Successful press work by the SHG Niederrhein

Arie Knipscheer, as published in Alpha1 Journal 1-2018

My name is Arie Knipscheer. I am 60 years old and, together with Heinz Rickert, I lead the Lower Rhine self-help group. Heinz Rickert took over the group after Rudolf Geerts' death in 2007; Gernot Baier approached me shortly afterward to ask if I would be willing to take over as his deputy. Rudi Geerts made invaluable contributions to Alpha1 Germany and had already built up a substantial group and network by 1995. Unfortunately, many group members have since passed away, so we are constantly trying to recruit new Alphas for the Lower Rhine group. Sadly, we have only had limited success so far. In the spring of last year, I took the opportunity at a political event to contact the editor-in-chief of the Neue RuhrZeitung (NRZ) in Duisburg. I simply approached her at the end of the event and asked if she would be interested in an article about a rare genetic disorder. Surprisingly, she showed great interest, and so the article with the sensational title "The treacherous legacy of the Norsemen" appeared on June 22, 2017, both in the local section of the Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung (WAZ) and in the NRZ.

Furthermore, I took the opportunity at a kickoff event for the Duisburg project "Air Quality Network – Measuring Particulate Matter Yourself" to make contact with the editor from SAT1 who was present. This project aims to find citizens who will build a particulate matter measuring device at their own expense, but under expert guidance.

Duisburg launches air quality network

(A video clip of me assembling the measuring device can be seen roughly in the middle of the page)

This way, a close-knit network for clean air can be created. Because of my lung condition, I was immediately enthusiastic about this idea and participated. Incidentally, the Sat.1 editor was looking for a candidate to follow during the project. At the end of the kickoff event, I went up to him with my oxygen tank and said, "I'm your candidate!" A few weeks later, a film crew came to my house, and the following clip was filmed:

www.sat1nrw.de/aktuell/duisburg-bewohner-installieren-feinstaub-messstation-178887

The activities mentioned were very exciting and enjoyable for me. As mentioned at the beginning, unfortunately, they didn't bring the desired results. However, we will continue to launch further initiatives to attract new members. Only with a sufficiently large group can we organize additional activities, such as lectures by instructors. The Lower Rhine group meets every two months in a relaxed atmosphere at the lovely Cafe Museum, centrally located in Duisburg. We welcome every new member.

Arie Knipscheer, as published in Alpha1 Journal 1-2018.