Full transcript
0:05Hi , it’s me , your Jup . The goals at
0:08our soccer field are broken and someone
0:10said I could complain about it to the
0:12BV . But what is a BVV anyway ? Let me
0:15ask .
0:16Hello , I’m a member of the BV and
0:18I’d be happy to explain it to you .
0:20Berlin has 12 districts and is governed
0:22by the state government , the Senate .
0:24The head is the Governing Mayor , who
0:26sits in the Red City Hall . The mayor is
0:29elected by the Berlin state parliament ,
0:31the so-called House of Representatives .
0:34That is where the people who are
0:36elected by the Berlin population sit .
0:39But how are the districts organized ?
0:41Each district has its own district
0:43office , which consists of five members ,
0:45the city councilors . One of them also
0:48takes on the role of district mayor .
0:51This district government is elected by
0:53the District Assembly , or BVV . Each
0:56district has its own BVV , which
0:58consists of 55 members . These people
1:01work on a voluntary basis and only
1:02receive an allowance for their work , so
1:04very little money .
1:06And what do they do in the BV ?
1:08The BV elects the district mayor and
1:10the city councilors and monitors their
1:12work . In addition , the BVV decides what
1:15the district spends its money on . The
1:17BV also discusses issues , makes
1:18suggestions for improvements for the
1:20district , and passes them on to the
1:22district office . Some of these
1:24suggestions come directly from the
1:26citizens of the district .
1:28And how does a BVV work ?
1:30Even though the BVV is not a real
1:32parliament , its way of working is
1:34similar . All district representatives
1:37meet once a month in the BVV hall of
1:39the district town hall , discuss current
1:41topics , and make decisions . The focus
1:44is primarily on everyday issues that
1:46affect citizens in the district . These
1:48large meetings are prepared in smaller
1:50thematic rounds , the so-called
1:51committees . For example , there are
1:54committees on education and culture ,
1:55environmental protection , transparency
1:57and citizen participation , and of
1:59course , the youth welfare committee .
2:01Experts from the district are also
2:03invited to these rounds to advise them .
2:08Citizens also have the opportunity to
2:10bring their concerns directly to the
2:12committees . For example , you can submit
2:15your request online , go directly to the
2:17citizens ' question time at the BVV
2:19meeting , submit a citizens ' initiative
2:21for which you have collected signatures
2:23in the district , or file a resident
2:25proposal .
2:27And does that actually do anything ?
2:29Yes , of course it does . In recent years
2:32, the BVs have made and implemented
2:34important decisions in the districts ,
2:36such as more integration guides , the
2:38construction of new bike paths , or new
2:41soccer fields and sports halls .
2:43Yeah , soccer fields . Then maybe
2:45something can happen for us too . But
2:48who actually elects the BV and when
2:49does the election take place ?
2:52The BVV elections take place every 5
2:54years together with the Berlin House of
2:56Representatives election . Unlike the
2:59Bundestag and House of Representatives
3:00elections , everyone 16 and older can
3:02vote in the BVV elections , provided
3:03they have lived in the district for at
3:05least three months and hold a German
3:06passport or come from an EU country . Oh
3:11, by the way , this year the next
3:12elections for the BVV and the House of
3:14Representatives will take place in
3:16Berlin on September . 18th .
3:19My friends and I went to the BVV
3:21citizens ' office hours and complained
3:22about the broken goals . Now they have
3:25been repaired and we can play soccer
3:27every afternoon again .