On Sunday, July 21, 2024the city of Schwäbisch Gmünd and its cooperation partners hosted a special event in the Unipark from 10 am to 3 pm: The "Picnic in the Unipark" as part of the "BIWAQ V - ZEIT (Zeitenwandel - Einheit - Integration - Teilhabe)" project. This was the first time a picnic of this kind was held in Unipark and was well received by the people of Gmünd.
Quite freely according to the Motto "Experience, enjoy, chill out" guests could look forward to a wide-ranging program from actors from Oststadt and Altstadt. Program highlights included the StarkMacherMobil of the youth art school, sponsored by the Baden-Württemberg Foundation, and a boules tournament for young and old. The Staufersaga e.V. was also involved: Gundi Mertens and her Gewandmeisterei team worked with children on site to create a "Patchwork picnic blanket"Gmünd's only sarwürker (chain mail smith) showed his art and Ursel Elrefaey, Hilde Bergander and Grete Thomas held a flea market with all kinds of jewelry and other garment mastery collectibles. Oriental dancer Denise Fürstenau also put her art on display. Christa Bareiß, head of the district work department, explained how local wild plants can be used. As part of the funding project "We shape our commons - local encounters", visitors to the picnic were able to make their own herbal salt or blossom sugar from dried herbs and flowers. The culinary offerings from restaurateurs "Oh Mother" and Sifirbir as well as volunteer cooks were also well received by the guests.
The organizers of the project, Inga Adam (project management BIWAQ V - ZEIT) and Jörg Imle (district coordinator Oststadt) draw a positive balance: "For a first attempt and considering the weather, we are satisfied with the number of participants. The picnic also brought together people from a wide range of socio-economic backgrounds, with or without a history of migration, and raised awareness of the participating restaurateurs' offerings." The city of Schwäbisch Gmünd is one of 47 municipalities nationwide that took part in the fifth funding period of the federal and EU project BIWAQ (Education, Economy, Work in the Neighborhood). In Schwäbisch Gmünd, BIWAQ V - ZEIT is to be implemented from September 1, 2023 to June 30, 2026, primarily in Oststadt, Hardt and Altstadt. The project is being implemented under the leadership of the municipal economic development department in cooperation with the Office for Family and Social Affairs as well as the Gmünd Adult Education Center, the Technical Academy and a.l.s.o. e.V. The "ZEIT" project is funded by the Federal Ministry of Housing, Urban Development and Construction and the European Union via the European Social Fund Plus (ESF Plus) as part of the "BIWAQ V" programme.
