Working together for Witten

Witten/Herdecke University (UW/H) and the volunteer agency FOKUS have launched a cooperation aimed at linking and strengthening student and civic engagement in Witten: With a joint online platform and a diverse educational programme, the partners want to find answers to the structural change in the region.

Students and citizens can use the new online service to find out about the numerous opportunities for getting involved in Witten. This platform is set to go live in April 2024 under the domain sieben-viertel.de and will present a wealth of options for volunteering.

Workshops, seminars and workshops will also be organised, bringing together students, citizens and partner organisations to develop ideas together and work on current challenges. The topics range from virtual association management to the acquisition of funding. The current test phase of this concept will be gradually expanded over the coming months. The project is funded by the Stifterverband.

Learning and meeting spaces for exchange and development

"There is a huge need for volunteering and commitment in Witten, but also for social learning and meeting spaces," explains Dr Andreas Lingg from UW/H, who is co-responsible for the project. He also sees voluntary work as an educational mission: "Meeting the people, topics and challenges of the region is an enrichment for our students that you can't find in any textbook."

As an academic staff member at UW/H, Lingg is already responsible for the sieben:viertel project, with which the university opened up its courses to citizens of the region in 2021. This is how the contact with Kathrin Brommer from the FOKUS volunteer agency of the Caritas Association came about. Since March 2022, she has also been working as a consultant for social engagement and service learning at the UW/H - this interface is intended to create further synergies between the university and the region.

"The cooperation between the UW/H and the volunteer agency is very fruitful," says Kathrin Brommer, who is delighted with the collaboration. "Up to now, we have focussed on mediation and networking work; the further training of our volunteers has been somewhat neglected due to a lack of resources. With the new platform for a culture of commitment and initiative, we can now combine placement and further training to create something bigger."

Successful collaboration already showing initial results

The collaboration has already borne its first fruits: an initiative workshop in the summer semester of 2023, in which committed individuals reflected on current issues together, has resulted in a cooperation between the German Red Cross and the student initiative Add Action. Together, they are planning a sports programme for children as well as seasonal activities such as pumpkin carving in autumn and a Christmas party to encourage them to adopt a healthier lifestyle through play.

Other partners and volunteers are very welcome: "We would be delighted if other stakeholders and institutions from Witten came on board, got involved or supported the project," says Brommer. "Anyone interested is welcome to contact us informally."