How a city administration works was what the preschool children of the St. Josef daycare wanted to find out during their visit to the town hall. They learned what an archive does, what can be picked in the town hall garden, and how St. Ingbert looks from above. Mayor Dr. Ulli Meyer not only opened the meeting room but also his office for the kids.
What makes a city a city? How do you speak through the microphone in the council chamber? Why is a lion shown on the St. Ingbert flag? These and a thousand other questions were brought to the town hall by the preschool children of the St. Josef daycare center. When Mayor Dr. Ulli Meyer opened the doors to the large council chamber, the twenty girls and boys stormed the city council seats without restraint. “Hello, hello,” Henry shouted loudly into the microphone. After all, you don’t get the chance to be heard that loudly every day. Educator Karin Feichtner, together with her colleagues, devised a special program for the preschoolers: What is there in the city? In addition to visits to the fire department, police, and other institutions, the children also get to know the town hall.
Susanna Klinkner-Pillong, staff member of the Family, Social Affairs and Integration department, Luisa Hintermeier from the Children and Youth Office, and intern Justine Fry had prepared a special program. In the city council chamber, the children were able to ask the mayor their questions: “What is your favorite food?” Tina asked (Spaghetti Bolognese, was the mayor’s answer) and “What do you like to do?” Jona wanted to know (hiking and watching movies, preferably with my children and my wife). Amira addressed a more political topic with her question: “Are we allowed to rename the street of our daycare to ‘Kita-St.-Josef-Straße’?” – a good opportunity for the mayor to explain the democratic process in a child-friendly way. Then Jona suggested singing the preschool children’s song to the mayor. At “All children learn to read, …” no one could hold back anymore. The children quickly handed over their crafted tulips and then it was off to Ulli Meyer’s office. Here, each child was allowed to sit on his desk chair – a very special honor!
In the meeting room, in the archive, and in the town hall garden
After a short snack break, the group continued to the archive. "In the archive, we keep everything that we as a city do not want to forget. Photos, letters, objects, and much more," explained Peter Klaus, an employee of the city archive, to the children. Looking at photos of children and schools from the 1920s, the children quickly realized what is different today. And the huge rows of shelves with large cranks invited them to play hide and seek. From the basement, they then went up to the fourth floor of the town hall. From here, the children had the perfect view over the city and especially of St. Josef and their daycare center. The city employees continually enlivened the visit with small games, gifts, and exciting stories. A small "refreshment" in front of the large council chamber was also not missing.
“My feet hurt from all the walking,” groaned Elias as he put on his jacket. A day at the town hall is quite exhausting. As a parting gift, master gardener Katrin Gödtel from the Urban Greenery Department invited the children to the town hall garden. “It’s winter, so it looks a bit bleak here at the moment, but there are still some herbs. You’re welcome to pick and eat the peppermint, for example, or make yourself a tea from it,” she explained. In summer, the children want to come back and plant and care for some plants.
Mayor Dr. Ulli Meyer was thrilled by the visit of the daycare children: "These are the citizens of tomorrow. We are very pleased when young people or children from daycares and schools come to the town hall to see how a city and its administration work."
