Everything is getting more expensive: Freising institutions that promote young people are affected by the parents' austerity measures
Created: 07/11/2022, 08:00
By: Manuel Eser
In the Ampertal music school, the hours are now being shortened more frequently.
Symbolic image © MM archive
The costs are exploding in all areas of life: the austerity measures that some parents are forced to take also have an effect on the promotion of children in the Freising district.
Freising
– Children have missed out on a lot of social life due to the corona lockdowns.
Now they seem to be victims of a global crisis again.
Because of the skyrocketing costs in the course of the Russian campaign, parents are apparently also saving on support measures.
There is financial help for people with lower incomes to enable children to participate in society.
"This year is completely weird"
Karin Schlagintweit, head of the music school in Ampertal, cannot specifically prove that parents are currently saving on their children.
"You can only guess carefully," she says.
“We notice indirectly when, for example, lesson times are reduced from 45 to 30 minutes.
Or if parents don't go along with our recommendation to extend lesson times.” Concrete discussions about the respective motives are rare.
Most guardians would also not disclose financial concerns out of shame.
Apparently, the music school already has the worst exitus behind it.
"In the Corona year 2020 we had the big slump," reports Schlagintweit.
After the number of schoolchildren had risen constantly since 2012, it fell rapidly from 600 to 500 during lockdown times. "And this year is completely weird." More than usual we are dealing with children and young people who “quickly start and stop something”.
New registrations for the dance workshop were “more restrained”
The Freising ballet teacher Christina Ashton has registered that the number of new registrations for her dance workshop this autumn was "somewhat more subdued" than normal.
However, she also points out: "We haven't had a normal year for a long time." Keyword: Corona.
She herself had to make a tricky decision: Should she pass on the significantly increased expenses for her studio to her protégés – or not?
"In one case I'll have to bear the costs, in the other case I'll risk deregistration." In the end, she decided on a moderate increase.
"Fortunately, I have a super good customer base, who reacted very kindly to it."
(By the way: everything from the region is now also available in our regular Freising newsletter.)
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Incidentally, says Christina Asthon, parents with lower incomes have the opportunity to receive financial support for their children's leisure activities.
The district office has a fund for this.
Some of her ballet students would also benefit from this help (see box).
DAV Freising is looking for solutions
The Munich Youth Music Foundation offers support for music students.
"It encourages children who are learning an orchestral instrument," explains Schlagintweit.
The prerequisite is that the child has already been at the music school for a year and has received a letter of recommendation from the school management as well as one from the teacher.
"It doesn't have to be a gifted child," Schlagintweit clarifies.
“But it has to study hard and make constant progress.” Between three and nine children at the music school take advantage of this support every year.
The Freisinger section of the German Alpine Club cannot complain about too few offspring.
"We have many more interested parties than we can serve," says Chairman Christian Rester.
The fees at the DAV are "rather socially acceptable," he says.
"But if parents come and say we're not doing well, then we'll find a solution."
A fund that helps families
In order to offer children from socially disadvantaged families the opportunity for social participation, there is a subsidy fund in the Freising district office.
"As part of the benefits from the education and participation package, children and young people up to the age of 18 who receive a social benefit are fundamentally entitled to participate in social and cultural life in the community," explains authority spokesman Robert Stangl.
This means that if parents receive unemployment benefit II or social benefits, such as social assistance, housing benefit and/or child allowance, their children will receive a monthly subsidy of 15 euros.
"The prerequisite is that the beneficiaries actually incur expenses in connection with participation," emphasizes Stangl.
These include the areas of sport, games, culture and socializing.
Leisure time is also subsidized if you contribute 30 euros yourself, explains the spokesman for the authorities.
"Under certain circumstances, the costs for participation in a football camp or equipment, for example, can also be covered."
You can find more current news from the district of Freising at Merkur.de/Freising.
