The semester begins with several highlights. Adult education centers throughout Germany are celebrating the 100th anniversary of the adult education center as an institution. The Schiller Adult Education Center, itself only 73 years "young", is joining in the celebrations. At the anniversary celebrations on September 20 in Marbach, guests can experience a cross-section of the vhs program in taster courses.
The educational workshops are also celebrating an anniversary: the BildungsInitiative Bissingen is entering its 50th semester this year. Over 500 participants take part in the 31 educational workshops in various locations in the district. The main topic of "culture" is also present here, for example in the lectures "Cultural history of childhood", "Man and the moon - a satellite of the earth in the mirror of cultures" and "How does culture get into our heads?".
More than 100 guided tours, theater visits, company tours and excursions are offered in the "vhs unterwegs" section. Excursions in October will take you to two special destinations that have been awarded the title "World Heritage Site" by UNESCO: "Maulbronn - Cultural Landscape and Monastic Life" and "Weissenhof Estate and World Heritage Site by Le Corbusier - 100 Years of Bauhaus". Informative city tours and museum visits await participants on the day trips to Constance, Worms, Mainz and Rothenburg ob der Tauber. Culture, enjoyment, the French way of life and sporting activities are combined on several vhs cycle tours through Provence, Champagne and the Loire.
In the general education department, you can broaden your knowledge of "foreign cultures" without having to travel at the regional studies lectures - the lecturers take their listeners from Namibia to Istanbul and the USA. Finally, the "Intercultural Competence" seminar explores the questions "What are 'cultural differences'? How can you recognize and deal with them?"
The fact that there is not just one answer to the question "What is culture?" is described by Richard von Weizäcker in the quote "Our culture has grown like a strong and diverse mixed forest. It makes its contribution to the vital fresh air." The image of the
mixed forest is an excellent bridge back to the focus of the last two semesters: the topic of "climate and nature conservation" continues to have a firm place in the Schiller-vhs program. Guided tours and lectures such as "The forest in climate change", "Wolves in the region", "Plastic and climate" and "Sustainable shopping" provide information on current hot topics and encourage discussion.
Those interested in technology will get their money's worth on guided tours of the Stuttgart 21 construction site and a "look behind the scenes" at the Audi Forum and the MHP Arena. In the area of consumer issues, lectures on "Crime on the Internet" and "Protection against telephone fraudsters" are offered in cooperation with the police prevention department.
The courses in the "Culture and Design" department represent the concept of culture in the narrower sense. This is about the "fine arts" of music, literature, theater, dance, painting, sculpture and textile design. In numerous creative courses, participants can become creatively active themselves, while guided tours of art exhibitions, readings and theater visits focus on cultural education and cultural enjoyment. Particularly noteworthy are the guided tours and workshops in cooperation with the Bietigheim Municipal Gallery and the "Painting Experiments" course with Mark Krause, the live painting artist from the semester kick-off event. The Schiller-vhs has a lot to offer musically: In addition to classical instruments, those interested can also learn unusual instruments such as the didgeridoo, panpipes and Scottish bagpipes or take a course in yodeling.
The "Health" department is represented by a large number of courses. The gymnastics and exercise section alone offers 220 courses: The offer ranges from Pilates to Zumba and spinal gymnastics to self-defense. The "Knee School", "Workout on the Trampoline" and the southern Chinese martial art "Wing Chun" are new to the program. Once again, the vhs is cooperating with sports clubs in the district: the Pleidelsheim Tennis Club and the Marbach Rowing Club are presenting their sports in taster courses.
There are more than 140 courses in relaxation and mindfulness: meditation, progressive muscle relaxation and Far Eastern relaxation techniques such as yoga or Qi Gong are very popular.
The food and drink section is both delicious and informative. One focus of the courses is on regional and seasonal cuisine. You can also embark on culinary journeys through France, Italy, Spain, India, Mexico, Thailand and Turkey. Here, participants learn about the country and its people through cooking and food culture. There are also offers for different target groups and special diets such as vegetarian, vegan or Ayurvedic.
The link between cuisine, language and culture is created by two special cooking courses in English and Italian, in which typical local dishes are prepared.
In total, the range of language courses on offer again includes over 300 courses in 20 languages at all levels (A1-C1). Beginners' courses are available in Chinese, English, French, Italian, Modern Greek, Portuguese, Russian, Slovakian, Spanish, Czech and Turkish. Special offers include a guided tour of Marbach in English, the vhs English Club and "Walk and Talk" - walking and conversation exercise in one.
As in previous semesters, the area of "German as a foreign language" is extensively represented. In the integration courses for migrants, the question of one's own and the foreign culture is always present and is naturally included in the daily lessons.
Basic Education & Literacy is the youngest subject area at the Schiller-vhs. It addresses a "taboo subject": 6.2 million people with German as their mother tongue cannot read and write properly or have problems with arithmetic and everyday tasks. This jeopardizes the participation of those affected in social and cultural life. The vhs would like to raise awareness of this issue. In addition to reading and writing courses as well as courses on nutrition and learning techniques for those affected, there are also offers for those working in an advisory capacity, for example on the subject of "simple language".
The IT and business program offers around 100 courses. There are 33 courses on smartphones alone in 14 different locations. The Xpert Business certificate courses can also be taken as online webinars. The courses on the world of work 4.0 look to the future with the topics "Network technology and security" and "Artificial intelligence". The wide range of courses also includes courses on programming in Java and Android apps, Microsoft Office 365, professional image editing and smart home and data protection. The SAP week takes place in January with seminars ranging from SAP basics to advanced applications.
Information on all vhs events can be obtained from the Schiller-vhs staff on 07141 144-2666. Registration is now possible by telephone, online at www.schiller-vhs.de, by email to info[at]schiller-vhs.de or in writing using a registration card.
