Klingende Windrose’s supra-regional children’s group, the Kinderspielschar of DJO Rhineland, was founded in January 2001. The group is for children and youths, aged 6 to 14, from different cities in North Rhine-Westphalia.

The group meets at the DJO youth centre in Düsseldorf-Rath (‘Bunker’). Once a year, the children spend a long weekend together at a youth hostel. The aim is to make the children familiar with the activities of the ‘adult’ Spielschar, with Klingende Windrose, and to provide opportunities for the children to make new friends and to maintain friendships with other groups, as well as with those from other European countries.

The programme is varied: song and dance, play and craftwork, rhythm-and-movement school, thematic workshops, as well as theatre and making music with many different instruments. In 2008, the children’s group had its first international meeting in Ireland with the Irish International Folk Company in Dublin. Kids eventually become adolescents and, today, the group is a team that includes both kids and teenagers. They sometimes perform folk dance to current pop music in the spirit of ‘Pop meets Folk’. It works and is a great deal of fun – and all young members of the European folk groups are warmly invited to join in!

All children who are members of the DJO can participate, and we always welcome new children! They should enjoy taking part in musical and cultural activities and should have an interest in contributing to the group’s sense of ‘togetherness’. There is no membership fee. As far as parental support is concerned, it only consists of taking the children to the meetings in Düsseldorf.

Leader of the Klingende Windrose: Karin and Andreas Schillings

E-Mail: ak.schillings@t-online.de