For 15 francs a month, young people get their own space

High school students can rent group rooms In an old chalet in the middle of the town centre,. The Youth Development project is popular – there is already a waiting list.

Pedro Rocha (13), LeAnn Zimmermann (14) and Lina Berenguer (14) sit on their black sofa, chatting, looking at their phones, laughing. A yellow beanbag, a colourful standing lamp and a mirror on the wall provide some additional comfort in the room. It is the realm of the three young people from Rotkreuz – here they have their own space, can chill out and talk in peace, or watch Netflix or YouTube movies together. "What I like most is that we can be undisturbed when we want to discuss something private," says LeAnn. Her two friends agree with her. "Sometimes we do our homework here," adds Lina. The three attend the upper secondary school in Rotkreuz.

The room of the three young people is located in the old chalet at Meierskappelerstrasse 11, on whose facade the inscription "Mis Heimeli" (my little home) can be seen. From last autumn, the house, which used to house the School Social Work (Schulsozialarbeit), has been divided into five so-called ‘clique rooms’ that groups of young people can rent for 15 francs a month. It is a project of Youth Development (Jugendförderung), which is affiliated to the area of "Generationen und Gesellschaft  (generations and society)" department of the community of Risch.

Project dates back to the Youth Workshop in 2018
Young people from Risch were able to express their wishes at a workshop in 2018. Among other things, there was a demand for more clique rooms. The rooms, which were located in the Civil Protection facility below the Dorfmatt Centre, are now closed. When the chalet, which is located right next to the Waldegg school area, became vacant, the local council decided to create new clique spaces here. A stroke of luck, as Werner Lehmann, Head of the Generationen und Gesellschaft department, finds. "Clique spaces are, so to speak, best practice in youth work," he says.

"Important negotiation processes take place here. Young people learn how to negotiate contracts and rules, and how to keep to them."

A maximum of eight young people, who together form a clique, can rent a room. The offer is aimed at students from the 1st to 3rd upper grades. Depending on the age, the usage times differ. Pedro, LeAnn and Lina are allowed to spend time in the room on weekdays until 8 p.m. at the latest, and on Fridays and Saturdays until 10 p.m.

Photo 1: Pedro Rocha, LeAnn Zimmermann and Lina Berenguer (from left) in their room, which they rent for 15 francs a month.
Photo 2: View of the communal kitchen on the ground floor.
Photo 3: Youth worker Rahel Erni and Werner Lehmann, Head of ‘Generationen und Gesellschaft’, in front of the chalet.
Photo 4: Lina Berenguer, LeAnn Zimmermann and Pedro Rocha (from left) keep their four walls clean.
Photo: Stefan Kaiser (Rotkreuz 5 March 2021)

There is a shared kitchen on the ground floor, and the rooms have a refrigerator and a TV, as well as a sound system. The youngsters can design the rest themselves, for example, one clique has painted a wall in a different colour. Because of the Corona pandemic, the size of the cliques has had to be limited to five people in recent weeks. In principle, every tenant is allowed to invite one other person to the room – but this too is currently restricted due to pandemic.

Perfectly tidy and clean
Each clique has a coach, with whom it is in close contact. Rahel Erni is responsible for the group of three. "The young people follow the rules very well," says the youth worker. The Chalet house rules and the Ämtliplan (plan of the jobs to be done) were worked out together with all five cliques. "This also helps to strengthen the social competence of young people," says Rahel Erni. An inspection on-site shows that the rooms are perfectly tidy and very clean. "We are positively surprised at how tidy the young people are," says Rahel Erni. Problems are addressed openly, because minor rule violations occasionally occur:

"For example, we have to keep drawing the attention of the cliques to the fact that they have to clear up their waste in the rooms, so that it doesn't start to smell."

And: one clique wanted to hold a party on New Year's Eve, without informing those responsible. This had consequences: they had to hand over their keys for a while.

The young people are subject to a probationary period, during which they are not allowed to receive any visitors at all. The agreement for the rent is concluded for two months, and is automatically extended for a further month. According to Rahel Erni, demand is high: "We have a waiting list with currently four cliques." If the corona situation allows, the aim is to set up a double occupancy of the rooms, as Werner Lehmann adds. Additional rooms are not currently planned.

The two experts feel that the Corona period is a challenge for young people. "There’s nowhere they can meet, especially in cold weather," says Lehmann. For these reasons, the opening hours of the Youth Meeting place in the Dorfmatt were greatly expanded and the age limit was lowered: fifth-graders are now allowed into the "Jugi". But no events can take place, and the programme is running "at an austerity level". "We’ll all be happy of course if we can ramp up the offer again," says the department head. "And it would be nice if we could celebrate with all the cliques in the chalet."

The rent is paid from pocket money
Back to the three friends. While a girl clique prepares an instant noodle soup in the communal kitchen, Pedro, LeAnn and Lina listen to music and run the vacuum cleaner through their room. "I had to do some persuasive work with my parents," says Pedro. "But they now think it's a good thing." The three of them carried out a video tour for their parents. "So they know where we are, and don't have to worry," said LeAnn. They pay for the room out of their pocket money. Is there anything they don't like? Lina speaks on behalf of all three: "We think it's a pity that we’re not allowed to stay here overnight."

There’s a lot going on in the clique rooms this Friday evening. Pedro, LeAnn and Lina have decided to get something for dinner in the nearby kebab shop. The atmosphere is relaxed and they’re looking forward to the weekend. They are proud of their retreat and agree: "Especially in winter, it really nice that we can meet here."