We are all feeling the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the consequences are even more acute for those who quit school early and are now returning to complete their school-leaving qualification. Yet it is not all bad news. In fact, various forms of help are available here, such as "Emerging Stronger from the Crisis" – a social project in Mannheim which helps students deal with their fears and recently won the FUCHS Sponsorship Award. This is just one example of how FUCHS adapts to local requirements and accepts social responsibility.
Spending eight hours at school, followed by homework, and then studying for exams simply became too much for Lisa (not her real name). She really struggled to handle the stress, the pressure, and not having time for all the other things that are important in the life of a young person besides school. It got so bad that she ultimately took the decision to give up shortly before taking her 'Abitur' school leaving exams. "I had lost all motivation and simply couldn't go on," comments the young woman that lives in Mannheim and still feels a sense of frustration when thinking back to her school days. "All of the teachers back then told me: 'You can't give up now!' – yet none of them were really willing to help me."
Mannheim. According to the 2020/21 school statistics, the most recent quota of early school-leavers is 8.2 percent.
As reported by ZDF and based on information provided by the German youth welfare offices, around 104,000 young people leave school in Germany without qualifications every year. According to the school statistics, the quota of early school-leavers in the city of Mannheim was 8.2 percent in 2020/21. There are several reasons why young people quit school and end up harming their future career prospects. Many come from broken homes and do not receive any support from their parents. Others are affected by mental health issues and difficult social environments or suffer from bullying, mobbing or drug-related problems. It is also quite common for these issues to occur together at the same time. The pandemic has made the whole situation more difficult and brought uncertainty even to those households that were previously on solid ground.
Despite quitting school shortly before she was due to take her final exams, Lisa is now returning to get her school-leaving certificate.
The Mannheim-based "Traum-Schmiede" life coaching center already identified just how important it is to support everyone involved at the start of the first lockdown. The project entitled "Stark aus der Krise" or "Emerging Stronger from the Crisis" takes an interactive approach to supporting children and young people. It also offers a "Train-the-trainer" program, in which educational specialists and mentors engaged in youth work are encouraged to get to know themselves better. The objective here is to help them master the new duties they have taken on due to the crisis in a way that is both secure and respectful for both sides.
STARTING A SECOND CHANCE
Offers such as the "Emerging Stronger from the Crisis" project provide young people with the strength and motivation to give education a second go. One such young person is Lisa, who made it to the training center for young people, entitled "Das andere SchulZimmer" or "The Other Classroom". This is a non-profit organization in Mannheim that gives early school leavers a second chance by enabling them to gain school-leaving qualifications.
Highly motivated: Lisa, here chatting with Ute Schnebel, the founder of "Das andere SchulZimmer".
This year, "Das andere SchulZimmer" was able to offer 30 places to students aged between 15 and 30. Most of these are prepared for sitting their exams at a state school with individual mentoring by volunteer teaching staff, who really put their heart and soul into their work. "The people that come to us are highly motivated, as they have generally gone back and forth in their mind many times before eventually taking the decision to make a go of it," comments Ute Schnebel, who founded "Das andere SchulZimmer" in 2018.
"The people that come to us are highly motivated, as they have generally gone back and forth in their mind many times before eventually taking the decision to make a go of it," comments Ute Schnebel, who founded "Das andere SchulZimmer" in 2018.
Yet despite this, the educator adds, it is important to remember that most live in difficult conditions and have had a tough life. The focus during lessons, which are held for a maximum of four hours per day, is therefore not only on the curriculum, but also building relationships. "We discuss problems, try to find solutions, and help our students develop their own outlook with a view to simplifying their career start and enabling them to live a self-determined life", explains Ute Schnebel. The concept is clearly working. Apart from one exception, all of the students have successfully gained their school-leaving qualification. But then COVID-19 struck and everything changed.
The pandemic has led to greater uncertainty, not only in less fortunate areas but also households that were previously on solid ground.
The "Traum-Schmiede" life coaching center helps the helpers
Significant changes were already apparent shortly after the first lockdown. "Our students were no longer as motivated. Instead, they quickly became irritable when personal problems were brought up," as Ute Schnebel remembers. "Out of the blue, we then encountered our first ever serious incident involving physical violence. This really shocked us and made us all realize that the students were not the only ones suffering. We too needed help."
With their "Emerging Stronger from the Crisis" program, concept developers Andrea Frankenbach (left) and Chantal Licht from the "Traum-Schmiede" center are providing valuable assistance to the residents of Mannheim, including the city's young people.
