Introduction: Charles Talbot MBE, the founder of Kidderminster and District Youth Trust, was passionate about the Twinning of Kidderminster and Husum, and was instrumental in starting the twinning of the two towns in 1955.

 

It has been a long held aim of the Trust to

reengage with Husum and bring young

people from the two towns together,

linking two of Charle’s amazing legacies

and providing a range of opportunities and

experiences to young people.

 

Thanks to the support of the Kidderminster Husum Twinning Association and kindness of the Mayor of Kidderminster George Connolly, we were able to send two youth workers to Husum to plan for a visit later this year.

 

The Visit:

During a very busy few days in and around Husum, the youth workers were able to risk assess a range of activities, visit potential accommodation and make partnerships which will ensure that the visit by young people will be fun and educational.

 

We met with Mille and Dennis two youth workers

from BISS. Kinder- und Jugendforum der Stadt

Husum, the youth club in Husum. They showed

us around the youth club which had many

similarities to our own.

We discussed issues facing young people and

found there was much in common with those

faced by young people here in Kidderminster,

as well as differences, which would be exciting

to explore and examine with young people.

 

Following the advice of the owners of the accommodation we stayed in, we visited Sankt Peter-Ording a beautiful beach with activities for young people to take part in, including surf lessons, we were excited by the presence of a chip shop, but sadly it was closed for the winter.

 

We saw the Nationalpark-Haus a ‘hub for environmental education, nature conservation coordination and administration

of the SchleswigHolstein Wadden Sea National

Park’ which would provide an excellent opport

unity to learn about the amazing environmental

and conservation work taking place in the area.

 

Husum is an incredibly friendly town and

through conversations with local organisations

and links through BISS we able to identify a

range of other opportunities for young people that we will explore including:

 

A guided tour of The Museumsverbund Nordfriesland, a network of museums in Husum, offering a range of experiences, including living history tours, through which young people will have a chance to learn about the history of Husum and the local area.

 

We visited a local café, bonnie+susi der gute

laden, run by a creative writer, who also

made what she called the ‘second best coffee’

in Husum, we think it was the best we had

whilst we were there. We discussed poetry

and the importance of the twinning of the

towns, and she has offered to run a

German/English creative writing workshop for

the young people when they visit.

 

A visit to the Tourismus GmbH Husum and the friendly team, there provided us with a range of information and maps that we will explore with young people so that they can be fully involved in choosing the places they would like to visit during the trip.

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What Happens Next:

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We are working with a group of young people who have expressed an interest in visiting Husum to identify the activities they want to do and to start the planning process for the visit, which we hope will take place this Summer.

 

Full risk assessments will be completed,

and any travel requirements/obligations

will be fulfilled long in advance of any

planned trip. We have some funds in

place and are looking to build on these

through donations and funding applications.

 

Final Words:

We would like to thank the Mayor of Kidderminster and the Twinning Association for providing us with this opportunity, special mention must go to Hilary Boyle, whose support and encouragement motivated us to make the visit and learn about this wonderful place and the opportunities that could be provided for young people from both countries