The Catholic university centres LAKUM Krefeld and Mönchengladbach have awarded the mitBedacht volunteering prize for the tenth time. Students from The Hochschule Niederrhein (HSNR) came together in Mönchengladbach's Citykirche to celebrate voluntary commitment that goes far beyond everyday student life. The "mitBedacht Prize" is endowed with a total of 2,000 euros.
In a festive setting with music by Lea Weinmann , the university chaplaincy honoured the diversity of student volunteering - from social and international commitment to sustainability, sport, education and university politics.
Christin Leibküchler was honoured with first place. She has been involved with Hummaid e.V. in Burkina Faso since 2022 and supports an orphanage there with currently 93 children as well as projects such as well construction, school materials and tree planting campaigns. "My social commitment is characterised by the desire to provide sustainable help and create realistic prospects. I look after the children on a daily basis, support their educational and personal development and give them security, attention and hope. This voluntary work is much more than help for me, it has become a task close to my heart and an integral part of my life," says Leibküchler, who is studying Social Management part-time at the Faculty of Applied Social Sciences in Mönchengladbach.
Second place went to Florian Dust for his wide-ranging involvement in sport and at the university. He volunteers as a sailing coach for children and young people and leads the running and cycling groups at HSNR's university sports centre. As a participant in the Olympic Youth Camp in Paris, Dust also supports the "Olympia in NRW" initiative as an ambassador for the Olympic values. At the university, Florian Dust is involved in the Young Chemists' Forum of the Society of German Chemists for the promotion of young chemists by organising industry excursions and networking events. As a student member of the Student Advisory Council and Examinations Board, he represents the interests of his fellow students. "My motivation is to strengthen different communities and open up development opportunities for young people through sport, education and advocacy," explains Dust, who is studying the dual Bachelor's degree programme in Chemical Engineering at the Faculty of Chemistry in Krefeld.
Third place went to Maksym Bobko, who has been a volunteer at the One World Shop in Mönchengladbach since 2024. He is primarily responsible for the organisation's Instagram presence in order to bring fair trade issues and sustainable consumption closer to younger target groups. He also volunteers at the International English Library in Düsseldorf, where he looks after visitors, manages loans and returns and assists with cataloguing the collection. "The work there promotes encounters and intercultural exchange, as the library is a meeting place for people from different countries," explains Bobko, who comes from Ukraine himself and is studying Textile and Clothing Management at the Faculty of Textile and Clothing Technology in Mönchengladbach.
For the past ten years, the mitBedacht volunteer award has made visible how students take responsibility and actively help to shape social challenges. "The award ceremony on International Volunteer Day underlines a clear message: volunteering is not a by-product - it is a key component of a vibrant university culture," says Katja Landwehrs from the Catholic university centre LAKUM in Mönchengladbach.
