In a pre-Christmas atmosphere, the traditional Advent café of the Rhein-Kreis Neuss Women's Union took place on 11 December, hosted this year by the Meerbusch Christian Democrats. More than 30 members and guests gathered at the festively decorated Teloy Mill in Meerbusch-Lank to bring the year to a close together and at the same time address an important social issue.
Speaker Michael Weege from Caritas Rhein-Kreis Neuss provided detailed information about the diverse and important work of drug prevention in the district. He reported on the so-called Caritas' PrEvent-Mobil, which is used during school visits, campaign weeks and public events. This service is supported by young volunteers from youngcaritas., who use a non-alcoholic cocktail stand as a low-threshold way to talk to other young people about the dangers of addiction. In addition, Caritas offers school visits and regular consultation hours on request to provide information at an early stage, raise awareness and point out offers of help.
The women took advantage of the opportunity for personal exchange and asked many questions, for example about the effects of cannabis legalisation and the risks and prevalence of nitrous oxide. Barbara Brand, district chairwoman of the Rhein-Kreis Neuss Women's Union, thanked the speaker for his insights into prevention work and emphasised the social significance of this commitment. Sarah Kohtes, chairwoman of the Meerbusch Women's Union and spokesperson for health and social affairs for the CDU district council faction, praised Caritas„ commitment: “Drug prevention is a task for society as a whole. It is important to look at the issue early on, to educate and to create reliable support services."
The Advent café not only provided a space for people to meet and chat, but also sent a clear message of social commitment and solidarity.