Komoot’s mission is to help people explore more of the outdoors. As a member of komoot’s outdoor-loving community, you know why this matters. The sense of adventure when you explore somewhere new, the freedom of moving through the world under your own steam. Not to mention the calm that settles into your body when you’re breathing in fresh air and admiring a beautiful view.
Not everyone knows that feeling though. Some people have never had the chance to experience it.
As you may know, the German government has reduced the VAT on purchases for the next six months, saving you 3% on anything you buy. When it comes to komoot, that equals about 30 cents per purchase – not very much to you or us. However, collectively, these savings add up! That’s why we’ve decided to donate the difference to worthy causes, so more people can experience the joy of nature.
Six months, 12 good causes
Over the next six months, komoot will donate €10,000 each to two charities per month. We’ll be looking for charities and projects that help children and people from disadvantaged backgrounds – those who’ve been particularly hard hit by the pandemic – to get outside.
July
NAJU Hessen – „Let ́s step – into nature!“
The NAJU project aims to bridge the gap between nature and children from impoverished urban neighborhoods. Working with local youth centers, the project takes kids into the wild to teach them sustainability habits in a fun and engaging way, while they experience the natural environment they’re learning to protect. Read more about NAJU Hessen here.
SOS-Kinderdorf Weimar – Ferienfreizeit Ostsee
The summer holidays are a time to pack the family into the car and head for the beach. But for many children from lower socio-economic backgrounds, a family holiday is a foreign concept. Holidays to them mean isolation in a small apartment while their parents work to pay the bills. This is why numerous SOS Children’s Villages offer a local holiday program, where kids are taken on excursions in nature – camping by a lake, going for a hike, or paddling on a river. For disadvantaged children, these short trips are special experiences they’ll remember for years. They learn lifelong skills like independence and teamwork, as well as getting the chance to relax and have fun with their peer group and giving them stories to share with their classmates when they return to school. Read more about the project here.
August
The Young Explorers program
Inspiring the next generation of environmental advocates is the core mission of the Young Explorers Program. Through an annual week-long camp in the Black Forest National Park, young people from across Germany are brought together to experience nature through new eyes, learn from experts in the fields of politics and environmental activism and network with other young people to plan their own projects. Read more about this project.
NAJU Brandenburg – A nature experience for children from disadvantaged backgrounds
Disadvantaged children in urban areas rarely get to experience the fun and relaxation that nature offers, and NAJU’s project in Brandenburg aims to change that by running children’s camps in the Spree Forest. Through games and activities run by qualified educators and volunteers, children learn to love nature and realize why it’s worth protecting. Read more about this project.
September
RaBauKi Adventure Playground – Siegen
RaBauKi is a unique outdoor space where children are empowered to build their own mini village. Through play they learn life skills which empower them to be more confident young citizens while simultaneously improving social skills. Safe spaces where children can learn and explore are few and far between in urban centres, and Siegen – where RaBauKi Adventure Playground is based – is no different. Their mission is to maintain the playground so that children have a protected space to learn important life skills in a fun and stimulating environment. Read more about this project here.
Bikeygees
Put simply, Bikeygees teaches women about cycling, with a special emphasis on training refugees and other women from disadvantaged groups. But in reality the inclusive multilingual cycling lessons in Berlin do much more than this. Covering how to ride a bike, traffic sense and bike repair basics, the organisation empowers women by giving them the means to explore their new surroundings independently, the opportunity to practice communication in a safe environment, and the confidence that enables them to integrate more easily and prevent social isolation. You can read more about bikeygees here.
October
SOS-Kinderdorf Harksheide
SOS Children’s Villages is an organisation supporting vulnerable children, as well as fragmented families. Holiday programs for disadvantaged children is one way they provide support. Thes short trips in nature often become special experiences the children remember for years. They learn lifelong skills like independence and teamwork, as well as getting the chance to relax and have fun with their peer group in a nature setting they wouldn’t usually have access to.
Nature Playground (Niederseilgarten)
The Nature Playground is a project supported by the German Children’s Fund, an advocacy organization supporting children’s rights. The nature playground provides an outdoor space based on the principles of sustainability and environmental awareness, giving children hands-on learning opportunities where they can test their own limits and building confidence on the rope course, as well as observe and learn from nature.
November
SOS Children’s Village Brandenburg
Like many of the SOS Children’s villages, the Brandenburg branch organises holiday programs for children from disadvantaged backgrounds, providing the opportunity to learn in nature, giving them the chance to relax and have fun with their peer group. For children from unstable or low-economic backgrounds, holidays are an unimaginable luxury and for many, the chance to escape into nature and play is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Riding and horse-handling courses for young people in Essen
The Reit- und Fahrverein stable and riding club in Essen believes in the power of horse care to teach young people important life skills. Apart from developing a mutual respect, loyalty and a sense of responsibility towards horses, the programme also improves self-confidence through empathy-based team-work with their large four-legged companion, and of course there’s the satisfaction of completing a sporting challenge.
December
NAJU Sachsen
Naju Sachsen, like NAJU Hessen (see July) is part of the larger NABU Dresden organisation, and focuses on helping young people from disadvantaged backgrounds experience nature. In the process they learn why it’s worth protecting. The effects of Coronavirus have made it even harder to reach children who benefit most from time in nature, so funding for outreach and maintenance of the forest camps is more important than ever.
NAJU Sachsen
Naju Sachsen, like NAJU Hessen (see July) is part of the larger NABU Dresden organisation, and focuses on helping young people from disadvantaged backgrounds experience nature. In the process they learn why it’s worth protecting. The effects of Coronavirus have made it even harder to reach children who benefit most from time in nature, so funding for outreach and maintenance of the forest camps is more important than ever.
Saxony Junior Rangers
The junior ranger program was set up so children can learn about nature in an exciting hands-on way that engages all of their senses. The Saxony branch hosts excursions to the Saxon Switzerland National Park. These are arranged with the seasons in mind, focusing on topics like animals, plants, and their habitats, geology, and of course local history. Children then use what they’ve learned to act as ambassadors for nature in their schools, communities and even online. You can read more about the project here (page in German).