On the Day of Volunteering (5 December), the Catholic university centers LAKUM Krefeld and Mönchengladbach held their ninth ceremony to distinguish the voluntary commitment of students. The "mitBedacht-Preis" is endowed with a total of 2000 euros.
This year, 19 students from nine out of ten faculties at The Hochschule Niederrhein (HSNR) applied for the award, who are involved in a wide range of voluntary work in various areas of society. The winners were selected by the jury, consisting of swimming Olympian Anne Poleska, Professor Dr. Donja Amirpur (Vice President for University Culture and Diversity at the HSNR) and Achim Eickmeier (former professor at the Faculty of Chemistry).
The award ceremony in the Pax Christi Art Church in Krefeld was opened by Prof. Dr. Gudrun Stockmanns, Vice President for Studies and Teaching Education at the HSNR. In her speech, she paid tribute to the voluntary commitment of the students. In order to keep the tension high among the applications, the award winners only learned of their distinction during the laudation.
First place went to Annika Hoppe, a student at the Faculty of Applied Social Sciences. After a voluntary year in Uganda, she founded the Balilwana e.V. association, which supports education and health projects in East Africa. The jury was impressed by Hoppe's motivation to use her own privileges and her network in Germany to help socially disadvantaged groups in Uganda and Rwanda. The student receives 800 euros in prize money for first place.
Second prize goes to Ramona Franke from the Faculty of Food and Nutrition Sciences. She works on the streets and in social media with "Catcalls of Mönchengladbach" to ensure that women and girls can move around in public spaces without fear. She wants to sensitize society to this issue by marking with chalk on the street the places where women have been sexually harassed in public. She also worked on a project to design beer mats in such a way that they protect against drink spiking. Since May 2024, they have been available free of charge in almost all clubs and bars in Mönchengladbach's old town to protect potential victims from being given knockout drops. The runner-up received 600 euros in prize money.
Third place was shared by Master's students Edda Jabben and Martina Boller from the Faculty of Textile and Clothing Technology, each receiving 300 euros in prize money. Both are involved in the student initiative "Fairquer", which campaigns for greater sustainability in the clothing industry and, for example, raises awareness of the working conditions of textile workers.
"Even though four students were ultimately honored for their volunteer work, we would like to take this Volunteer Day to thank all applicants who make a voluntary contribution to society. Above all, the winners are all those people for whom the students are committed and who voluntarily dedicate their time to volunteering alongside their studies," says Matthias Hakes from LAKUM Krefeld.
The event was accompanied musically by singer Emily Velroyen and guitarist Deniz Yekebas.
