Since the launch of our project in October 2024, we have been working together with Niedz4Kidz to give children a voice and actively involve them in shaping the future of our commune. Through various workshops with the Cycle 4.1 classes, many ideas and projects have emerged. Now is the perfect time to look back at what has been achieved so far and how these different topics have evolved.

How it all started

After collecting a wide range of ideas with all Cycle 4.1 classes, the Niedz4Kidz team met with four motivated pupils – Kim, Hendrik, Emil and Casper – to further develop these proposals.

Four key topics emerged that were particularly important to the children:

• road safety;
• the “Am Sand” school campus;
• playgrounds in our commune;
• the idea of a children’s café/kiosk.

Here is how these projects progressed ...

Road safety

Road safety is an issue that concerns all of us. Our youngest residents also put a great deal of thought into how safety could be improved on various roads throughout the commune.
Their ideas were incorporated into the “Safe Route to School” project, during which school routes were analysed and the most hazardous locations examined in detail.
Since then, road markings have been renewed in many places, new bollards and signs have been installed, so-called “Berlin cushions” have been added to reduce vehicle speeds, and additional lighting has been installed near pedestrian crossings. These measures help improve visibility for pedestrians and especially for schoolchildren.
These are only a few examples, and many additional improvements are still planned for the months and years ahead.

The “Am Sand” school campus

The “Am Sand” centre is an integral part of everyday life for many residents: we work there, attend school, shop or spend our leisure time there. To adapt this important location to current and future needs, a comprehensive participatory process was launched in 2024 – the first step towards a sustainable enhancement of the site.
The pupils also took part in the process. Under the guidance of two teachers, the children worked together with the Niederanven Youth Centre, youth4planet and Niedz4Kidz to rethink the area surrounding the sports hall and the school.
Through workshops, surveys, interviews and a storytelling film, they developed concrete proposals to make their environment more welcoming, sustainable and better suited to children’s needs.
As part of the “Am Sand Master Plan”, pupils from classes C3.2 to C4.2 were even awarded the LdE Engagement Prize, an excellent recognition of their exemplary commitment.

Playgrounds

The Cycle 4.1 classes of the 2024/25 school year came up with many valuable ideas and suggestions for improving the commune’s playgrounds. As a result, several repairs were carried out during the past year: football goal nets were replaced, swings renewed and trampolines repaired.
Together with the four pupils, a very concrete project was also launched: the redevelopment of the “Um Trenker” playground.
During an initial workshop on site, 25 children discussed and identified what they considered most important for a new playground. They also decided that the playground should have a special theme: “Zoo”, in memory of the former “Sennenger Zoo”.
Very recently, Niedz4Kidz met again with some of these children to review the first proposals for new play equipment and discuss where each element should be placed. The next step is implementation, with construction work expected to begin during the year.

Summer kiosk

This summer, the Youth Centre took another important step towards the idea of a children’s café by organising its Summer Kiosk.
Under the motto “Activities in the rhythm of summer”, a varied programme was offered at the skate park during the summer holidays. Volleyball, pétanque, graffiti and many other activities encouraged movement, creativity and community spirit.
There were also plenty of opportunities to relax, with board games enjoyed over a soft drink or an ice cream. Everyone was welcome, and residents from the CIPA occasionally joined the activities as well.
The Summer Kiosk was a great success, and one thing is certain: this enjoyable leisure activity for young and old alike will not be the last of its kind.

With the aim of involving the youngest residents in our commune in concrete projects, the Niedz4Kidz team recently organised two workshops with the children from Cycle 4.1. While the first workshop was primarily about presenting the N4K concept and the projects they have realised, the pupils were able to sign up for the second workshop themselves. Around 20 motivated pupils recorded their ideas on various topics in different workshops.  One workshop focused on the centre ‘’Am Sand‘’ in order to involve the children in the participation project of the Masterplang ‘’Am Sand‘’.

In November, a meeting was held with four motivated pupils from the primary school to concretise the collected ideas. Their first step was to select from the many great ideas those that seemed most important and particularly urgent to them personally. The following four topics were retained: road safety, the ‘Am Sand’ school campus, playgrounds and a children's café/kiosk. Ideas, wishes, and also specific problems were listed on cards for each topic and together we discussed how these could be presented to the commune council.
We then worked together on the presentation of the projects: cardboard figures provided by the "Zentrum fir politesch Bildung" were painted, written on and decorated with images.

