"If you are a man of action, then do something!”

Peter Rosa is a voluntary member of the Club der Kulturen - and is actually facing the decreasing number of members as the spectrum of co-creation is as large as the spectrum of possible activities

The message sent via different e-mail distribution lists of the TU Chemnitz arrived at the beginning of November. "I`m talking about an appeal for help. We urgently need new supporters for our club. Many students don`t know, which possibilities we offer", says Peter Rosa. The student who studies Media Communication has been engaging himself in the Club der Kulturen (CdK) since December 2011. "For me it`s a huge amount of fun to organize events with other students. It`s a passion", says Rosa.

"A lot of work is spread over decreasing helping hands"

Since its foundation in November 2002 the CdK has become a pivotal cultural element of the TU campus. The slogan of the CdK is: The whole world in just one club. It`s a place of exchange and get-together and therefore the CdK organizes its own as well as cooperative events - this includes international cultural evenings, concerts and parties. The CdK cultivates contacts to other university institutions and initiatives such as the International Office of the TU, the international exchange organization IAESTE and the students` project "kulturcampus". As most other student clubs the CdK is concerned about its number of members. Due to the Bachelor and Master system it`s difficult for voluntary members to commit themselves for a long time. "A lot of work is spread over decreasing helping hands. When I became a member of the CdK two years ago, there were 25 active members. Currently we have only 8! We also have new members but not everybody likes to take over responsibility for organizing an evening", says Rosa relating to the membership decrease.

Due to its membership decline one can observe a new development: popular events have to be cancelled because the leading position for an evening remains vacant and there are not enough members to support the bar. "Of course the fun for our members is on the one hand only guaranteed by a fair division of work and on the other hand by the possibility to talk to our guests, enjoy the event together with them and participate in this inter cultural community. This is the reward for our work. Simply working for others is not in our sense", says Rosa.

Visit from Timbuktu

The experiences of a fruitful get-together are the main idea of the student club according to the CdK member Rosa. That`s what makes it fun. "After some time it became normal to get involved and participate actively in international and inter cultural events. There are no house bans or trouble in the CdK. The experience of acceptance and integration is enormous. For me it became a circle of friends", says Rosa. The inter cultural exchange is given by a large spectrum of activities: lectures and theme nights about study visits in Mexico or Argentina, culinary trips to Asia, the English "Tea-Evening" or the Salsa Nights. Especially students with no international experience might gain first impressions and establish contacts. One major event was the visit of Hallé Ousmane, mayor of the Mali`s capital Timbuktu, twin city of Chemnitz. Therefore the Cdk cooperated with the Chemnitz City Council as well as with the partnership association "Chemnitz-Timbuktu”. "We didn`t have enough chairs for so many guests. The people are interested in the civil war situation in Mali and would like to offer their support. The time for questions between students of the TU and representatives of Mali took two hours", tells Rosa avidly.

The spectrum of co-creation is as large as the spectrum of possible activities. "We offer students the possibility to trial and error their skills”, says Rosa. Technically skilled people are able to fulfil their ideas concerning the interior decoration. Technicians or electronic engineers might equip the stereo equipment with the financial and technical support of the CdK. Media scholars or everybody interested in marketing may check out the advertising sector. For every student who likes to chat the bar is potentially suitable. Students interested in numbers may work in logistic or financial planning. Friends of different languages or countries may organize theme nights. "Everything is possible and there are unlimited ideas. With appropriate commitment you also can be part of the club management”, says Rosa. All members are guaranteed protection: first of all because the community and secondly because of the legal protection by the Student Council.

A couple of students answered his e-mail so far. They came to the consultation hours in order to get more information about possible applications. "I don`t want to arouse compassion. I want to convey the fun of our work”, says Rosa and adds: "You want to be a man of action? Then do something! Join us and tell us about your ideas concerning the Club der Kulturen.

(Author: Victoria Graul, Translation: Jakob Landwehr)

Katharina Thehos
18.11.2013

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