The free carrier CaTeeDrale e.V. was founded in 1990. Since 1993 the association has been active as a recognized provider of the free youth aid according to Section 75 of the SGB Vlll in the field of preventive youth work. In 2001, the association was granted permanent recognition. Born out of the ecumenical youth movement (Teestube in Goerlitz), the institution saw its task in the promotion of young people in the leisure sector, supported by a high degree of self-determination and participation of young people according to their individual resources. Its members pursued and pursued this claim precisely from the experience of dictatorial youth movement. The now traditional care of young people who have to do charitable work is also linked to earlier tasks that the Ecumenical Tea Room envisioned, first by visiting those who were willing to leave and later incarcerated in the Goerlitzer JVA.
To support relatives and to act supportively after their release from prison, the task of the Goerlitzer Criminal Aid Association became after its founding. Now the CaTeeDrale e.V. was limited to the care of young people who had become delinquent, who learned to develop new life perspectives in the association, the youth center. In 1993, club members and young people began to rebuild the clubhouse in Goerlitz from a former workshop building with their own funds and with funding from the state of Saxony, which was anchored with a commitment of purpose until 2020. In January 1996, the Jugendhaus opened at Christoph Lueders Strain 47 with group rooms, offices and a vegetarian bistro. As the owner of the property, it is possible to meet the changing needs of young people by installing and converting them. In 2000 a social bicycle workshop was integrated and in 2011 a climbing wall was opened in the building as a result of an LAP project. In cooperation with the Jobcentre in 2013, unemployed youths installed a bouldering track on the upper floor, which allows for safe horizontal climbing.
With the hiring of a man and a woman as specialist staff (1995 and 1996 respectively) and their part-time qualification as diploma social pedagogues in 2001 and 2005 respectively, the association professionalized its work in favour of gender-specific offers. Since then, both employees have been reliable contacts for visitors. Since February 2018, an additional position has been created by the relocation of a specialist in school social work. From 2018 to 2020, two temporary part-time positions for the operation of a district café were established via a separate funding programme. Since 2019, a nearby self-designed garden plot has been leased and a therapeutic climbing course with the child and adolescent psychiatry will be permanently established.
At the beginning of 2021, a new part-time position could be filled with a health educator who had previously worked in the field of youth support for four years. As a result, there has been a greater focus on family formation, girl work and work with disabled children and young people. During the coronavirus pandemic, various new ways to reach the clientele were tried out. Virtual communication, small explainer and task videos via social media, and outdoor activities should provide support and maintain and expand contact. The board structure became a walking structure, out onto the seats for the children and young people or the book and play area was created at the house. Based on the new unclear situation, the climbing offer has been expanded since 2021 with an afternoon action in the outdoor area, as well as family formation weekends initiated and carried out.
In 2023, the project Kindermiesto was again successful and through third-party funding a mobile youth club “Tiny Club” was created together with / through young people. At the moment, the existing projects of the Youth House are designed by three full-time employees and accompanied by numerous volunteers.