Coerde in Bewegung (“Coerde in motion”) is a programme initiated by the health department of the city of Münster. It offers a wide range of sports for kids, youngsters and, in one case, a special bike riding meet up for girls and women from diverse backgrounds. Coerde is a town quarter with a low socio-economic status that had caught the municipal administration’s attention, e.g. due to the poor performance in school enrolment examinations. This called for action and the project Coerde in Bewegung was developed. Besides singular bigger events such as football matches at the local sport club or the opportunity for a local school’s football team to join the city’s football tournament, the responsible team also established the well-known concept of “Open Sundays”. This refers to the local school’s gym being opened on Sundays, so that kids with and without their parents can take part in a two-hour movement and play workshop with coaches present. Over time, some participants mastered the transition from participant to coach as they grew older. Therefore, the project succeeded in capacity building and enabled young people to take on a role of responsibility and commitment.

The programme shows a strong network focus, trying to establish structures rather than singular projects. Different players from the educational and social sector and their resources are included in order to create various offers and reach different target groups within the quarter.

Initiated by the health department, Coerde in Bewegung brought together the City Sport Association and the Association of socio-therapeutic facilities for the development of the programme. For the first three years, 2021-2024, it was financed by the state’s health insurance association. The second phase, another three years, 2024-2027, is financed by a funding mix by the local bank, a company and a private enterprise foundation.