Aspirin Social Award

Support that works

The Aspirin Social Award honors innovative, non-profit social projects in the health sectors in Germany. The Bayer Cares Foundation presents the award for the first time in spring 2010 and then annually from then on.

Eligible to apply are support and consultation services that provide effective help for people. Specific projects that demonstrate verifiably successful management will be supported.

The Aspirin Social Prize carries a sum of EUR 30,000. The overall winner will receive EUR 15,000; the runner-up EUR 10,000 and third place winner EUR 5,000. In addition, an audience prize worth EUR 5,000 will be awarded to the winner of the online voting process.

The three winners of the Aspirin Social Award 2010 will be announced in Berlin on June 7, 2010.

Nominees of the Aspirin Social Award 2010

10 candidates have been short-listed for the final round of the Aspirin Social Award 2010. They made it through a two-stage selection procedure against competitors from across Germany. Key criteria used to assess the entries included their degree of innovation, measurable targets and successful project management, because the nominated and winning projects should serve as models to encourage others to follow suit and set a positive example for social work in the health sector.

Ambulante Sozialpädagogik Charlottenburg e.V. (Berlin): Childminder scheme for children whose parents suffer from mental health problems

Since 2005, the Ambulante Sozialpädagogik Charlottenburg (AMSOC) initiative has been finding voluntary childminders to look after children whose parents suffer from mental health problems. These childminders look after the children at least once a week and one weekend per month and are available whenever the children need someone to talk to, especially in crisis situations affecting the parents. The project aims to provide these young people with an emotionally stable base and to ensure they do not suffer from similar psychological problems. It also takes some of the strain off the ill parents. The some 27 volunteers and three to four full-time project members also hope to use this initiative to draw the attention of the general public and specialists in Berlin to the problems of families affected by these issues. In 2009, the possibility to provide assistance to 13 further volunteer childminders was created and these will now be assigned. In the long term, the organization plans to provide assistance for between 10 and 20 new volunteer childminders each year. Two sponsorship training courses are to be held this year with this goal in mind.

Bunter Kreis Duisburg e.V.: Social-medical aftercare

The Bunter Kreis Duisburg provides support for parents whose children have been ill in hospital. The association helps care for the recovering patient and organizes the daily routine, household tasks and family life. To ease the transition into aftercare and ensure the best possible care at home, project members start their work while the child is still in hospital. The Duisburg-based initiative also provides psycho-social aftercare by talking to everyone involved. Essentially, project members try to help people to help themselves. Bunter Kreis Duisburg was founded in 2004. Each year, the non-profit initiative provides support for some 60 children, young people and their families. In doing so, the project team works closely with a number of different institutions and partners in the region.

Deutscher Kinderhospizverein e.V. (Olpe): Caring for children with terminal illnesses and their families

The Deutscher Kinderhospizverein was founded in 1990 by six families caring for children suffering from terminal illnesses. Today, the association operates throughout Germany. More than 500 volunteers and 36 full-time employees are currently working to provide support and care for children suffering from terminal illnesses and their families. The initiative is also geared towards helping people to help themselves. The association developed a special concept for the work of its own 16 out-patient hospice services for children. The services are tailored closely to the requirements of its target groups, which include the children themselves, their parents, brothers and sisters, and the social environment. Examples include a teacher project to incorporate the topic of “children and death” in the curriculum and a project developed specifically for the siblings of sick children. The association established the first in-patient children’s hospice in Germany in 1998. The Deutsche Kinderhospizakademie (German children’s hospice academy), which operates under the auspices of the Deutscher Kinderhospizverein, also offers around 40 seminars and two conferences for families each year. The long-term goal of the association is to ensure that the work of children’s hospices becomes a central topic in the community and to set up structures in rural and urban regions throughout Germany.

Haltestelle Diakonie – Diakonisches Werk Berlin-Brandenburg-schlesische Oberlausitz e.V.: Support for people with dementia and their families

The Haltestelle Diakonie offers hourly care either in groups or as part of a regular visiting service for people suffering from dementia or mental health problems living at home. Some 15 full-time employees and 450 volunteers are involved in this project in the regional Diakonie stations in Berlin and Brandenburg. Their aim is to maintain the quality of life for people with dementia and to ensure they do not enter care homes prematurely. They also seek to support and take some of the strain off the carers. Services offered by the Haltestelle Diakonie range from exercises and games to reading out loud and storytelling. The project was founded in 2005. Today, a Diakonie station has been set up in every district in Berlin. As a result, over half of the Diakonie stations in Berlin are covered by voluntary work for people with dementia. The project was launched in Brandenburg towards the end of 2007. At present, 11 projects have been established at 13 locations.

Junge Helden e.V.: Information and education about organ donations

The Berlin-based Junge Helden initiative was founded in 2003 with the aim of promoting the use of organ donor cards, particularly among 16 to 35 year olds. The association organizes information events, encourages open dialog and uses modern communication media to draw the public’s attention to this topic. Its primary goal is to encourage young people to focus on this issue early on and to document their choice by carrying an organ donor card so that their organ(s) can be donated to someone requiring a transplant in good time. The initiative is seeking to generate a media presence and reach its target group through a website, a Facebook page and a series of parties organized under the slogan “Ein Club voller Helden” (a club full of heroes). Junge Helden also arranges visits to schools, benefit events and discussion meetings – featuring politicians and physicians, etc. – at companies, clubs and cinemas. The association has around 15 volunteers who have issued more than 10,000 donor cards since it was founded.

