40th anniversary of the Swiss national anthem: What values do we want to sing? news 40 years ago, on April 1, 1981, the Swiss Federal Council designated the Swiss Psalm as the national anthem. A large part of the Swiss population is convinced that the text of the anthem should express the central values of our society. Federal celebration on the Rütli: Women celebrate 50 years of democracy news This year, the Swiss Society for Common Good (SSCG) invites all women and women’s associations to the Rütli to celebrate 50 years of women’s suffrage and voting rights in Switzerland on August 1. The style and program of the celebration will differ from the previous tradition. New President of the SSCG: Nicola Forster news The SSCG members elected their new President at a written general meeting. Nicola Forster was born in 1985 and belongs to the so-called “Generation Y”, also known as “Millennials”. Read the interview with the new President. Project “engagement-local”: digital kick-off event news Volunteers are primarily involved on a local level. For this reason, the project “engagement-local” supports 10 localities in Switzerland over a period of three years in order to promote volunteer work more strongly at the local level. At the online meeting on 30 October, the 10 communities presented their planned projects. “Shrinking civic space” also in Switzerland news Not only in China, Hungary or Turkey civil society organizations are put under pressure when they speak out on political issues or commit themselves to specific concerns and groups. This fall, civil society in Switzerland also experienced the “shrinking civic space”. The general assembly of the SSCG will be held in writing this year news Already in the spring of 2020, due to the COVID 19 pandemic and the official measures ordered by the authorities, the 189th General Assembly of the SSCG scheduled for June 4, 2020 in Burgdorf had to be postponed to December 3, 2020 in Berne. However, in view of the second wave of corona and the provisions of the Confederation and the cantons, Plan B was also cancelled. Not every commitment is voluntary work news The Swiss Volunteering Survey 2020 presented the latest figures on volunteer work in Switzerland in June: 6 out of 10 people regularly do charitable work for society. And 7 out of 10 people sporadically contribute to neighborhood assistance. SSCG Director Lukas Niederberger interviews Adrian Fischer. The sociologist is partner of the research institute Lamprecht & Stamm and has scientifically developed the Review 2020. SSCG President J.D. Gerber: The captain leaves the bridge news Jean-Daniel Gerber was elected President of SSCG in 2011. Before that, the former Secretary of State and multiple board member was familiar with the logic of action of state and economy. However, he quickly found his way in the territory of civil society. The interview with him was conducted by SSCG Director Lukas Niederberger. Federal celebration 2020: An act of state under the sign of Corona news Due to corona distance rules, many federal celebrations in Switzerland as well as in numerous Swiss clubs, consulates and embassies around the world were cancelled on August 1 this year. The Swiss Society for the Common Good (SSCG) also cancelled the traditional federal celebrations on the Rütli as early as May. The regret was great, especially since the celebration was organized in cooperation with the Swiss Wrestling Federation and around 2000 guests were looking forward to the first swinging on the Rütli. Corona sequences: What do we learn from COVID-19 ? news The Corona Pandemic, this surrealistic mix of medical danger, politically imposed restrictions on freedom and economic crisis, is experienced as epochal by all those who never experienced war or hunger in their own lifetime. In the lives of most of our contemporaries there are no points of reference that have had such a far-reaching global impact. Since the beginning of 2020, our lives have been marked by a widespread lack of knowledge and provisional orientation. Neither an end to the crisis nor a return to a pre-coronal normality is foreseeable. Load more 6th SSCG Conference on Volunteer Work: Desire for contacts and skills news Management and coordination of volunteers were the focus of the 6th SSCG conference on volunteer work on September 3. SSCG President Jean-Daniel Gerber welcomed the 140 guests in the Kursaal in Berne, before sociologist Markus Lamprecht addressed some aspects of the Swiss Volunteering Review 2020. Lamprecht refuted four widespread statements about volunteer work: volunteers are steadily decreasing; volunteers are increasingly compensated; material compensation is increasingly becoming a motivating factor for volunteer work; and the potential of volunteers is limited. Federal celebration 2020: Trees of