Youth Prize of the City of Hof 2023 awarded
Every year, the Youth Prize for voluntary work by and with young people is awarded under the motto "Youth active for Hof". The Youth Award for the year 2023 was presented at the most recent city council meeting. "The award winners prove that there are active and committed young people in Hof who are concerned about our city, our environment and our society and who really get stuck in with a lot of imagination and their own ideas," says Mayor Eva Döhla.
1st prize: Pioneers of Tomorrow
The first prize of the City of Hof Youth Award comes with a non-cash prize of €700 and is awarded to "The Pioneers of Tomorrow".
The "Pioneers of Tomorrow" are an association of young people who are committed to the Hof station district. Since May 2023, they have launched a wide variety of projects and measures with three main objectives:
Young people in the station district should feel heard. The "Pioneers of Tomorrow" act as a mouthpiece and advocate for young people's needs and concerns. With targeted activities such as a youth event in Wittelsbacher Park, a youth open-air cinema and a youth disco, they create cultural encounters for young people in the station district. Because young people need cultural diversity.
With all these measures, the "Pioneers of Tomorrow" also want to make a statement: Their station district is a great place to live. And these special facets should be brought more into the public eye.
And a lot has already happened again in 2024: The "Pioneers of Tomorrow" have created a great place to feel good with the new youth café in the Q youth center. They launched a garbage collection campaign on Sunday, April 21. The jury also found this commitment to the station district and its young residents extremely remarkable and therefore deserved special recognition.
2nd prize: Fridays for Future
The second prize of the Youth Award of the City of Hof is associated with a non-cash prize of €400 and is awarded to the Fridays for Future local group in Hof.
The "Fridays for Future" local group in Hof has been campaigning for climate justice in a local and global context for almost five years now. The young members are fighting for a future worth living. Because children and young people should have prospects. The group is committed to this with various measures and campaigns: During various waste collection campaigns, countless cigarette butts have come to the attention of the "Fridays for Future" local group in Hof. The 7,000 harmful substances contained in them pollute the environment, poison animals and contaminate water. The local group tackled the problem with several measures: In cooperation with the city marketing department, pocket ashtrays were distributed to the population. With the help of the city of Hof, the warning fine was increased from 20 to 55 euros and public ashtrays are now located in particularly affected areas. The group would like to draw attention to the problem in further litter collection campaigns and raise public awareness in the long term.
The jury praised the multi-faceted problem-solving strategies of the "Fridays for Future" local group in Hof, which acts completely independently and autonomously.
3rd prize: "Live Democracy!" youth forum
The third prize of the Youth Award of the City of Hof is associated with a non-cash prize of 300 euros and is awarded to the "Demokratie leben!" youth forum.
The youth forum of the Stadtjugendring Hof is committed to promoting democracy. A youth fund of 10,000 euros is available each year as part of the Partnership for Democracy in order to realize corresponding campaigns or events. The members of the youth forum decide how much is used. The funding benefits innovative projects by young people in the city. However, the Youth Forum also promotes democracy through its own campaigns and events: a truly mammoth project is currently in the planning phase. On June 29, 2024, a Christopher Street Day will take place in Hof for the first time under the patronage of Mayor Eva Döhla. The project idea was born in the youth forum, with the aim of giving visibility to queer life and sending a clear signal against discrimination and exclusion.
The jury would also like to support this commitment to freedom, equality and respect and send a signal for our democratic values with the award.
Special prize: PTSV-Hof judo department
Two special prizes worth 200 euros will also be awarded this year. One of them goes to the judo department of PTSV-Hof.
The department has a proud 160 members. The great success of the department can also be attributed to the club's fantastic youth work. In addition to martial arts training, the main focus is on togetherness: values such as mindfulness, discipline and dealing with one's own feelings are practiced.
The youth organization also has a lot to offer beyond training on the mat: cinema visits, trips to theme parks and judo safaris are just some of the wide range of leisure activities on offer. Community is very important here.
Special prize: PTSV-Hof volleyball department
The volleyball department of PTSV-Hof also receives this year's special prize.
The volleyball department is the second PTSV-Hof department to receive an award this year. Team sports are all about working together as a team. And this is precisely the strength of the department, because the promotion of team spirit starts with the youngest children. The ball games group is all about fun and games in the community, and there is also a wide range of activities for youngsters.
The carnival tournaments and celebrations in the annual cycle are particularly popular. The jury was also impressed by the many years of continuous work by the PTSV-Hof volleyball department.