🇩🇪 ESC Volunteering in Germany 🌳 Self Determined Learning at an Alternative School 📚

Description

About 30 children - age 6 to 18 - attend the Freie schule Brigach. This school has an alternative educational offer: the students learn in groups of mixed ages and decide everyday by themselves what to learn and how. The concept meets at the same time the requirements of curriculums at state schools. Children experience democracy, while the teachers’ role is to give input and advices, support children on their own way of learning. Children are taught to work independently and self-responsible: teachers are not an authority who know everything, but someone who supports children in their process of learning. THis is a self-determined learning process. Volunteer activities: assistance during classes, supporting pupils at excursions, initiate personal projects. To know more about the school, follow this link: https://www.jugendwerk-awo.de/freiwilligendienste/esc-calls/non-formal-school-in-the-black-forest

***please only apply through the form at the link, do not send any e-mail unless requested***

Accommodation, food and transport arrangements

Volunteers will get accommodated in a shared apartment with other young people in Villingen-Schwenningen (85.000 inhabitants), kitchen and bathroom are shared. Volunteers get a monthly amount of money for food. The volunteers receive a card to travel for free all around Germany. To know more about the project and to apply, follow this link: https://www.jugendwerk-awo.de/freiwilligendienste/esc-calls

Training during the activity

In the beginning there will be trainings to welcome the volunteer and to clarify rights and responsibilities. There is continuous professional support for the volunteers, such as regular reflection talks: a neutral person from outside of the core group will lead these talks. To learn the language of the hosting country there is a weekly language training at the local adult education center. The volunteer will take part in two trainings of the National Agency in Germany and attend the On-Arrival-Seminar and the Midterm-Training.

Participant profile

Volunteers should have an interest in educational work, especially in the concept of alternative teaching. We expect an open-minded perrson with an interest in our democratic & alternative school, as well as openness towards living in a rural area. In our school we support children to learn independently and self-responsible. The same we expect from the staff and from volunteers. Volunteers should be able to work in a team and should be interested to bring up own ideas & projects. To know more about the project and to apply, follow this link: https://www.jugendwerk-awo.de/freiwilligendienste/esc-calls

Activity details

Activity type

Individual volunteering

Activity dates

From 01/03/2027 to 29/02/2028

Location

St Georgen, Germany

Deadline

17/10/2026

Project code

2026-1-DE04-ESC51-VTJ-000401125

Topics

Looking for participants from

68 countries can apply. The activity takes place in 🇩🇪 Germany.