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30 years of KulturLegi Zurich: the (success) story behind it

KulturLegi05-07-20262 min. read

In just over a month's time, Moods will be celebrating a birthday that is particularly close to our hearts: that of the KulturLegi. But what's behind it and how did a Zurich idea become a national success story? We'll tell you.

What began as a small idea in Zurich in 1996 is now a successful model for social participation throughout Switzerland: the KulturLegi. Initiated by IG Sozialhilfe Zürich and awarded the city's social prize, it was initially given directly to people on low incomes via social centers. Caritas Zurich was also involved early on - a partnership that was to have a decisive impact on its development.Growth beyond the city limits began with the launch in Winterthur in 2003 and the expansion to Bern in 2005. In 2007, Caritas Zurich took over the sponsorship completely and drove the expansion throughout the canton. The next big step followed just one year later: the founding of KulturLegi Schweiz. The goal was clear - social participation should not depend on where you live.A uniform image and a common platform from 2009 strengthened the recognition factor. From 2010, the KulturLegi was valid throughout Switzerland: anyone who had it could use offers across regional borders at a discount. Collaborations with major partners such as the Migros Klubschule made the offer even more attractive - a classic win-win situation between social concerns and broad accessibility.At the same time, the network continued to professionalize. Uniform quality standards, digital databases and a growing partner network ensured stability and scalability. The figures speak for themselves: from a few hundred cards to 45,000 users in the canton of Zurich alone. At the same time, the number of partner municipalities and services grew continuously. Today, 1,400 partners in the canton of Zurich are involved with the KulturLegi and thus enable discounted access to their offers.But the KulturLegi is more than just a discount instrument. It has developed into a door opener for social participation. Initiatives such as the city guide "Zurich unaffordable", advisory services or the Christmas wish campaign for children show how broad the commitment has become. This was particularly evident in times of crisis: During the coronavirus pandemic, the focus shifted in part to direct support, for example through vouchers or digital access.KulturLegi also picked up on social developments early on. There was an increased focus on digital change: "Digital participation for all" projects enable people with a small budget to access devices and therefore education, information and social life.In recent years, the KulturLegi has become increasingly digital: in addition to the classic card, a digital version is now available, which is already used by a large proportion of users. At the same time, the physical presence remains important - for example through the new location of the KulturLegi office, which combines social services, advice and affordable shopping.Today, around 30 years after its creation, the KulturLegi is an established instrument against social exclusion throughout Switzerland. It stands for the conviction that culture, education, sport and social participation should not be a question of income. With a constantly growing network, innovative projects and broad political support, it will remain a central building block for more equal opportunities in Switzerland in the future.

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