On 13 December, the day had finally come! Slightly nervous, but full of conviction, the four boys were able to present their concerns as the youngest members of our community to the politicians and via livestream even to the people at home. Of course, there were still a few questions to be answered after the presentation, but they were quickly resolved.
In the end, the adults had plenty of praise for their courage and their commitment, they received a big YES for their ideas and the advice to always stick with the projects!

8 photos

Together with the pupils from the school ''Am Sand'', the new Pedibus mascots have been created just in time for the start of the 2023/2024 school year. Abbes, Betty, Chrëscht and Dolly now accompany pupils on their walk to school.

Hot off the press and off to the classes with them! On Wednesday, the 20th of September 2023, the Board of Aldermen visited the school children from Cycle 4.2 from the school "Am Sand" to hand them out - as the first children in the commune - a children's map.

It was the children’s idea to have a children's map made for their commune containing their favourite places. The members of the citizen's team "Niedz4Kidz" took up this idea and contacted the graphic design agency HUMAN MADE to launch this great project.

The children were also involved in the realisation of the map. It is a map by the children for the children from the commune of Niederanven. In July we organised a workshop with the school children from Cycle 4.1 (school year 2022/2023) of the school "Am Sand", during which the children were able to give their input to the agency on how to improve the map. They told us what their favourite places were and what was missing on the map. The suggestions were taken on board and the map was finalised.

The children's map is not to scale, but the "Am Sand" complex, with the school, the Maison Relais, the swimming pool, the CIPA Gréngewald, etc. stands out because of its size. It forms the centre of the map. Around it extends the rest of the commune with the localities of Niederanven, Oberanven, Senningerberg, Senningen, Ernster, Hostert, Ramelange, Waldhaff and Stafelter. The map is self-explanatory and therefore has little text and no legend. So even the youngest children understand what is shown on the map.

It was important to those involved in the project to create a children's map that is suitable for all ages and and with an appealing design for adults. The back of the map contains a text in four languages explaining the initiative of the children's map and introducing Niedz4Kidz.

The first edition was printed with 2,500 copies. In addition to Cycle 4.2, the other children from the school "Am Sand" also received a copy. In addition, the maps are distributed in the Maison Relais and in the Youth Centre. As new families register in the commune, they also receive a map. The map is also displayed on an aluminium DIBOND plate in the school, in the Maison Relais, in the Centre de Loisirs "Loisi" and in the skate park.

Even though the children's map was printed on paper, it is by no means static. As a commune, it was important to us that the map be a living document. In addition to the elements of the map that the agency makes available to us, including for social media and the Commune's website, residents of the commune also have the opportunity to send in their ideas and suggestions by e-mail via [email protected] so that the map can be updated regularly.

The children at the Maison Relais fixed some of the hearts sponsored as part of the "with a lot of heart" campaign to the big tree on the Am Sand roundabout.
You too can become the godfather of a heart: by making a small donation to the Télévie money box, you become the godfather of a heart of your choice. Hearts are available from the Maison Relais or from the commune building.

On 25 February, Niedz4Kidz, the Maison des Jeunes and the Maison Relais invited young people aged 8 to 20 to their first N4K meeting for children and young people. Over a cosy winter barbecue, the youngsters exchanged ideas and thoughts on what could be done for them in the commune.
The discussions were very lively, and there's nothing to stop us getting together again.

During the Tree Week, the proposals made by Lex and Ben Reuter and Jesper Koob in the "Niedz4kidz goes green" competition were put into practice. For example, 3 classes in cycle 3.2 planted Paulownia trees on the lawn of the Syrdall Schwemm swimming pool and on various playgrounds in the commune.
This species of tree can have leaves 30 cm long and 20 cm wide. These trees are expected to provide plenty of shade for children on playgrounds on hot summer days in the future. What's more, a Paulownia tree filters up to five times more CO2 than traditional trees of the same age.
On the same day, Lex, Ben and Jesper planted a Paulownia next to the Syrdall Schwemm swimming pool in the presence of members of Niedz4Kidz.

The winners of the Niedz4Picz photo competition on the theme of "My favourite place in the commune" have been announced:

• Julie's favourite spot is near Findel airport, from where you can see lots of planes.
• Yannick's favourite spot is the Aarnescht, which he can see from his bedroom.