hope for Corona heroes news Simonetta Sommaruga, President of the Swiss Confederation, honoured on the Rütli meadow on 1 August, one woman and one man each from all 26 cantons and from the “Fifth Switzerland” (Swiss citizens living abroad) for their commitment during the Corona lockdown. On behalf of all those who were especially committed to other people and to society, the 54 people received a young apple tree as a gift. Corona virus does not stop at the SSCG news In the Corona crisis, the SSCG is complying with the regulations and recommendations of the Swiss Federal Council. For this reason, the federal celebration of 1st August on the Rütli meadow will be replaced by a memorial service under the sign of Corona. The ceremony is held on the Rütli meadow with the President of the Swiss Federal Council, Simonetta Sommaruga. Because of the Corona regulations, this event is not open to the public and limited to a small number of persons. Exhibition at the “Musée Grütli”: The other Switzerland news On June 14th, the exhibition “Interrupted itineraries. Faces of Social Welfare” will open below the Rütli meadow. The theme of the exhibition could not be more topical. As a consequence of the corona pandemic, many Swiss residents will be applying for social welfare for the first time. Over the past three years, film artist and photographer Ghislaine Heger has shown the exhibition with portraits of welfare recipients in more than 15 locations in French-speaking Switzerland. New text for the Swiss national anthem news Finally an English text for the Swiss national anthemIn 2015, more than 200 artists took part in the competition in order to create a new text for the Swiss national anthem.[nbsp]The winner text is written by Werner Widmer.[nbsp]The new hymn text to the traditional melody is based on the Swiss core values expressed in the preamble of the Swiss Federal Constitution.[nbsp] Follow live the Federal celebration on the Rütli meadow news On 1 August, the President of the Swiss Confederation, Simonetta Sommaruga, and the Swiss Society for Common Good (SSCG) will hold the federal celebrations on the Rütli in an unusual setting. Federal celebration on the Rütli: Corona reduces the dimension news Every year, the SSCG invites almost 2000 guests to the federal celebrations on the Rütli on 1 August. This year, the SSCG wanted to organise the federal celebration together with the Federal Association of Swiss Wrestling. Exhibition at the Musée Grütli: Faces of social welfare news Interrupted Journeys: faces of social welfare:[nbsp]Saturday,[nbsp]13th[nbsp]June[nbsp]2020[nbsp]to 11th November 2021 Opening, to which the public is cordially invited: Saturday,[nbsp]13th June 2020, 11.30 am.Since 2017, filmmaker and photographer Ghislaine Heger has staged an exhibition portraying welfare recipients at over 15 locations in French-speaking Switzerland. Parallel to the travelling show, she has organized numerous panel discussions and lectures on the subject of poverty and social welfare. Swiss Federal Day on the Rütli Celebrating in times of Corona news In the Corona Year, events with more than 1000 guests are not allowed even on the Swiss Federal Day and even on the Rütli meadow. The President of the Swiss Confederation, Simonetta Sommaruga, will address a message from the Rütli meadow on the Swiss Federal Day. Serving Social cohesion news The Swiss Society for the Common Good (SSCG) was founded in 1810.The SSCG is committed to the social cohesion in Switzerland.The SSCG researches and promotes voluntary work in Switzerland.The SSCG donated the Rütli to the Swiss Confederation in 1860, has administered it ever since and organizes the federal celebration there on 1 August each year. Load more Supporting voluntary work news Since its foundation in 1810, the SSCG has been promoting social involvement in civil society in Switzerland. Since the United Nations Year of Volunteering in 2001, the SSCG has been carrying out research and promotion activities on volunteering in Switzerland. Volunteering is both the source and the fruit of a supportive society. Visit the Rütli news More than 100,000 people visit the “Cradle of Switzerland” every year. Royalty, heads of state and government leaders have honoured the Rütli with their presence, as have countless children participating in the classic Swiss school trip. Strengthening the cohesion of society news Individualisation, digitisation, multiculturalism and the pluralisation of lifestyles and social groups seriously undermine the solidarity and cohesion of society. In Switzerland, the heterogeneous, multicultural and mobile society is – in addition – not united by a single language, a common secular history and culture or a common religious credo. That is why targeted measures are needed to promote social cohesion in Switzerland.
