Engaging with politicians: CDU parliamentary group leader Martin Fischer visits Inklusive Alster

We are delighted to have had the opportunity to speak with Martin Fischer, Chair of the CDU parliamentary group in the Hamburg-Nord District Assembly. He visited the Hamburg Sailing Club, with whom we, as ‘Wir sind Wir Inclusion in Sailing e.V.’, are jointly implementing inclusive sailing projects on the Alster. During an in-depth discussion, we talked about the ‘Inclusive Alster’, our school sailing courses and what participation in sport actually means in practice. And he experienced first-hand on the water how children and young people with and without disabilities sail together.

Hamburg, 11 September 2026

On Thursday, we had a visitor on the Alster: Martin Fischer, Chair of the CDU group in the Hamburg-Nord District Assembly, visited the Hamburg Sailing Club – our partner for the inclusive sailing projects on the Alster – to gain an insight, together with us, into inclusive sailing in Hamburg. In a very detailed and in-depth discussion, we covered the ‘Inclusive Alster’ projects, our school sailing courses and what participation in sport actually means in practice. He then had the opportunity to witness the school sailing course at the Bugenhagen School in Alsterdorf (Year 3) for himself: Children and young people with and without disabilities sailing together in one boat – not just for a taster session, but to really learn to sail.

Why this visit is important to us

We work very closely with the districts of Hamburg-Nord and Hamburg-Mitte, including the district administration heads, Dr Bettina Schomburg and Ralf Neubauer. Many of our projects take place in the North and Central districts: the school sailing courses with the Bugenhagen School in Alsterdorf, the regular sailing sessions with the Werner-Otto Institute, the course with Campus Uhlenhorst, and the close involvement of the participating sailing, rowing and canoeing clubs within the ‘Inclusive Alster’ network.

That is why it is important to us to engage in dialogue with all those in positions of political responsibility and to demonstrate what is being achieved here on the water and just how valuable it is. Inclusion and participation are not the preserve of any single political party. Participation is a societal issue that still holds great potential across party lines and must be actively put into practice. Particularly in the current situation and debate, it is important that politicians make a clear commitment to participation and inclusion.

For us, one thing is crystal clear: anyone who excludes people with disabilities is acting in a way that shows contempt for humanity. We want nothing to do with such thoughts and actions – they have no place in our society.

“Inclusive Alster is a wonderful example of how it can be done: sport that transcends boundaries, across clubs and across party lines. Together, we have created something here that demonstrates how participation works in everyday life. We are all the more delighted when politicians from all democratic parties come and see it for themselves,” says Sven Jürgensen, Chair of Wir sind Wir Inclusion in Sailing e.V.

The Inclusive Alster: seven partners, one goal

The Inclusive Alster is a network for inclusive water sports that is unique in Germany. Seven partners from Hamburg’s water sports community have joined forces to make the Alster the most inclusive water sports area in Germany:

the Hamburger Kanu-Club e.V., the Hamburger Segel-Club e.V., the Hamburger Segel-Verband e.V., the Ruder-Club Favorite Hammonia, the Ruderverein an den Teichwiesen e.V., the Segel-Verein Altona-Oevelgönne e.V. and Wir sind Wir Inclusion in Sailing e.V. Our motto: On the water, we are all equal – disabilities stay on dry land.

Our school sailing partnerships as a prime example

At the heart of our work are our partnerships with schools and organisations. Children and young people with and without disabilities sail together on the same boats in the same courses – weekly or fortnightly, firmly embedded in the timetable. For children and young people with severe physical disabilities, there are also one-to-one and one-to-two training sessions on specialised boats.

Together with the Bugenhagen School in Alsterdorf, we run two school sailing courses (Level 2 and Level 3) at the Hamburg Sailing Club. The Werner-Otto Institute sails with us regularly on Thursdays on the Alster. The Elfenwiese School takes part with its own course. Together with the North German Regatta Club, we run the sailing course in collaboration with Campus Uhlenhorst. Over 150 children and young people with disabilities thus sail regularly on the Alster – accompanied by qualified instructors and many volunteers.

A teacher at the Bugenhagen School describes it as follows: “Inclusive sailing has a profound effect on my pupils; it’s like the best form of therapy.” For us, sailing is first and foremost a sport: nobody comes to receive therapy – everyone comes to sail.

We’d like to thank Martin Fischer for his visit and his interest in our work – and we’ll stay in close contact.

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