Julia Sachse: A year in the city council - between discussion and challenges!

Julia Sachse: A year in the city council - between discussion and challenges!

Julia Sachse, a member of the Torgau city council, has been looking back on a turbulent time in local politics. It belongs to the Social Democratic Party and moved into the city council after the 2024 elections. In her first year, the 35-year-old had to deal with heated debates, in which she often referred to the Basic Law. The overarching discourse was often shaped by fear of strangers and falsehoods. Despite the challenges, Sachse was prepared for this reality and pursues the goal of maintaining and shaping a livable environment for all people in Torgau. Her commitment to local politics is not new, because she was already active in volunteering.

In Germany there are a total of 10,788 mayors, of which almost 60 percent volunteer. These figures come from a study by the Center for Interdisciplinary Regional Research (ZEFIR) of the Ruhr University Bochum, which also examined the framework and challenges for volunteers. As the study shows, the typical volunteer mayor is male, married, over 50 years old and father of children over 14 years. It is striking that only 19 percent of the volunteer mayors are women, which indicates a great gender disaster in these positions.

challenges and tasks in local politics

The large number of volunteers are crucial for political representation in rural and small municipalities, where they act as a contact for citizens, implement local council decisions, promote new projects and protect the independence of the community. According to the study, these mayors spend an average of 20 hours a week with their volunteering, whereby the time required can vary depending on the size of the municipality.

Despite the important role they play, many volunteers are faced with challenges. Over 56 percent find it difficult to reconcile family, main job and volunteering. This is a major problem, especially for women who make a higher proportion of those who find it "very difficult". It is particularly worrying that 55 percent of the volunteers have already gained experience with hostility or hatred in office, which can put additional strain on voluntary work.

The future of voluntary commitment

The survey results also show that only 34 percent of those surveyed are willing to run again. 37 percent remains a certain degree of uncertainty, while 27 percent of those surveyed exclude a new candidacy. Older and female mayors in particular tend to not want to run again. In order to increase the attractiveness of the volunteer, recommendations are made, such as better financial resources and help for mayors who are faced with hostility.

Julia Sachse and others who are active in local politics are not only looking for ways to master these challenges, but also for opportunities to make volunteering more attractive for future generations. The discourse on the difficulties and opportunities in volunteering also remains important for the citizens in order to preserve the political landscape in Germany. In this context, the reports of Saxic , DStGB and Ruhr-Universität Bochum The urgent needs and the potential for voluntary activities.