International Partners
Haus am Maiberg – Academy for political and social education, Heppenheim, Germany
“Haus am Maiberg” in Heppenheim, Germany is the academy for political and social education of the Mainz diocese.
Their program includes seminars, conferences and international meetings. The academy sees itself as a place for an objective dialogue on social and political issues. The self-made concept is based on the tradition of Christian social ethics, church academy-work and the non-formal political education of teenagers and adults after 1945.
The Academy follows the “Beutelsbacher Konsens”. According to these guidelines, political and academic controversies should be seen in order to avoid one-sided political indoctrination. The participants learn to get to know and represent their interests without losing sight of the public welfare.
The goal of the academy’s work is to convey knowledge about social and political subjects to the participants and thereby to offer them a base of orientation and foundation for the formation of opinions and to encourage them to take part in political and social life. As the academy’s motto is “Open to dialogue” the learning opportunities are open to everyone. The majority of the projects are held in cooperation with national and international partner organisations.
Thematic emphases are “work”, “Europe” and “Media”. Work is a central source of personal and social identity. Europe has become one of the most important political reference points for the modern western industrial society. Media influences all circumstances of our everyday life.
To most important topics and fundamental principles of the effective and forward-looking education practices of the academy “Haus am Maiberg” are the current political discussions on intercultural learning, gender-mainstreaming and the dialogue between the generations. These education practices are characterised by participative, process-oriented, self organised and manifold methods in the context of a new culture of learning, thus helping to enhance the key competences and soft skills of the participants.