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Civil courage is “not just a moment,” said Doğuş Albayrak at his honor in Frankfurt’s Paulskirche. The founder of the Bad Soden association Tuğçe Albayrak received the 2026 volunteer award.
Frankfurt/Bad Soden-Salmünster – Doğuş Albayrak was awarded the 2026 Volunteering Award at the celebratory event of the first “Volunteering Gala” in St. Paul’s Church. This recognized his many years of commitment in the areas of civil courage and violence prevention, in particular with his work for the association in honor of his sister Tuğçe Albayrak. The student teacher from Bad Soden-Salmünster died violently after she stood in front of others to protect herself.
Doğuş Albayrak receives the 2026 volunteer award in St. Paul's Church
The association “We are all Frankfurters” organized the event in cooperation with the city of Frankfurt under the direction of Hassan Annouri. Around 600 guests from society, politics, culture and education gathered for the gala. The award was presented by Christina Ringer, CDU city councilor in the Frankfurt city parliament.
In his acceptance speech, Doğuş Albayrak emphasized the importance of the award: “This award does not bring my sister back. But it shows us that we are on the right path and our work is seen. It motivates us to keep going and not stop.
Civil courage is not just a moment, but an attitude – an attitude that each of us should live. Because without empathy and moral courage, a society cannot function, says Albayrak. In addition to Doğuş Albayrak, Pantoula Vagelakou and Peter Fischer were also honored.
Doğuş Albayrak sees the award as confirmation of his work
Doğuş Albayrak and the association see the honor as confirmation of his previous work and at the same time as a mission for the future: to continue to actively carry the values of courage, respect and responsibility into society and to sensitize young people to respectful coexistence. A large part of this commitment has been carried out on a voluntary basis for years, supported by personal responsibility and the desire to make a difference in society.
The Tuğçe Albayrak Association was founded in memory of Tuğçe Albayrak, who lost her life in 2014 after showing moral courage and standing up for others. Since then, the association has been committed to promoting civil courage nationwide – particularly through educational work in schools and educational work among young people.
The association also develops and implements a variety of formats that make civil courage tangible – from interactive workshops to public dialogue formats and cultural projects to community-building initiatives in public spaces and international educational encounters. The aim is not only to sensitize people, but also to enable them to take concrete action. (ug)
