Claudia Seidensticker founded the association twelve years ago. Since then, countless children have taken advantage of its programs. Even the pandemic couldn't slow down their work. The Rheinische Post reported on this.
The Rheinische Post reports in its article that Claudia Seidensticker founded the KRASS association twelve years ago, which has since provided creative opportunities to more than 36.000 children. Despite serious health setbacks following a car accident, she refused to be discouraged and focused on her talents in art and art education, thus finding her new purpose in life.
The first event earned them a place in the Guinness Book of Records.
Her first project immediately made headlines: In a tram depot, 163 children, supported by numerous volunteers, created a 60-meter-long canvas. This even landed her a place in the Guinness Book of Records. This experience reinforced her decision to found the KRASS association in 2009. The initial goal was to provide disadvantaged children from financially weak families with access to artistic and cultural activities. Partnerships with schools and social institutions such as Caritas and AWO were quickly established, scholarships were awarded to piano students, and collaborations with paid artists were organized.
Go where the children are
The association's international focus was demonstrated in an EU project with a school in Heerdt, where children from 27 countries collaborated on creating artwork on canvases. In 2014, KRASS received additional support through the donation of a bus, which, now equipped with materials and furniture, visits Düsseldorf's playgrounds daily. The association's goal is to reach children where they live and spend their free time, facilitating their access to art and culture.
Refugee crisis
During the refugee crisis, the association members were among the first to help, looking after children in shelters, organizing trips to the forest, and supporting families on the ground. In the process, the children learned German along the way. This commitment was later systematically continued in the KRASS MediaLab, where German lessons and free tutoring are offered by qualified teachers, sometimes also digitally via Zoom due to the pandemic.
Art school for children of migrant workers
Seidensticker also continued her work internationally: During a stay in Shanghai, she coordinated the projects by telephone and video call. She also opened an art school for the children of migrant workers who had no access to regular schooling, in order to teach them creative and practical skills.
Access to music and art therapies
Back in Düsseldorf in 2015, Seidensticker became involved with seriously ill children at the university hospital, enabling them to access music and art therapy. In 2019, KRASS organized its own children's rights float for the carnival, in which 90 children from 35 nations participated, sewing costumes and painting the float – a project that underscores the importance of children's rights in society.