Joachim Herz Foundation Education in Focus

Paving the Way

Paving the way: We support young people advancing their personal and professional skills, enabling them to contribute to a productive and tolerant society. We aim to promote their individual educational and professional development, irrespective of background and social status.

Spheres of activity: Local, regional, national, and international projects embody our commitment to promote education, science, and research. These projects are characterized by the critical questioning of facts as well as acceptance of other cultures, other ways of thinking, and other ways of working.

Education as a shared responsibility: We see education as the responsibility of society as a whole and develop projects designed for use both inside and outside schools, for colleges, and for non-university talent development. The networking and further training of those involved in education is key to shaping educational transitions and careers in a positive manner.

Outstanding teaching methods: Our work relies on the expertise of scientists and practitioners. We develop our materials and methods in accordance with our status as an independent and politically neutral foundation.

Broad access: In order to support young people, we provide them with personalized advice and tailored assistance. We connect with them via practically relevant and digital access points to education.These access points reflect young people’s real-life circumstances, their learning styles, and the subject-specific content in question.

In our society, each individual assumes a variety of roles over the course of their life. In terms of the economy, these roles include consumer, employee, and economic stakeholder. When these roles are properly reflected and proactively shaped, a social market economy gives all citizens the opportunity to develop in line with their own expectations and realize their own ideas while harnessing their skills and potential for both their own benefit and that of others. If people are to understand the market economy and use it to develop their ideas, it is vital that they gain a rudimentary economic education and acquire the ability to make economic judgments.

Our aim is to illustrate the strengths of our economic system, particularly its flexibility, while promoting the ability to form judgments and act with(entrepreneurial) independence. Being independent doesn’t necessarily mean starting your own business. Even as an employee, an independent working style that involves personal initiative and creates opportunities to influence the workplace is beneficial both to the individual and the company they work for. With this in mind, we support entrepreneurial education.

In schools, there are currently too few opportunities to acquire economic competencies. Although economic issues are firmly anchored in the majority of curricula, very little time is often accorded to them. Many teachers are not sufficiently well-trained in teaching economics and therefore often use their lessons to focus on other topics. What’s more, the many teaching materials provided by companies and industry associations are suspected of being biased and, for example, presenting a one-sided view from the employers’ perspective. We, on the other hand, develop our materials as an economically independent and politically neutral private foundation. School-based occupational orientation programs usually completed overlook the idea of self-employment. This unnecessarily restricts the goal of becoming actively involved in and shaping the economy. We develop materials designed to tackle this problem, as well.

Science is a driver of change and a way of tackling the challenges of our time. Science is about exploring phenomena and physical laws, and paving the way for applied research. It enables us, for example, to live ever healthier lives and remain more active in old age, improve environmental protection and food and energy supply, and revolutionize communication. In order to preserve this innovative strength, we foster curiosity, research ambition, and talent among young scientists and promote interdisciplinary research.

In terms of the way society develops, however, it is not enough for scientists to spearhead innovation. Public understanding of research is crucial. Only then can each and every one of us take part in the overall discourse and form nuanced opinions on key issues such as the energy transition, nutrition, and genetic engineering. For this reason, we need a broad scientific education that increases scientific literacy as well as a basic understanding of research and the fact that experiments, by their very nature, produce uncertain results.

Personal initiative and the ability to reflect are of pivotal importance if we are to have an active, tolerant, and high-performance society. In order to achieve this kind of lively community, we also need the creativity and inspiration required to bring about change. In turn, there can only be a willingness to change if dedicated and self-confident individuals are allowed to think critically and freely.  In our Personal Development program area, we wish to foster precisely these skills. Our aim is to break down barriers that impede the development of young people. Otherwise, society will lose proactive drivers of change and vocal citizens.

Education studies continue to show a lack of equality when it comes to educational access. The correlation between origin and social status on the one hand and educational achievement on the other still remains a problem. Support for individual talents and interests is often accessed by socially privileged young people, because these kinds of models are recognized and appreciated in their world. They also have the requisite level of self-confidence. Other young people are just as gifted, however. The aim of our work is to provide support by means of grants, exchange programs, and neighborhood projects while building up networks and making a lasting positive impact on educational careers as a whole. We want everyone to get the support that’s right for them. This might be support to help them graduate from high school or prepare for their exams. Alternatively, it might be funding for trainees. As a degree is not the only foundation for pursuing a successful educational career, we believe in offering tailored support at an early stage. We want people to encounter a range of viewpoints at an early age and gain experience, especially in terms of looking beyond the social and cultural environment they are familiar with. We even give them the opportunity to experience life in different countries. Intercultural competence acquired abroad is a key qualification when it comes to finding your way in an increasingly globalized world.