One for allI have to talk
Next Wednesday I will be hosting a live podcast with my boss in the hallowed halls of my master. Does it have to be like that?
Yes. It will be recorded (You can be there, see below) about poverty. About children. About people who have nothing to eat. Children who receive no education, too little love, almost no attention. So, it won’t be sexy, but it’ll definitely be fun. Because we wanted to create a scene that might cause some people to leave their comfort zone temporarily, at least mentally.
A 30-hour RTL fundraising marathon also kicks off this week, which will once again be moderated by my esteemed colleague Wolfram Kons and accompanied by great feelings. This is a big deal. On ntv.de it’s a little smaller, but of course just as impressive.
What you become depends on “where you come from”
Did you know that more than one million children in Germany lack the essential prerequisites for participation in social life and future professional success? For example, they don’t have space to do homework, can’t afford another pair of shoes or a full meal, and rarely participate in recreational activities with their friends. While some people wonder whether they should give their children a new cell phone for Christmas or go on holiday, others are cold in their summer jackets or don’t see the point in getting an education. In Germany, the family situation still has a strong influence on the direction of a child’s life development.
Unicef’s latest report explains that many children and teenagers in Germany feel severe stress. This is also reflected in the sharp increase in physical and psychological complaints, which are now reported by 40 percent of young people.
Show heart
We all love it comfortably, and as I already know from those who defend others – in our case on Wednesday, Sabine Werth from “Tafel” and Bernd Siggelkow from “Arche”, they – for thirty years, by the way – have done nothing but constantly step out of their comfort zone. You only exist for other people.
I was recently in “Arche”, I walked through the city from my cozy district in the west of Berlin for almost an hour and a half to Hellersdorf to see how things were there: Loud. It smells like children’s sweat. It’s more like a multi-purpose hall. But all of them are full of love and devotion, empathy and tackle.
At some point it smells like food, and it gets louder when there are not only little kids there, but also big kids who want to be cool but just want a hug. Or a new winter jacket. Or tips on how to overcome conflict in the family. Or they just want to eat, because for most kids there is no breakfast or hot lunch or someone to serve school sandwiches or make some sandwiches in the evening.
Children deserve better
You see pictures of children sleeping in subway tunnels like I did. There are children in Ukraine who are protecting themselves from Russian bomb attacks. No child grows up like this. I was recently in Africa, and there was also a picture that can only haunt you: cities in front of many cities, getting bigger and bigger. Children in the city beg. Who doesn’t leave your side. If you give something to one child, 20 other children will come. If you don’t give anything to a child, you feel like a pig.
And yes, as I said, many of “our” children do not live well in “our” rich Germany.
The children of this world deserve better. If you have time, come to the Berlin studio on Behrenstrasse and listen to what Sabine Werth and Bernd Siggelkow have to say. Send me an email (sabine.oelmann@ntv.de). There were still a few tickets left when it started promptly at 6 p.m. under the motto: “… you can’t see it in the dark”.
