Certified public welfare: Jena swimming pools receive award
Jan 30, 2024, 9:41:45 AM | Jenaer Bäder | Aktuelles, Pressemitteilungen | GalaxSea
Together with four other Thuringian bathing establishments, Jena's public baths have had their contribution to the common good certified. The certificate was awarded at a ceremony on Friday, January 26. Heike Werner, Thuringia's Minister of Labour, Social Affairs, Health, Women and Family, and Prof. Dr. Timo Meynhardt, Chairman of the Board of Forum Gemeinwohl e. V., were also present.
In the summer of 2023, the working group of the Thuringian public utility companies, together with the German Bathing Society (DGfdB) – supported by the Forum Gemeinwohl Leipzig e. V. –, launched a pilot project to evaluate and visualize the public value contributions of the public utility companies in their Free State. The participating businesses and companies used the Public Value Radar to examine their contributions to public value in several workshops.
The review of implementation was carried out by an independent committee from the forum on the basis of the so-called maturity model. It looks at the development status of the implementation of the contribution to the common good and shows what is specifically needed to reach the next maturity level. The certificate is valid for two years and can then be renewed.
Susan Zetzmann, Managing Director of Jenaer Büder, explained her participation in the pilot project: "The pilot project has once again sharpened our focus on the common good and the associated responsibility for citizens. We will firmly anchor the jointly formulated contributions to the common good in our brand mission statement.
At the award ceremony, all speakers, including Minister of State Heike Werner, emphasized that swimming pools are an important factor for the common good in our society, as they offer space for health maintenance and sport as well as the learning of vital skills. In addition, the approximately 6,000 indoor and outdoor swimming pools in Germany (source: www.baederatlas.com) are a meeting place for all age groups and social classes.
Christian Mankel, Managing Director of the DGfdB and co-initiator of the „pilot certification“, is delighted to have set another role model, in addition to his association's own Public Value Award: „Of course, all the knowledge gained from this will also flow into our next nationwide call for entries for the ‚Public Value Award for Public Bathrooms‘, which, after a break year for „revision, will be presented again in 2025.“
