The future hinges on our children

It was way back in the spring of 2003 that Mayor Wolfgang Schuster first formulated the ambitious aim of making Stuttgart the most child-friendly city in Germany. He was moved not so much by a desire to gain an additional accolade in the city ranking, but by the necessity to highlight our dependence on children for the very future survival of the State Capital. Given the process of demographic transformation taking place and the existence of an increasingly ageing population, children are a capital resource whose importance cannot be overestimated. After all, Stuttgart intends to sustain its position as Europe's most successful economic region and to remain at the forefront of an increasingly competitive global marketplace. To do this, it needs well educated, capable and efficient young people who enjoy living and working in the city and who will go on to establish their own families here.
 
Thanks to concentrated efforts in both the social and political arena, Stuttgart has since moved a good deal closer to achieving this ideal. Today, child and family-friendly policies have become a focal issue affecting every area of life, and influencing in particular municipal project and planning policy. 

Powerful lobby for children and families

Alongside Stuttgart's City Council and the municipal Child Welfare Officer Roswitha Wenzl, the Board of Trustees and Support Association for a Child-Friendly Stuttgart as well as the Stuttgart Community Foundation ensure that children and families are supported by a powerful lobby in the Stuttgart region. Efforts are focused on the creation of sustainable, closely meshed networks which effectively prevent any child or youngster from slipping the net through unnoticed. A key role is played by the Stuttgart Education Partnership in this context, which seeks to provide every child with an uninterrupted education biography from their first day at nursery school through to entry into their chosen career.