This article was written from the point of view of Rita Metzer, GWMD coordinator at Hoppenbank e.V. 28 November 2025, Bremen (Germany) — It was one of those days when the tension between walls and steel doors eases for a few hours – because that day was Game with Mum & Dad again. Footsteps echoed in … Lire plus

“It’s a small group today,” I say to my colleague. Six families had registered, but only four families were waiting at the gate of Bremen Prison. It’s October, the days are already quite cool and the children are already wearing winter jackets, hats and scarves. Two families had to cancel due to illness. I feel … Lire plus

Vaslui Prison — 11 October 2025. The sports hall of the Vaslui Sports High School filled with quick footsteps and unspoken emotions. For a few hours, the space became a place where children and their detained parents reconnected through the simplest shared language: play. The children arrived first. They sat quietly along the benches, holding their … Lire plus

Ich bin Sozialarbeiterin der Hoppenbank und durfte heute wieder mit einem schönen Anliegen in die Justizvollzugsanstalt Bremen. Heute war wieder „Game with Mum and Dad“, ein Spiel- und Begegnungstag für Inhaftierte und ihre Kinder. Vier Stunden, in denen Väter, die hier einsitzen, einfach nur Papa sein dürfen. Keine Gitter, keine Uniformen, kein Urteil im Raum … Lire plus

Bremen prison — 12 September 2025. “Daddy!” The word echoed across the sports hall of Bremen correctional facility as a three-year-old girl in a pink princess dress ran toward her father. The man, standing stiff and emotionless only moments before, dropped to his knees, opened his arms wide and held her tightly as she buried … Lire plus

At Jakub Błaszczykowski‘s* request, his participation in Game With Mum & Dad project was kept secret to prevent people coming only to meet him as a football star. He emphasised that he wanted to come for the children, to spend time with the families, spontaneously and without unnecessary attention.And that’s exactly what happened. When the … Lire plus

6 September 2025, Pińczów Prison (Poland) — Pińczów Prison welcomed the fifth and final Game with Mum & Dad (GWMD) event of the year in Poland, organised by COPE member Probacja. Probacja has been championing GWMD in Poland for three years, working closely with prisons, children and families to strengthen relationships and build trust. These events have become more … Lire plus

29 August 2025, Bremen Prison (Germany) — It wasn’t an ordinary Friday. The boy’s day began at 6:30 a.m. with the familiar ring of his alarm clock, waking him for another day of school. But that afternoon, he and his mother would drive to Bremen-Oslebshausen — to the prison where his father is serving his … Lire plus

24 August 2025, Kraków’s Nowa Huta (Poland) — On Sunday, August 24, the “Game With Mum & Dad” match unfolded in Kraków’s Nowa Huta district. Not inside the External Ward of the Remand Prison but just beyond its fence, on the football pitch beside a neighborhood primary school. Twelve families — among them mothers and fathers … Lire plus