The original article was published in German by Lara Sauter.

Redesigning education

With the innovation impulse project "Teaching:Workshop", we primarily want to shape education in such a way that young people and young adults can enjoy education and learn what really interests them.

Education is not just about learning foreign languages, which is usually the first thing associated with an adult education center. There is much more to it than that. To make education more attractive to young people, the concept needs to be rethought. Teenagers and young adults don't want to sit in a classroom and be 'lectured' to by a teacher, as they do at school. Instead, they want to be active themselves and work on something together. In addition to cooking courses, nature education, exam preparation and art courses, we also offer events on the topic of democracy as part of the innovation impulse project.

European trips - democracy in other countries

Erasmus+ gave us the opportunity to travel to other European countries. In Warsaw and Vienna, we were able to learn a lot about integration, political considerations, social coexistence and the importance of the democratic rule of law. In both countries, however, things looked different. In Vienna, for example, we had a guided tour of the parliament and above all learned something about the history of democracy in Austria. In Warsaw, on the other hand, we got talking to our Polish hosts and discussed the current political situation in Poland with them. It became clear that many Poles had hoped that pushing back the PiS in the elections in October 2023 would be a sign of things to come. They had hoped that the PiS would also be pushed back in the first mood test for the pro-European governing coalition. However, the post-election polls showed that the PiS once again became the strongest force with 33.7% of all votes cast nationwide. Even though it only won a majority in six out of 16 voivodeships/countries. These intensive discussions with our hosts made it even clearer to us how important it is to go to the polls and exchange ideas about democratic considerations!

Political education with the vhs Rottweil

The European and local elections will take place on June 9 this year. In view of this, we have planned some events on the subject of democracy and political education. Voting is important! We want to convey this to young people in Rottweil and beyond. We should inform ourselves extensively in advance of the election. Why is it important to vote at all? Which party has which election program? Which party suits me best? Which party stands up for things that are important to me personally? How does an election actually work? How do you fill in the ballot paper correctly?

As a first-time voter, it's easy to lose track of things and be unsure which party to vote for. That's why we offer events specifically for the elections, where first-time voters, young people, young adults and of course anyone else who is interested and curious can find out more. 

For example, there will be an event on April 27 in the ballroom of the old grammar school in Rottweil, where the various parties and voter associations will introduce themselves. Visitors will be able to talk to local councillors from Rottweil at tables. In conversation, you can find out more about the election program and whether the party is committed to the things that are important to you. The State Center for Political Education, which is supporting us at this event, will also be offering the opportunity to try out voting in a room and will be available to answer questions.

We are also training multipliers in a workshop together with Erste Wahl BW and the Rottweiler schools, who will deal with both the local and European elections in the workshop. The multipliers then take what they have learned back to their classes and inform their fellow pupils.   

However, elections are not the only important issue in terms of democracy that must be addressed. In a democracy, equal rights for all, i.e. equal rights, are also an important component. In order for us all to live equally, we must not only accept other genders, sexualities, origins, skin colors, customs, habits and traditions, but also appreciate them. Unfortunately, many people fail to do this. People in Germany are still discriminated against. Often by older people, sometimes even by family members. So how can we deal with this discrimination? What can we do about it? Because it can often be difficult for younger people to argue against racist and discriminatory statements, especially if they come from people close to them, we also offer argumentation training. Here, young people learn how to take action against right-wing, discriminatory statements.

We work closely with schools in Rottweil on our innovation impulse project "Die Lehr:Werkstatt". We also offer internal argumentation training in schools, for example for project days.

Every vote counts!

We must not assume that our vote will have no effect. That is why we should all make our way to the polling station on June 9 or cast our vote by post so that we can help shape Europe together.

About the author

My name is Lara Sauter and I am currently doing my FSJ (voluntary social year) in culture at the adult education center in Rottweil. During an FSJ Culture, each FSJ participant has a project of their own responsibility. In my case, this project is the innovation impulse project "Die Lehr:Werkstatt", which is funded by Weiter mit Bildung. As described in the following blog post, my project is about designing education (and therefore also the adult education center) in such a way that it becomes more appealing/attractive for young people and young adults. To this end, we also set 3 focal points at the beginning (religious freedom is a human right, environment and sustainability, future technologies and robotics) and recorded an interview for each focal point.