Jennifer (second from the right) and partner Viktoria receiving an award for their charity work with kids from German Chancellor Angela Merkle.
“I spent my year abroad in the school year of 2008/2009 and it was one of the greatest experiences I have ever had. I learned so much about myself, other cultures and other people during that year. Pretty quickly I realized that volunteering is a big thing in America as we started volunteering in a Ronald McDonald House for children in Seattle’s hospital. I then decided that I wanted to volunteer more often, also after school. I went to an elementary school close to my house and read stories to the kids.
When I came back to Germany I wanted to continue volunteering. I have always wanted to be a teacher and when I started going to university and did my first work experiences in schools, I realized how many kids in Germany are falling behind and need more attention and help in order to succeed. I decided to stay after school a little longer to help them but I realized that I couldn’t do this alone, because there were just too many children that needed extra help. So I asked a couple of my friends if they could also come and help, and they started to bring friends and that’s how it all started.
One of my friends and I decided that our idea should be turned in into an organization. On the one hand kids could receive free tutoring and on the other hand university students who want to become teachers could get practical work experience, sooner and work with a diverse group of students including, those that come from poorer families or families where education doesn’t play a big role.
Each year we organize a big event called Koblenz lernt sich kennen, which means “getting to know each other”. This year more than 1500 people came to enjoy fun activities.
Our project grew fast. We established a business model, employed staff on a small scale, and started raising money to be able to go on trips with the kids and buy them school supplies.
Then in the summer of 2016 we started to include refugees in our work. Germany opened up to about 2 million refugees in a six month period. So we started to set up German classes for refugee kids, organized volunteer groups who went into refugee camps, and started to help them in school. We also showed them places they can go for help and recreation as well as places they could go to make friends and feel like part of the community.
Today my organization works with about 150 students each week ages 3-20. I am working full time as a teacher so I hired a couple of people as coordinators, a secretary and now I am looking for someone to work full time for us as a project manager.”
Jennifer (on the right) and partner Viktoria at a network meeting where they promoted their non-profit organization.
Volunteering takes a lot of your free time but it is so rewarding. It’s incredible to see how much my organization has grown and how much I’ve grown since founding it. I have met great people and kids who have changed my perspective about myself, other cultures and other people.
My year abroad not only taught me the benefits of volunteering but also what it means to be away from home. I know it’s a different situation but I teach many refugees without parents and don’t have anyone. In my first host family I felt lonely sometimes and if it wasn’t for another exchange student who stayed in the same family, it would have been really tough. I know how much comfort another person can bring by simply listening to you and saying that you are not alone or taking the time to explain things in a new country that may seem strange to you. I try to be that person for many of my students.
I also learned things about education. Even though I was a student, I knew I wanted to be a teacher and therefore observed the different methods of teaching. The relationship in the United States that teachers had with their students was different, closer. Kids were proud of their school and school was more than just learning subjects. In Germany teachers are more respected and better paid than in the United States but I still think that learning how to create personal connection with students and understanding the broad picture would be great perspectives for more German schools to share with their students”
Jennifer (on the right) with her Academic Coordinator Sarah Jensen
Jennifer (first row on the left) and her exchange student friends from Brazil, Pakistan, Germany and Czech Republic.
Jennifer and host mom Susan at her high school graduation.
