User:Kanelboller05/AktionMensch

Logo

The Aktion Mensch ("Mensch" roughly translated as "people") registered association (up to 1st of March 2000: „Aktion Sorgenkind“, Sorgenkind can be translated as "children in need") is a German social organisation which was formed on the initiative of the ZDF, a German television channel, in 1964 and is financed from the Lottery. The organisation supports inclusion, which may be defined as equality for all in the community.

The headquarters of the charitable organisation is in Mainz, the service centre is in Bonn. The registered association has seven members. In addition to the ZDF, the following six welfare organisations are also included: Arbeiterwohlfahrt (Workers' Welfare Association (AWO)), Deutscher Caritasverband, German Red Cross, Diaconal Charity of the German Evangelical Church, Deutscher Paritätischer Wohlfahrtsverband (German Parity Welfare Organisation) and the Zentralwohlfahrtsstelle der Juden in Deutschland (German Central Jewish Welfare Office).

4.6 million people regularly participate in the lottery run by "Aktion Mensch", which supports up to 1000 projects for people with disabilities, children and adolescents every month. It is the largest lottery in Germany. Since the foundation of the association, it has contributed over 3.7 billion euros to various projects (status as of 2015).

History

Hans Mohl (1928-1998), a ZDF journalist and long-time presenter of the ZDF show Gesundheitsmagazin Praxis (") (first aired on 3rd January 1964), founded the charitable organisation after the Contergan Scandal had inspired him to host a relief action. The sleeping pill had caused fetuses to develop birth defects. Subsequent public pressure resulted in Contergan being withdrawn from the market in 1961. From 1957 on, a total of 5000 Contergan children were born in West Germany. Extensive coverage in news media resulted in great public interest which permanently removed the taboo surrounding the issue of disability. Thus, disability was no longer considered merely a private or individual fate, but also a challenge for the whole community. The lottery was initiated by Mohl in order to improve the quality of life for disabled children.

ZDF supports this endeavour by regularly broadcasting TV shows promoting the association and conducting the lottery. The revenue helps finance projects and is augmented by charitable donations. The TV show Vergißmeinnicht ("forget-me-not"; hosted by Peter Frankenfeld) ran from 1964 to 1970, followed by the two successor formats Drei mal Neun ("three times nine"; from 1970 to 1974) and Der Große Preis ("Grand Prix"; from 1974 to 1993, both hosted by Wim Thoelke). All shows were a success during this period. But when Der Große Preis failed to arouse public interest with new hosts after Thoelke’s departure in late 1992 the show was ultimately cancelled at the end of 1993. Follow-up formats such as Goldmillion (1995), Das Große Los ("The Jackpot"; from 1996 to 2000), Jede Sekunde zählt ("every second counts"; from 2000 to 2001) and once again Der Große Preis (from 2002 to mid-2003) also failed to repeat the success of previous years and were removed from the broadcast schedule before long. Thomas Gottschalk became involved with Aktion Mensch in October 2003. From January 2012, acting as the new volunteer “ambassador”, Jörg Pilawa announced the lottery winners on ZDF until Rudi Cerne took over in January 2014.

The association’s perspective on disability changed drastically during its Respect-Campaign in 1995: People with a disability were no longer presented as pitiful beneficiaries of charity, but became confident individuals willing to represent their campaign. The main objective was to kick-start a shift in community awareness regarding disability. For this reason, the association’s statutes were expanded to include “clarification” among its most important goals in 1997. Everyone agreed that supporting projects wasn’t enough to raise public awareness of the issue of disability and to trigger general re-evaluation. New campaigns as well as accessible information and a comprehensive message were necessary to gain public attention and reach a larger target audience. The primary purpose was to bridge the gap between their beneficiaries and the audience to strengthen not just tolerance, but the feeling of community.

In 1999, the annual general meeting decided to rename the association “Aktion Mensch”, taking effect on 1st March 2000. This new name was intended to symbolise not only the expanded range of tasks, but also the change in public perspective when dealing with disabled people. On 1st January 2003, the association launched its newly prioritised welfare service for children and teenagers, supporting more than 120 projects with roughly 12 million euros in its initial year. This was planned as a long-term commitment, as young people face increasing difficulties when trying to organise their own lives, whether they are handicapped or not. Furthermore, children’s and young people's welfare service providers don’t have the necessary means to offer adequate programs. In 2014, Aktion Mensch celebrated its 50th anniversary with the slogan “Much achieved, but more to come”, hosting numerous events.

Tasks and Objectives

The main purpose of Aktion Mensch is to support institutions financed by recognised independent social sponsors in the domain of services for people with special needs, as well as to implement and support awareness-raising measures.

— Statute of the Aktion Mensch, 9 June 1999

The commitment towards people with disabilites, children and teenagers is at the heart of Aktion Mensch. It advocates the improvement of their living conditions and actively promotes not only inclusion, but also encourages people with and without disabilites to live together. With its campaigns and initiatives, the association brings the subject of inclusion into the public sphere, demonstrating that diversity is of particular value in our society.

Support

The association supports projects initiated by recognised independent social sponsors but not by individuals or public institutions. The board of trustees decides on the motions submitted on the basis of the funding guidelines of Aktion Mensch, which are published on the association's website. When selecting grant applications, the committee takes into careful consideration that only concepts are chosen which take an innovative approach and also contribute to the practice of inclusion in everyday life. During this process, applications regarding disability welfare, but also children and youth aid are taken into account. The association provides the means for a variety of needs by supporting, for example, integration companies and barrier-free buildings, by transforming big establishments into community-integrated, smaller residential units, by providing more mobility and subsidisation of vehicles, by supporting staff and material costs as well as projects advocating inclusion in leisure and education. Aktion Mensch thereby not only enables complex projects but shows its strength by supporting primarily smaller projects or initiatives.