A heart for the young

 
Ursula and Jörg Huggenberger want to use the Euro Youth Card<26 neben sinnvoller kultur, mobilität, kommunikation und konsum auch werte wie verantwortung toleranz fördern. 
Over 330,000 young people in Switzerland cannot put their money on the wrong card. And every year, Europe's largest "organization for young people" continues to grow and rejuvenate with around 50,000 new members. More than 20,000 are added each year because the under-26s have taken out a youth account with UBS or an insurance policy with MobiJeunes. Thanks to Sunrise or 20 smaller, national partners at Euro<26 mitmachen und profitieren. um was geht es?
"There is a good network of organized youth support in Switzerland. Active young people are involved in this participatory work. At Euro<26 kümmern wir uns um die «passive masse», erklären geschäftsführer ursula und jörg huggenberger. das zielpublikum sind damit «normalos», morgens sieben pflichtbewusst zur arbeit fahren, am weekend ihren verdienten fun haben – aber sonst nicht weiter als pfadfinder täglich gute taten vollbringen oder für höhere weihen bei einer casting-show üben.
The Federal Office of Culture decided in 1985 that "something meaningful" must nevertheless be offered to this consuming majority. The "Year of Youth" was being celebrated, and the European Council of the time had just taken the initiative to introduce a pan-European card for young people. Such passe-partouts for discounted culture were already very popular in Holland and France, for example. With the help of Flavio Cotti, then head of the FDHA, Switzerland became the fourteenth country to join the EYCA (European Youth Card Association) Euro<26 beigetreten. die schweizerische arbeitsgemeinschaft der jugendverbände (sajv) hat das projekt erarbeitet und 1991 in stiftung sfjk überführt.
Jörg Huggenberger, who has been involved in this project since day one, still thinks it's "an extremely rewarding task". In the meantime, together with his wife Ursula and an operating company downstream of the foundation, which can better manage the organization and its risks. "It's like Expo02: the federal government registers a need. Thanks to the private sector, it was later possible to finance the idea," the two explain.
For the companies involved, such as Mobiliar (15 years), Sunrise (10 years) and UBS (3 years), the 15 young employees at the Bern-based Euro<26 office is conducting a kind of «trend research into meaningful everyday support for young people». Without insurance, a young person can quickly get into trouble, and without a bank account, nobody can pay their wages these days. But even with the less obvious necessities of culture and commerce, Euro<26 den jungen konsumenten einen sinnvollen zugang öffnen.
With a promotional team of 250 students, 800 kilos of sunscreen are not only distributed at open-air concerts every year, for example, but also actively applied. This advertising for Nivea is a meaningful campaign against skin cancer under the patronage of the Cancer League. Crest condoms and half a million free notons distributed at concerts also combine advertising with education. The mobile "sans-i-bar" serves free sweet cider from the fruit association, "because it is more effective than simply preaching against alcohol". A further 100,000 "highly coveted party bags" are used at festivals as a container for sampling products that leave virtually no waste behind, as the cool bags are now regarded as collector's items.
"If you want to advertise with us, you have to actively give something back to young people," explains Ursula Huggenberger. Other partners must also be "vitally interested not only in promoting consumption, but also in providing low-threshold prevention".
In return, the employees of Euro<26 für ihre partner – «die wir bewusst nicht sponsoren nennen» die trends kommende entwicklungen zu finden. industrie will am markt vorbei produzieren. «wenn man bei den jungen dabei sein will, muss augen offen behalten», meinen huggenbergers. jede woche einmal tauschen sich «alten» im büro deshalb mit ihren trendscouts aus. diese suchen supermarkt, club oder vor der kinokasse immer wieder ergründen: wie entwickelt bekleidung, das mobilitätsempfinden, qualitätsanspruch freizeitverhalten?
For this special task of market perception around Euro<26 muss überall der begriff «sinnvoll» mitschwingen: sinnvolle kultur generieren, sinnvoller konsum, kommunikation und mobilität.
As a thank you to the young people who provide the important impetus for the future in this market research, card holders can now shop at a discount at 2,000 acceptors. The Body Shop gives 10 percent, as do many bicycle dealers, hairdressing salons and fashion boutiques. The card entitles you to discounted open-air passes and free admission to 150 of the best museums throughout Switzerland.
Increasingly important instruments for Euro<26 auch die kommunikationsmittel. vor drei jahren hat man mit einer agenda für berufsschüler angefangen, inzwischen gibt es den attraktiven terminplaner «uni-versum» studenten oder «daher!» in auflage von 20'000 jährlich rekrutenschulen. eine website informiert über aktionen aus kultur und konsum. das magazin twen bietet dem slogan «have a good time!» viermal im jahr unterhaltung information schweizer landessprachen. dazu kommen themenhefte ohne werbung wie 2007 zum beispiel twenkarriere, twenferien twenwohnen. diese magazine werden ab 2008 einem didaktischen teil hinterlegt, lehrer auf intranet ihren unterricht abrufen können.
So far, Euro<26 mehr soft-themen behandelt. nachdem die akzeptanz bei der jugend bestätigt ist, will man sich auch vertieften problemen rund um werte und bildung zuwenden. «wir haben den animationsteil im griff, ebenso niederschwellige prävention. jetzt wollen wir in tiefe gehen», verrät ursula huggenberger. geplant sind 2008 neben einem relaunch des twen-magazins wieder themenhefte, aber diesmal mit wie zum beispiel «häusliche gewalt», «toleranz», «verantwortung» «respekt».
With all these means of communication, it is more than just a professional advantage that Ursula Huggenberger is a trained graphic designer who also used to work for Brigitte in Hamburg. "The visual also plays into behavior. Beautiful aesthetics can also awaken our young people's general sense of beauty and thus culture," she is convinced.
Jörg Huggenberger found his approach to young people as a sales manager not only through marketing training, but also through character building in 1968. As part of the Euro<26 sieht sich der «berufsjugendliche ersten stunde» inzwischen als eine durch viele erfahrungen gewitzte vaterfigur.
Andreas Panzeri