Dialogue programmes with trainees

Goals

The programmes offer participants new experiences – professional, personal and intercultural. Especially if they are not working in the social sector during their training or dual studies, they can gain new experiences through international encounters and insights into social and historical-political fields of activity, which allow their social and intercultural skills to grow – individually and together as a seminar group.

Work shadowing in ASF partners

For about a week, the trainees and dual students spend time at the volunteer organisations where ASF volunteers are doing their one-year volunteer service. The trainees go through the normal working day in the various partner organisations and are closely accompanied by the ASF volunteers, who are already very familiar with the facilities.

Project examples: The Jewish Museum in London, de Regenboog Groep, a drop-in centre for drug addicts and homeless people in Amsterdam, the International Youth Meeting Centre in Oświęcim/Auschwitz, the Yad Vashem memorial in Jerusalem or the Hope Center in Tel Aviv, an institution that supports people who have escaped from forced circumstances.

Accompanying programme

Another central component is an accompanying educational programme. In the course of a two-day preparatory seminar, the trainees and dual students are prepared for the special features of the country and their activities in the partner organisations several months before the trip.

Once in the country, they are welcomed and accompanied by the country representative of Aktion Sühnezeichen Friedensdienste. As part of a comprehensive accompanying programme, the participants receive an introduction to the politics, history and society of the country (with a special focus on relations with Germany). The seminar programme includes workshops, visits to memorial sites, excursions and regular discussion and reflection sessions. Aktion Sühnezeichen Friedensdienste also maintains close contact with survivors of the Holocaust and Nazi persecution. We endeavour to facilitate encounters with the last contemporary witnesses or their descendants. The experiences are reflected upon in an evaluation meeting with the aim of anchoring the experiences and skills in a sustainable way.

Framework conditions: Duration, timing, countries

The exact duration of the programmes is agreed with the companies, but is usually around two weeks. The timing is also variable and should preferably be in the first half of the year. The number of trainees in a company can be between ten and twenty. ASF exchange programmes are currently taking place in Israel, Poland, Belgium, the UK and the Netherlands. In the past, there has also been a programme in the USA.