Alpha1 Children's and Youth Day 2016: An event for young and old
Author
Alpha1 Germany eV.
71 members and 54 children and young people from all over Germany followed the invitation of Alpha1 Germany and met on November 18th in Düsseldorf.
After extensive preparations, Ms. Wilkens and I were delighted to welcome 71 members and guests, as well as 54 children and young people between four months and 17 years old, to Düsseldorf on November 18th. What a large group – we were thrilled and overwhelmed! Families traveled from all over Germany, Switzerland, and Austria to learn more, get to know each other, reconnect, support one another, and talk with the speakers.
While we adults discussed and talked to each other on Friday after the club's presentation, the children next door had a lot of fun: the younger ones played and made things like small bird feeders, while the older ones were trained in self-defense.
On Saturday, the children and teenagers went on various day trips, which took them to an indoor playground, a zoo, a climbing hall and a laser tag hall.
We adults were free to concentrate fully on the three renowned speakers. Many questions were asked, discussions were stimulated, and helpful tips were given – it was very informative and never boring for a single moment.
And the best part? In the conference room, the children were not only present theoretically – as a topic, so to speak – but right in the middle of things: several parents with their babies and toddlers had enough space in the back of the room to focus on both their little ones and the lectures and discussions.
A special thank you goes to our member Markus Baltensperger! Not only did he record the presentations flawlessly as a sound engineer, but he also delighted us with his singing accompanied by guitar, thus sweetening our breaks.
The weekend was rounded off with pleasant evenings in the restaurant, filled with relaxed and engaging conversations, while groups of cheerful children roamed the hotel together. It was only fitting that the hotel staff later assured me they had been somewhat apprehensive about such a large group of children, but were pleasantly surprised.
Keep it up! See you again in two years. I'm already looking forward to it… Gabi Niethammer
Published in Alpha1 Journal 2/2016.
Overview of the lectures
- Dr. Rüdiger Kardorff: Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency in children and adolescents – an overview from a pediatric perspective
- Dipl.-Psych. Andrea Meiners: What makes our Alpha1 family strong
- Prof. Dr. Bruno Christ: Alpha-1 and the liver – deeper insights and perspectives