Freie Altenarbeit Göttingen e.V.: Care and advice for the elderly

The “Mobile Wohnberatung Südniedersachsen” (mobile care and advice in southern Lower Saxony) project was founded in 2008 as part of the Freie Altenarbeit Göttingen association. The project aims to show elderly people how they can continue to enjoy a healthy lifestyle of their choosing in familiar surroundings. One focus is on equipping their living space to cater for their changing needs as they get older. The association also seeks to promote neighborly support and make the general public more aware of this issue. A mobile consulting service set up to tour public spaces provides advice on organizing homes for the elderly. The consultants also visit people at home to talk about the changes required and to listen to their wishes and concerns. They also provide support for those applying for financial aid from nursing insurance and/or health insurance companies to help fund the necessary changes. The project is headed up by three full-time employees supported by a planning group and a pool of around 40 voluntary consultants. In the first 12 months, “Mobile Wohnberatung Südniedersachsen” ran its mobile advice service at 80 events and has reached around 12,000 people. The employees receive between three and five requests for advice each day. So far, around 20 homes have been adapted to meet age-related requirements. What’s more, 21 voluntary consultants have been trained and several neighborhood initiatives (e.g. in Göttingen and Leineber) have been founded.

Irrsinnig Menschlich e.V.: Schools program for mental health illnesses

“Verrückt? Na und!” (Mad? So what!) is an education program designed to promote psychological well-being at schools inside and outside Germany and to combat prejudice against people with mental health problems. It is geared towards young people aged between 14 and 20 and their teachers. It is based on their experiences of life and lasts for one day. Verein Irsinnig Menschlich e.V. arranges meetings between young people and others who have experienced mental health issues. The aim of this initiative is to change how psychological crises are perceived and to strengthen young people. Teachers also benefit from the services provided by this initiative because it helps them to function in their key position as role model. “Verrückt? Na und!” seeks to boost young people’s confidence, help them take a closer look at their own lives, and to identify and examine prejudices and fears and to tackle them using the resources available for maintaining a healthy balance and recovering from illness. The initiative’s network encompasses around 35 groups inside Germany and two outside who are working with the “Verrückt? Na und!” concept in schools in their region. In this way, the initiative reaches around 15,000 people per year. There are plans to expand the project both nationally and internationally.

Malteser Hilfsdienst e.V. – Migranten Medizin: Medical care for people without health insurance

The Malteser Migranten Medizin (medical care for migrants) service is committed to providing people in need with care. Run by the Malteser Hilfsdienst e.V., this project offers people without a valid resident permit and those without health insurance (such as students, unemployed freelancers, pensioners) with a point of contact and free and anonymous basic medical care. A general practitioner first examines the patients, provides them with the requisite emergency care, e.g. in case of sudden illness, injury or pregnancy, and refers them to specialists or hospitals as necessary. A social worker offers advice on social and legal issues. The project also has access to a limited quantity of drugs, baby food and baby clothes. In 2008, Malteser Migranten Medizin provided help in 462 cases (including multiple cases of treatment). Due to the rise in demand, the project started a second weekly clinic in November 2009.

nestwärme e.V. Deutschland: Help, advice and support for families with seriously ill and handicapped children

The nestwärme e.V. Deutschland initiative, founded in 1999 in Trier, is committed to promoting the acceptance and integration of handicapped, seriously ill and chronically ill children and their families in society. The nestwärme national association and “nestwärme gGmbH” in Saarland and Rhineland-Palatinate provide active help for children and their families. The offering is geared primarily to children aged between 0 and 4 years because disabilities/illnesses often go unnoticed in this age group and/or the families are not provided with sufficient help. nestwärme offers a wide-ranging portfolio divided into consulting, help and communication services. These include, for example, a national hotline, home consulting services, integrative day nurseries, intensive out-patient care for children, public events, and the sale of merchandising for the benefit of the association. The association is mainly active in Germany, but its services also stretch to Switzerland, Austria and Luxembourg. It has a workforce of 80 staff and coordinates a network of more than 1,200 volunteers. nestwärme reaches and helps around 4,500 people a year.

Trauerland e.V.: Grief counseling for children and young people

Trauerland was founded in 1999 and was the first institution in Germany to provide grief counseling for children. The Bremen-based center is still one of only few associations geared towards this target group today. Trauerland provides support for children, young people and their families to help them deal with grief in their own way. Its services include group therapy, individual counseling and crisis intervention – face-to-face, by phone or online. “Trauerland” has now built up a network of around 135 volunteers and six full-time employees in Bremen and – since 2006 – in Oldenburg to close this gap in grief counseling. At present, 11 Trauerland groups in the two cities provide support for around 160 children and young people each month, with between 10 and 12 children, young people and adults receiving individual counseling each week. Individual therapeutic measures are provided each week for around three children.

Information about the Aspirin Social Award are available here (in German).