Ute Schnebel has known coaches Andrea Frankenbach and Chantal Licht from the "Traum-Schmiede" life coaching center in the nearby Käfertal district of Mannheim for a long time. She felt certain that the "Train-the-trainer" program associated with the "Emerging Stronger from the Crisis" project would provide the teaching staff with important new resources for overcoming the coronavirus crisis more effectively. Both Ute Schnebel and her teaching staff therefore spontaneously decided to take part in a workshop, while the students were given a boost with special offers and the opportunity to develop new strategies. "This represented a key turning point for us, as we gained a great deal of impetus for our further development, as well as valuable tips to help us overcome crisis-related issues at our school," comments Ute Schnebel.
FUCHS OFFERS SUSTAINABLE SUPPORT
Just like most non-profit organizations, the "Traum-Schmiede" life coaching center relies on donations to help it make its valuable contribution to social cohesion in society. The support provided by FUCHS is absolutely crucial here.
"The staff at the "Traum-Schmiede" center helped me recognize my own strengths and then use these to my advantage. This has enabled me to handle my own issues and difficult situations more effectively."
– Bünjamin
"Having attended the courses at the "Traum-Schmiede" center, I now finally know what kind of profession I want to pursue. The staff there also provided me with great support when writing my job applications. For me, the "Traum-Schmiede" is a cool organization, whose staff members really know what they're doing."
– Dylana
The company assumes social responsibility in line with its sustainability targets and currently sponsors numerous projects, some of which seek to directly address the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, some 14 FUCHS foreign subsidiaries worldwide supported more than 70 local projects, helping the socially deprived and those in need get precisely the local help they so urgently require. Andrea Frankenbach and Chantal Licht were presented with the FUCHS Sponsorship Award 2020 at the company HQ in Mannheim for their commitment in and around the "Emerging Stronger from the Crisis" project.
HELP FOR INDIA DURING THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC
Ecological and social sustainability are key strategic objectives for FUCHS. The company therefore supports numerous CSR projects throughout the world, many of which are currently influenced by or relate to the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, India is really struggling in the fight against the virus. To be able to offer effective support in overcoming the challenges, FUCHS set itself various key focuses in India for 2020 and 2021.
In an initial wave of aid from March 2020 onward, the local subsidiary began supporting organizations that provide food to vulnerable population groups. Donations to the Annamrita Foundation and the Additional Ambernath Manufacturer's Association made it possible to provide daily meals for migrant workers in Mumbai and in villages around Ambernath, as these people were particularly hard hit by coronavirus-related job losses.
In April 2021, the rate of infection then began to rise sharply, which led to the healthcare system being overloaded, as well as to a lack of oxygen supplies for intensive care operations. In a second wave of support, FUCHS therefore focused in particular on helping medical facilities and specialist personnel in the Indian healthcare sector. Donations to the Additional Ambernath Manufacturer's Association and the Saifee Hospital made it possible to set up around ten additional intensive care beds and provide 22 oxygen cylinders. At the same time, donations to the Taj Public Service Welfare Trust and the Annamrita Foundation helped provide meals for the specialist personnel working flat out in multiple hospitals.
STRONG TEACHING STAFF, STRONG YOUNG PEOPLE
The "Emerging Stronger from the Crisis" project came at precisely the right time for Ute Schnebel's small school. "Without the help, we simply wouldn't have known how to deal with the ever growing tensions," she comments. Directly after the workshop, "Das andere SchulZimmer" drew up a set of rules and developed a code of ethics that all students and also all teaching staff must sign. "With our particular concept, rigid rules are not especially helpful. However, the "Emerging Stronger from the Crisis" project has also shown us that we need to set boundaries and have more clearly defined rules in terms of how we wish to interact with one another." As such, "Das andere SchulZimmer" is now in a much better position than before to handle the negative psychological consequences of the coronavirus crisis, as the teachers have a guidance framework that supports them in reaching difficult decisions. "We encourage young people by making them stronger. But this obviously also requires a strong teaching staff," explains Ute Schnebel.
In the meantime, Andrea Frankenbach and Chantal Licht from the "Traum-Schmiede" life coaching center are on the lookout for further cooperation partners for the "Emerging Stronger from the Crisis" project, as well as their other concepts which all pursue the same objective but in different ways. This is to give disadvantaged people the opportunity to get actively involved, so that they can begin to believe in themselves and also dream again.
Now doing her own thing: Lisa is keen to study social sciences.
Based on her experience at "Das andere SchulZimmer", Lisa now definitely has a new vision and a plan that she is keen to implement in the near future. After completing her final exams, which she is currently preparing for, she would like to study social sciences. "I have always said to myself: many roads lead to Rome, you just need to find the right one for you. This is what I've now done."
