The aim of the "Service Learning" module is to promote voluntary work by students and link it with university learning. Ana Kea König and Benjamin Kreß also took part in the first round of the programme in Oldenburg. Here they describe their experiences.
Violence against spouses or children, a violent fight in the school playground, but often just a neighbourhood dispute about branches hanging over a fruit tree - the spectrum of cases that the "Konfliktschlichtung e.V." association in Oldenburg's Bahnhofsviertel deals with on a daily basis is very broad. The aim of the victim-offender mediation offered by the organisation is to mediate between the conflicting parties, to enable them to come to terms with the offence and make amends in an unbureaucratic manner and, in some cases, to avert legal proceedings.
When in doubt, take it back
Ana Kea König, a Bachelor's student of Education, was present several times during the past semester when the three permanently employed mediators from the conflict mediation team brought perpetrators and victims together. "If the parties to the conflict agreed to my participation, I was also allowed to ask questions myself during the discussions," says the 22-year-old. "I learnt a lot about successful dialogue - especially that as a mediator you should take a step back when in doubt, even when dealing with perpetrators."
König worked 40 hours as part of the "Service Learning" module for conflict mediation, mainly in administration. "But it was definitely a responsible job," she says. "The new cases that the public prosecutor's office passed on to conflict mediation landed directly on my desk." She also took over the correspondence with perpetrators and victims and kept the case statistics, which are important for the further promotion of the organisation. "I was really impressed by the trust the staff at the conflict mediation centre placed in me," says König, summing up her work.
Involved in all the work
Benjamin Kreß can also report great confidence in his work. After a semester of voluntary work for the Oldenburg give-away market, he was recently elected to the local agenda group that runs the market on the Maco furniture site on Rheinstraße. Above all, it is a sustainability project that aims to counteract the thoughtless throwing away of things that are still in working order. Once a week, Kreß takes part in all the work that arises at the give-away market: Pre-sorting existing goods, accepting and sorting new goods, advising visitors to the market and tidying up at the end.
Books, clothes, electrical appliances, toys and much more are delivered and taken away. Visitors are allowed to take a maximum of five items free of charge - which unfortunately is not always observed: "Some customers come to the market with large bags, open them once and load all sorts of things into them," says Kreß. "Being able to point out in such situations with tact, but also firmly that this is not possible, is an important skill," the 23-year-old education student is certain. However, positive experiences have outweighed negative ones in his voluntary work so far. "One key scene was when a family with a very lively young child came to the giveaway centre," he says. "At first, the child was heartbroken about his own things that were to be given away, but when he saw a teddy bear that he was allowed to take with him, all was right with the world again. Then I thought to myself: that's why you're here."
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Info box:
The "Service Learning" module is a joint project between the University of Oldenburg, the municipal agency :ehrensache and the Oldenburgische Bürgerstiftung. The project leader at the Institute of Educational Sciences is Prof Dr Karsten Speck. The module is open to students from all disciplines. Six credit points are recognised for participation.
In addition to the work in charitable institutions, the module includes an accompanying academic programme. This includes the social significance of volunteering and service learning, reflecting on one's own role in the respective institution and deepening the skills acquired through volunteering.
The Service Learning module has been offered at various universities in Germany since 2003. In Oldenburg, 30 students took part in the work of eleven non-profit organisations in Oldenburg in the first round.
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