Mrs. Zacharias, what gives you hope?
For example, the special energy at Werksviertel gives me hope. I’ve been working for the Otto Eckart Foundation for a few months now and was pleasantly surprised by the spirit that prevails here in the neighborhood. From the outside, Werksviertel always looks so cool and colorful. And it is. But once you start talking to people, you realize that there’s more to it than that, that there are a lot of people here who have a special idea of how we want to live, work and go out together. That’s also what makes the district so exciting.
What exactly is the DAY OF HOPE and why does it take place at Werksviertel-Mitte?
Sustainability is a core value of the Werksviertel-Mitte. Together with Jane Goodall, patron of the DAY OF HOPE, we are convinced that the topic of sustainability and how we as humans can live in peace with each other and with all of creation has a lot to do with the climate crisis. Sustainable action will increasingly become a key competence in the coming years. In order to secure our future, the future of our children, we must show the children of this world and those in Munich and Upper Bavaria how to do this with sustainability. This is exactly why the DAY OF HOPE exists.
And what is the best way for us humans to achieve sustainability?
The DAY OF HOPE is a day on which children can actively experience how what they have learned in theory in biology or physics lessons, in local history or science lessons works in practice. We show how expired food can still be used, and the children are allowed to chop it themselves. We use activities such as “Cycling for the climate” to show how much energy it takes to produce energy. We involve the children in discussions and show how a culture of debate can function constructively. There will also be numerous stands from institutions and companies presenting their sustainability perspectives. All program items and exhibitors contribute to the central motif of the DAY OF HOPE: Everyone can make a difference and every step, no matter how small, makes a difference.
The DAY OF HOPE took place for the second time at Werksviertel-Mitte. What future plans do you have for the day?
We want to involve even more cooperation partners in the day in the future and perhaps give the DAY OF HOPE a thematic focus.
What topics do you have in mind?
For example, the topic of inclusion and participation, and I’m not just saying that as the mother of a child with Down’s syndrome. I find it remarkable that many people in our country still think that people with disabilities are a minority issue. It is not. If all organizations representing people with disabilities were to join forces, Germany’s largest party would be formed in one fell swoop. And although this is the case, people with disabilities still remain largely invisible in society. How can that be?
An inclusive band, the Munich-based Route Rockers, performed at the EVENING OF HOPE, which kicked off the DAY OF HOPE the day before at the WERK7theater. People with and without disabilities play together in the band… </strong
…and they got the whole theater dancing and singing along with just two or three songs. That was a very beautiful, almost utopian moment that showed how inclusion should work and, above all, that inclusion can work. I worked in politics for ten years and really enjoyed it. However, what I was and still am shocked by are the forces of inertia, the speed at which we make policy. I have the feeling that I have already achieved more for the issues that are close to my heart in the few months in Werksviertel-Mitte than in the many years before.
Is the DAY OF HOPE actually only aimed at children?
We mainly invite schoolchildren, but welcome anyone who wants to get involved with the topic of sustainability. As I said, everyone can do something. We just have to want to and live it. Against the backdrop of multiple social crises, the DAY OF HOPE is also about charging people with a positive feeling that lasts beyond the day.
More information and background information on the DAY OF HOPE can be found at dayofhope-muenchen.de.
