Host Town Gathering: Touching Memories Came Alive Again
The Steinmühle hosted representatives from the Hessian host towns, who last week took an emotional look back at the 2023 Special Olympics World Games in Berlin and their respective host town programs. In addition to representatives from the university town of Marburg, one of the host towns, guests from the Hersfeld-Rotenburg district, the city of Neu-Isenburg, Darmstadt, Hanau, Kelkheim, Frankfurt, Wiesbaden, the Vogelsberg district, and Fulda gathered in our school’s forum.
“The numerous videos filmed during the Host Town Days have brought the intense and touching memories of that time back to life,” summarized Luisa Nicklas, project coordinator for Special Olympics Deutschland in Hessen (SOH) e.V. A moving highlight of the event was the interview between SOH basketball and soccer athlete Manuel Fichtner and track and field athlete Annika Meißner. As Team Germany’s first medalist, Annika shared candid reflections on her preparation and experiences at the World Games, while also praising the human element of the entire event: “Friendships were formed here.”
“Proud of Our Inclusive Processes”
In group work sessions, participants then looked ahead to the future, planned projects and initiatives, and gathered ideas for further actions. After lunch together, the conference participants welcomed a special guest: Peter Beuth, Hesse’s Minister of the Interior and Sports. He praised the commitment shown by all parties and provided important impetus for continuing the work on inclusion. As a token of appreciation for their outstanding work in the municipalities, the host towns received a set of World Games medals. Luisa Nicklas: “We are incredibly proud of the inclusive processes created by the Hessian municipalities before, during, and after the World Games, and we look forward to the further measures that will be implemented in the future.”
“Taking on tasks with passion”
Among the Marburg guests at the event was City Councilwoman Kirsten Dinnebier, who also serves as the department head in charge of sports. Silvia Ruppel, president of SOH Germany in Hesse, praised Dinnebier’s “commitment to our causes.” Egon Vaupel, chairman of the Steinmühle School Association and an active networker in the Special Olympics community, also expressed his appreciation to the city councilwoman as well as to Jana Keller, who had taken on her responsibilities within the Marburg Host Town organization with great passion and had also launched a training program for assistant coaches.
Recognition for the Steinmühle
During a group lunch, numerous conference participants expressed their appreciation and respect for the Steinmühle for its campus design—which includes an all-day school, a boarding school, and the grounds—as well as for the fact that it also “takes on special challenges” in terms of its educational content. The Steinmühle, which has also served as an inclusive water sports center in cooperation with blista since July, will continue to uphold this commitment. A unified team, formed before the pandemic, trains at the facility every Monday evening.
