Clinical Center and Sports. "The networks that are being created will move us forward as a city, give visibility to the issue of participation and bring about positive impulses for our coexistence with and without disabilities."
The Special Olympics World Games themselves will take place in Berlin from June 17 to 25, 2023. Thousands of athletes with intellectual or multiple disabilities will compete in 26 sports and two demonstration sports.
City of Wolfsburg
Sports Division
Rothenfelder Street 14
38440 Wolfsburg
Phone: 05361 28-1822
* nationwide at local rates from the German landline network