Adalbert-Raps-Stiftung socially engaged!

The concern to promote social participation and make it accessible to all people, regardless of their individual living conditions, is the focus of the social commitment of Adalbert-Raps-Stiftung. The following overview of selected funding projects will give you an insight into the Foundation's current funding activities.

Current funding projects of the Adalbert-Raps-Stiftung

As part of its Upper Franconia-wide commitment to strengthening social participation, the following projects, among others, are currently being funded by Adalbert-Raps-Stiftung :

ALLRAD Biking for All, iSo e.V./JAM

• Objective of aid: To support the purchase of mountain bikes and protective equipment for young people to borrow.
• Target group: Children and young people between 8 and 16 years of age
• Type of commitment: full-time organisation by youth workers from the municipalities of Litzendorf, Baunach and Frensdorf as well as voluntary work by employees of the Messingschlager company, local associations and building yard employees from the participating municipalities.
• Sphere of action: Bamberg district (pilot communities Litzendorf, Baunach and Frensdorf)

Mountain biking, dirt biking and pump track are becoming increasingly popular. Young people from financially weaker families also want to pursue these hobbies, but often cannot afford it, for example because of the cost-intensive equipment. The consequences can be not only exclusion but also an increased risk of danger and injury due to a lack of skills, a wrong self-assessment and a lack of protective equipment. The "ALLRAD" project of iSo e.V./JAM - a youth work model in the communities of the Bamberg district - is an offer that reacts sustainably to the needs of young people and preventively to the problems that can be observed. The idea: low-threshold bike activities on designed trails or in appropriate facilities, such as the Bikepark Baunach or the Pumptrack in Litzendorf, are made accessible to young people regardless of their financial background. In addition to a BIKE-Pool, a specially created bike rental service; a BIKE-TREFF, where regular biking, riding and skills training takes place; the REPAIR-CAFE, a workshop with offers on the topic of repairs and the PEER TO PEER biking, a knowledge transfer by experienced young people for newcomers, the concept also includes, above all, the transfer of skills on a technical level as well as soft skills for personality development and thus strengthening the readiness for training.

The "ALLRAD" initiative, launched in summer 2021, is a demand-oriented model project that is based on effective cooperation between the various cooperation partners and can be easily scaled up and thus also increased in its impact. "ALLRAD" was supported by Adalbert-Raps-Stiftung with the purchase of mountain bikes as well as protective equipment for the young people to borrow.

Are you interested in the project? All information about the "ALLRAD" project is available on the iSo e.V. website. You can also find current campaigns on the project's Instagram profile. In addition, Mr. Franz Bezold of Innovative Sozialarbeit e.V. is available as a direct contact via email at franz.bezold@iso-ev.de.

Learning Artists, VHS Bamberg

• Objective of aid: Proportionate support for the costs of learning support for the Whitsun holiday programme in order to be able to continue to offer the programme free of charge for all children.
• Target group: Pupils in grades 1-6, especially those with educational disadvantages.
• Type of commitment: full-time organisation of the programme by a pedagogical staff member of the VHS Bamberg Land and implementation of the holiday programme by student teachers and retired teachers.
• Sphere of activity: Bamberg district

Pandemic homeschooling and social distancing are particularly challenging for families and schools. Due to e.g. cramped living conditions, lack of language skills and inadequate technical equipment, children from educationally disadvantaged and resource-poor families experience additional disadvantages during homeschooling. The restriction of social contacts and the closure of extracurricular institutions/locations also have a reinforcing effect at this point, as children from socially disadvantaged families usually receive the necessary support here in particular. The VHS Bamberg has set itself the task of counteracting this educational disadvantage and has created a holiday programme with the project "Lernkünstler*innen" (Learning Artists), which, after successful project phases in the Easter and Whitsun holidays, will now also take place in the summer holidays. The programme is aimed at about 100 pupils and offers learning support in small groups with a maximum of 7 people under the guidance of educational specialists. Four lessons of 45 minutes each take place on four days per week, in which important learning content of the subjects German and mathematics is repeated. The joint lunch is followed by a cultural programme to promote extracurricular interests and skills for meaningful leisure activities.

Due to the dedicated professionals, retired teachers and student teachers, the high quality of the project is impressive. As the issue of educational justice and disadvantage has become even more acute with the pandemic, the initiative "Learning Artists" is gaining in importance. The consequences of school absenteeism have to be absorbed, and the need for learning and leisure opportunities has increased. As part of its funding activities, Adalbert-Raps-Stiftung supported the costs for the learning support of the Whitsun holiday programme on a pro-rata basis so that the offer could remain free of charge for all children.

Are you interested in the project? There are still free places for the programme during the summer holidays. You can find all information about registration here. In addition, Ramona Löffler from the VHS Bamberg Land is available as a direct contact person via email at ramona.loeffler@lra-ba.bayern.de or by phone at 0951 85-778.

Get together, AWO Forchheim

• Object of funding: Funding of the costs for the implementation of the project offer and, in particular, support for digitisation.
• Asylum shelters as well as volunteer sponsors, friends and other refugees, German young people
• Type of commitment: full-time project management, support by volunteers
• Sphere of action: City and district of Forchheim

Many refugees who arrive in a new society are initially overwhelmed by this situation. In addition to aspects such as traumatisation in their home country or due to their flight history, stigmatisation and discrimination, it is often also a legally uncertain residence status and a lack of orientation with regard to the new living conditions that make arriving more difficult. This is exacerbated by the mostly insufficient school education and the resulting generally poor educational and professional opportunities. Also in connection with the aggravation of the problem situation due to the lockdown and the restrictions that go along with it, the AWO Forchheim has launched the initiative "Get together". Within the framework of the project, open meetings are offered for casual exchange and encounters with locals, and there are also offers for culture and leisure, such as visits to museums or cinemas. Other components include tutoring and career guidance services as well as job application support, and the refugees can get in touch with an anti-racism expert or undergo anti-radicalisation coaching at any time. The goal of the "Get together" project is to facilitate the arrival in a new society and to support the integration process. In concrete terms, this means supporting the young men in coping with life, teaching them the necessary soft skills such as social skills and values, and promoting their independence.

The fact that the counselling services take place in a pleasant atmosphere without any official character and thus in a "protected setting" contributes to the great popularity of the project, as does the fact that the contents can also be conveyed in digital form and the services are therefore hardly affected by the current pandemic situation. As part of its funding activities, Adalbert-Raps-Stiftung supported the implementation of the digitalisation of the project, which was necessary due to corona, by purchasing a laptop and two tablets for staff and lending them to clients. On the other hand, the digital individual case support, psychosocial reinforcement and competent counselling were financially supported.

Are you interested in the project? You can find an exciting article on the project in the BR media library. In addition, Ms Jelena Khawari from the AWO Kreisverband Forchheim e.V. is available as a direct contact person via e-mail at jelena.khawari@awo-forchheim.de or by telephone at 09191 340-5949.