European cost of living crisis: Berlin paying young people to go clubbing

Berlin is encouraging young people to go back out into the city by giving them €50 to enjoy the city's cultural venues and events.

Launched by the Berlin Senate Department for Culture and Europe, the initiative starts this month and encourages Berlin youths aged between 18 and 23 to sign up for a Jugendkulturkarte - a youth culture card. 

Those eligible can register for the card online and pick their cards up in public libraries until the end of February. It will also be available to non-German residents in the city.

The €50 credit is valid until 30 April and can be spent at 200 venues across the city, including theatres and nightclubs.

Among the clubs part of the initiative are SchwuZ, one of Germany's oldest queer clubs; Cassiopeia, the brilliant nightclub offering live music and a charming outdoor courtyard; Ritter Butzke, the three-floored former factory known for its electro nights; and Gretchen, the infamous nightclub located in former Prussian military stables.

The Berlin Club Commission, which represents a number of key clubs and parties in the city, celebrated the news on Instagram.

A post shared by Clubcommission Berlin e.V. (@clubcommission)

“@jungendkulturkarte.berlin has launched today and we are happy that clubs are part of it. Obviously you can go to the opera or museum with Jungendkulturkarte but we have clear preferences.”

The scheme was first announced by Klaus Lederer, Senator for Culture and Europe, in December.

"Participation in art and culture for all Berliners is very important to me. The youth culture card for 18 to 23-year-olds is aimed at a young audience who are just getting to know Berlin's diverse cultural landscape after the restrictions of recent years," Lederer said at a conference in December.

Berl