Inclusive open day: Shaping the future together in Adlershof!

Inclusive open day: Shaping the future together in Adlershof!

On Sunday, September 14, 2025, the Treptow-Köpenick district office in Berlin-Adlershof opened its doors for the third open day under the motto “The district office to get involved - inclusive instead of exclusive: Shaping the future together”. From 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., visitors had the opportunity to experience a variety of hands-on activities and information offerings that focused on the concept of inclusion. Admission to this inclusive event was free and was aimed particularly at children and families who wanted to exchange ideas together.

The day included an inclusive sports festival entitled “Together in Motion in Treptow-Köpenick”, which took place in the Merlitzhalle in cooperation with Special Olympics Deutschland in Berlin e.V. and the sports club P.S.V. Olympia Berlin took place. Particular emphasis was placed on promoting lived inclusion, which has become more important in recent years as more and more people with disabilities actively participate in sports.

Diverse program items for all age groups

The program included numerous creative and movement-oriented offerings. These included, for example:

• Kreativangebote wie Siebdruck und das Basteln von Parkbänken
• Bewegungsstationen wie Hüpfburgen und Klettertürme
• Wissens- und Mitmachangebote, darunter ein Kiez-Quiz und interaktive Stationen zu Radtouren
• Gesundheitsstationen, die sich mit Zahnpflege und gesunder Ernährung beschäftigten
• Ein Bühnenprogramm mit Musik und Tanz, gestaltet von der Joseph-Schmidt-Musikschule

An important aspect of the event was the job exhibition, which presented career opportunities in the district office. This initiative aims to make society aware of the need for inclusion and to promote new perspectives in professional life.

Inclusion in sport as a social challenge

The importance of inclusion remains a central theme, not only in education, but especially in sport. Studies show that people with intellectual disabilities improve their athletic skills better when they have support from their families. These findings are supported by the programs of the Special Olympics, which has been promoting inclusive sports activities for years. The organization works to ensure that families become part of the sports community as coaches, fans or volunteers and can thus spread suggestions for inclusion.

An example of this is the “FootballFREUNDE” initiative, which was launched in 2010 and promotes inclusion in football. These programs show how important integrated approaches are to break down barriers in everyday life and promote the social participation of people with disabilities. At the same time, however, structural challenges remain that make full integration difficult.

In Germany, ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is necessary to ensure that people with disabilities can participate in sport on an equal basis. It turns out that only around 13% of students with special educational needs are taught in mainstream schools. This statistic highlights the challenges that exist in both education and sport when it comes to creating an inclusive environment.

Overall, the open day in Treptow-Köpenick shows how important it is to actively live inclusion and to create space for exchange and participation. The event offers a positive outlook on the possibilities that can arise through integrative approaches in society.