Rural youth pitches in: 72 hours for a more beautiful Schleswig-Holstein!

Rural youth pitches in: 72 hours for a more beautiful Schleswig-Holstein!

Committed young people in Schleswig-Holstein have once again shown what a collective effort can achieve. As part of the rural youth's **72-hour campaign**, which takes place every four years, young people from all over the state pitch in to implement charitable projects within just three days. Under the motto “Don’t talk for long – get to work” this special initiative started on Thursday at 6 p.m. and runs until Sunday evening. As NDR reports, up to 1,000 young people are active this year and are working on various projects, all aimed at beautifying their communities.

From setting up a bobby car racetrack in a kindergarten to renovating a cycle path to upgrading the market square in Hörnerkirchen - the ideas are as diverse as the groups taking part. The Schleswig-Holstein Rural Youth Association is organizing the campaign, which also includes showcase projects such as the construction of weatherproof huts based on the Scandinavian model. The main goal of these commitments is to create sustainable values ​​in the areas of village renewal, cultural preservation, education and nature conservation. Ultimately, the tasks are designed to suit local conditions and needs.

A strong sense of community

The rural young people only find out their specific tasks at the official opening, which took place in Bargum in the Nordfriesland district. Organizers, including patrons Julia Nissen and Heike Marit, have secured some prominent main sponsors. These include the Sparkasse and Giro Association for Schleswig-Holstein and Rinderzucht Schleswig-Holstein eG, to whom the Landjugend Schleswig-Holstein would also like to thank for their support.

But the 72-hour campaign doesn't just have practical effects. It promotes the voluntary work of young people in rural regions, which, according to a public technical discussion by the Bundestag, is crucial for a sense of community and cohesion in rural areas. Almost 57 percent of the German population lives in rural areas, which creates the need to preserve and redesign these social meeting places.

Exchange and collaboration

Rural youth is an attractive field of activity for many young people and has seen membership growth since Corona. This shows that the combination of voluntary services and social added value is very popular. In addition, the district youth want to continue to draw attention to themselves in the future with innovative projects, such as recycling foil. Farmers have the opportunity to hand in their material until the end of August and thus actively contribute to the sustainability of the campaign.

Finally, it becomes clear that the 72-hour campaign is not just a one-off event, but also a significant step towards strengthening voluntary commitment in Schleswig-Holstein. The rural youth make a valuable contribution to supporting the local community and enable young and old to come together to make their villages even more beautiful.