Parents in Dresden are fighting: the future of the Kibo children's club is secured!

Parents in Dresden are fighting: the future of the Kibo children's club is secured!

Last Thursday there was a lot going on in front of the town hall in Dresden. Around a hundred parents and their children gathered to demonstrate for the preservation of the Kibo children's center in Löbtau. They held up hand-painted signs and chanted “All houses remain.” The reason for their protest was the funding cancellation for 2026, which calls into question the future of the popular meeting place. The Kibo, which looks after up to 30 children aged 6 to 14, is an important point of contact for the little ones to meet friends, play, be creative or simply enjoy an afternoon coffee with their parents.

Jenny Kuschrath, one of the committed demonstrators, made it clear how important it is that different social offers are not played off against each other. This was also supported by Alexander Dietze, who expressed understanding for the municipal austerity measures, but at the same time asked why the cuts have to particularly affect children and young people. However, after the protest there was a positive turn: the city's youth committee announced that Kibo would continue to be supported next year. This was a ray of hope for parents fighting for their children's future.

A mixed picture for social projects

Unfortunately, the decision to continue Kibo also comes with a dark side. The Moosmutzelhaus children's center in Löbtau, however, is no longer funded, which seriously endangers its future. Matthias Dietze from the CDU made it clear that not all offers can be maintained in order to secure the financial basis for other projects. The city has budgeted 2.2 million euros annually in addition to the draft budget, but the deficit remains enormous - around five million euros for 2025 and seven million euros for 2026 disappear in the youth welfare planning.

The need to maintain facilities for children and young people in all parts of the city was also emphasized by Hendrik Müller from the SPD, even if this would require significant cuts. Political actors are demanding that child and youth work be given more priority in future budget negotiations. Tina Siebeneicher from the Green Party emphasized that the closures of long-standing facilities that have been operating since the 1990s represent an enormous challenge.

The offers at the Kibo children's meeting point at a glance

But what makes the Kibo so special? The children's meeting, a project of KINDERLAND-Sachsen e.V., offers a wide range of activities. Children can come by without registering to meet new friends, play, be creative, or even cook or bake together. The dedicated team of two social workers and an educator is committed to supporting the children in their development and helping them to discover their own abilities.

• Öffnungszeiten: Montag bis Mittwoch von 14:00 bis 18:00 Uhr, mit offenen Treffs, sowie speziellen Veranstaltungen.
• Regelmäßige Angebote: Elternfrühstück für junge Eltern, Koch- und Backtage und viele kreative Möglichkeiten.
• Räumlichkeiten für Kreativ-, Musik- oder Sportkurse, Feste und Geburtstagsfeiern sowie Informationsabende für Eltern.

An important point: Funding for child, youth and family assistance comes from various sources. In addition to local and federal funding, private foundations and companies can also contribute to improving the children's services in the city. As the blog for the promotion of children and youth projects reports, there are a wide range of opportunities for support that extend nationwide to local communities.

The preservation of the Kibo shows how important civic engagement is and that there are numerous centerpieces for children and young people in Dresden that must not be forgotten.