The Narwali 2025 project impressively demonstrated what social pastoral work looks like in practice: creating spaces where people feel welcome and where social participation becomes tangible. Swimming was the door opener – but the real message was: community is possible when we create spaces that include everyone.
Social pastoral work means creating spaces where people can experience community, build trust, and develop their abilities – regardless of origin, age, or life circumstances. With exactly this aim, the mobile swimming container Narwali transformed the courtyard of the Youth Monastery Kirchhellen in St Clement Province into a place of encounter for eight weeks during the summer holidays. Young people from all districts of Bottrop came together here to learn new things, overcome fears, and above all: to experience community.
Already in 2024, the project had shown how powerfully shared experiences can connect people. That is why the City of Bottrop, the Sports Initiative, the City Sports Association, and the Youth Monastery decided to continue it. Also in 2025, the focus was less on swimming itself, and more on what arises through practicing, experimenting, and celebrating together: mutual appreciation, solidarity, and participation.
“Narwali has proven that encounters in a protected setting build bridges – between neighborhoods, between cultures, and between generations,” said the team of the Youth Monastery. “Swimming was the medium, but the real experience was: we belong together.”
With the cooperation project Magic of the Elements together with the youth center F! in Kirchhellen, the program became even more diverse. For one week, young people explored fire, water, air, and earth creatively. The element of water was brought to life through the swimming container – as a symbol of vitality, movement, and cohesion.
An accompanying tent provided space for exchange, creative activities, and encounters. Parents and siblings found a place to linger there, while volunteers and the pastoral team of the Youth Monastery offered conversations and created new connections. Even birthdays could be celebrated – a special sign of how important participation in everyday joy is, especially for socially disadvantaged families.
The participants learned with and from one another, practiced together, and discovered how differences in origin, language, or culture fade into the background when trust grows. Prejudices could be reduced, new friendships formed, and the sense of belonging to a larger community strengthened.
Hildegard Kückelmann
