Inspiring News Stories
Excerpts of Highly Inspiring News Stories in Major Media
Below are one-paragraph excerpts of highly inspiring news stories from the major media. Links are provided to the original stories on their media websites. If any link fails to function, click here. The inspiring news story summaries most recently posted here are listed first. You can explore the same list with the most inspiring stories listed first. See also a concise list providing headlines and links to a number of highly inspiring stories. May these articles inspire us to find ever more ways to love and support each other and all around us to be the very best we can be.
Kolle 37 is not your usual kind of kids' recreation space. This 4,000-square-meter, anarchic adventure playground in the heart of Berlin's central Prenzlauer Berg neighborhood is like the love child of a Wes Anderson set designer and a steampunk doorman at the city's infamous Berghain nightclub. Also known as the Adventurous Construction Playground Kolle 37, this unconventional educational space allows children to build – or, indeed, destroy – structures as they see fit. (Parents can enter only one day a week, on Saturdays.) Kolle 37, which started in 1990, is open to children between the ages of six and 16, and offers a rare space for unaccompanied play and so-called "free-range parenting" – moms and dads are asked to give a cell phone number and leave the site promptly. The playground, which receives funding from Berlin government authorities, also offers practical courses such as pottery, blacksmithery, archery and handicrafts, and has a space for music practice. Weekly meetings are held among the kids to discuss rules and problems, with a system of cards used for behavioral issues. Yellows serve as warnings and reds mean a child must leave for the day, for example if they hurt someone or stole something. "They run everything," says [social workert Marcus] Schmidt. "If the government or officials visit, the kids give the tour. There's an equal relationship between children and adults here. This is a really, really special place."
Note: Explore more positive stories like this on reimagining education.
