In order to give you an idea of how we see ourselves and how we intend to act as a non-profit association, you will find our overall concept, our principles, and our sphere of activity on the next few pages.
Under the motto “educational opportunities worldwide” Weitblick is represented in many German university cities. Correspondingly, the more just access to education is in the center of our work. Contributing to this goal, dedicated volunteers exert their knowledge, their talents, and their skills in social projects.
Our work is based upon three spheres of activity, namely promoting, exchanging, and educating, through which we intend to facilitate more just educational opportunities worldwide.
We support educational projects at home and abroad financially as well as ideally. The projects abroad are initiated and carried out by partner associations or individuals with profound knowledge of the respective place, for instance the construction of school buildings or the endowment of learning materials. However, education is not similarly accessible for everyone in Germany, either. Through our educational projects at home we want to facilitate this participation by promoting knowledge and competences in various areas of life. For that reason, we organize “godparenthoods” between members of Weitblick and pupils of socially underprivileged environments, for example.
Through our exchange programs we bring different opinions, backgrounds, and perspectives together. We are deeply convinced that a constant exchange between cultures, generations, and people of various backgrounds reduces prejudices and broadens one’s horizon. These encounters allow us to learn together and from each other. In this context we work with refugees and undertake an intercultural exchange with our partner projects abroad, for instance.
There are areas which are not sufficiently covered by the formal educational system consisting of school, occupational training, and university. We create and provide additional educational propositions, for example through lectures, discussions, workshops, and film presentations. Next to these external educational events, the continuing education of our own members is of great importance to us. In this regard, we have the opportunity to deal with topics which transcend our respective area of expertise and to raise the awareness of socially relevant topics within society.
Based on our joint belief that a more just access to education is a basic requirement for a more just society, Weitblick conducts numerous projects and actions in the context of educationally relevant topics in Germany and abroad. This idea has constantly been being pursued and carried on, resulting in many independent, non-profit-making city associations in different places all over Germany, which have already constituted themselves. The individual city associations have banded together and have formed a federal association as well as an alumni club.
Our association acts independent from political and confessional influences. Everyone1 who is motivated to actively support social projects is welcome at Weitblick. Racism, sexism, and any kind of discrimination have absolutely no place with us.
We voluntarily commit ourselves to the social work, gratuitously and with conviction. This voluntary commitment provides us with delight, connects us, and results in a greater motivation of our members. Our impetus is to create space to discover the individual’s abilities, to undertake the exchange with others, and to educate ourselves further. In this context, the rationale of our projects is accompanied by fun and companionship. This way, numerous close friendships have already been formed at Weitblick.
The projects which Weitblick promotes in Germany are planned and executed independently by ourselves or in collaboration with other organizations. Abroad, we collaborate with local partners since they have a more profound knowledge of the circumstances on the ground and thus, are able to make purposeful decisions. Besides, our partner-NGOs have the capacities to carry the projects in the long term which allows them to guarantee a sustainable development. At our projects, financial facilitation, examination of the respective content, and personal exchange are connected. Every city association limits its number of projects to a reasonable degree. To the projects selected we maintain a personal attachment and undertake them passionately. With regard to public relations, we aim at conveying a differentiated as well as realistic image. With regard to our association’s work, we are always eager to create and maintain a course of action which has a high social and ecological level.
1 With everyone we mean people of any age, any nationality, and any religious belief, in any situation in life and especially People of Color, black people, LGBTIQ, as well as people with disabilities.
We are determined to offer a high standard of sustainability in our educational efforts and to guarantee a high quality of our commitment. The following principles work as an orientation in the context of the city associations’ strive to advance further in their development:
Closely connected to transparency is the principle of reliability. Reliability is a characteristic we owe our members, our donors, our partners, and the people in the areas of our projects. Because of this, we will only accept financial liabilities towards project partners if the funding is guaranteed. Our projects at home are designed to persist long-term and therefore depend on the reliable commitment of our members.
The projects we promote at home and abroad are intended to be of socially, ecologically, and economically sustainable character. Regarding our local work, we prefer undertaking projects which raise awareness for sustainability and we tell about this topic in the context of educational events.
No freedom without education – this wisdom has been prevailing since Enlightenment at the latest. Back then as well as today the fact is: Without education women and men are not able to unfold their full potential. The lack of basic skills such as reading, writing, and calculating makes it impossible to execute a self-determined life and to actively participate in social processes within society. The individual freedoms of a woman and a man are therefore significantly limited. Thus, education is not merely a requirement for learning a trade but a basic human right.
Furthermore, education decisively contributes to the reduction of poverty and is – both on the individual and the social level – a central element for development. Education is not only the requirement for sustainable economic growth but it also facilitates social participation to a particularly eminent extent. Besides, education presents perspectives of the path of life ahead to teenagers and is therefore a central key in the fight against youth violence.
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