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Falkenhagen calls for youth clubs: community for young and old!
Falkenhagen is planning a multi-generational house for youth and community. Petition shows urgent need for meeting places.
Falkenhagen calls for youth clubs: community for young and old!
A new chapter for young people is about to begin in the Falkenhagen district of the city of Pritzwalk, as the local Jugend- und Dorfleben Falkenhagen association is fighting to build a multi-generational house. The aim of the project is to create a meeting place for young and old that can strengthen the village community and curb the migration of young people. [maz-online] reports that around 460 people have already signed a petition on the OpenPetition platform to support this project.
The need for a permanent meeting place for young people is obvious: since the old youth club was closed, there has been a lack of community offerings. Club chairwoman Sabine Philipp emphasizes that the young people are often isolated due to the lack of options and look farther away for leisure activities. This not only leads to migration, but also weakens the social fabric of Falkenhagen as a whole.
The House of Generations
The focus is on an empty granary in the town center, which is viewed as a suitable property for the planned multi-generational house. With around 200 square meters of usable space, the building has been empty since 2017 - a situation that the local boys are keen to change. During a work assignment, they actively contributed to cleaning the building and showed great interest in its future use. As [openPetition] notes, the “House of Generations” should become a place for children, young people, families and seniors to enable cross-generational encounters.
Mayor Marc Philipp has already expressed hope for a quick solution. In order to legally use the building, a building application for a change of use must be submitted, which, however, entails numerous requirements and planning steps. The 2026 draft budget also includes funds for a feasibility study to examine the potential of the former granary and the associated area.
Strengthen community
The creation of such a meeting place is not only important for Falkenhagen. Studies show that in rural areas, such as those examined in [thuenen], the quality of life and development opportunities are crucial for young people's decision whether to stay or move to larger cities. In Falkenhagen it is also evident that young people often spend their free time alone or consider hiking to larger towns.
The association receives support from the population, but the members reject alternatives such as the North Youth Leisure Center in Pritzwalk, as these would jeopardize their ties to the village. Their demand is clear: an open dialogue at the round table with the city should set the course for the implementation of the project and address the urgent needs of the youth in Falkenhagen.
The current situation shows once again that community meeting places are crucial to creating a sustainable and lively village life. We can only hope that the voices of Falkenhagen residents will soon be heard and that the place will soon become a meeting place for all generations again.