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World:Class foundation
“I believe four weeks in China taught me more than a whole year at school.” This is the upshot of a stay in Yunnan province, South China, for Franziska Schulz. She is one of over 150 students who have gained international experience with the backing of the World:Class foundation.
Matti Spiecker established this foundation during his studies at Witten/Herdecke University in 2006, with the idea to prepare high school students for a work life in a progressively globalized world. “Small groups are sent to a target country and share their personal impressions with fellow students at home. A period spent abroad stimulates motivation and responsibility, as I learnt myself.” An economics student at Witten/Herdecke University in 2006, Matti Spiecker (27) went on an “expedition around the world – dialogue for sustainable development”; school classes from all over Germany participated via video conference and internet. He and two fellow students visited about 40 social entrepreneurs around the globe in eight months (www.expedition-welt.de); one result was the World:Class foundation for which he now works full-time.
The foundation selects innovative schools with outstanding commitment nation-wide and gives support for implementation of their World:Class projects, helps partner schools to establish and cultivate local support networks, but does not provide funds. Selected schools were e.g. from Oberhausen, Gröbenzell, Sundern, Göttingen, Wuppertal, Witten, Werne, Freiburg, Wennigsen/Sorsum, Hamburg, Berlin, Frankfurt and Xanten. Students visited World:Class partners in China, India, Thailand and Kenia. Spiecker: “German and Chinese youngsters are together for four weeks, e.g. in a reforestation project. They get a taste of cultural differences and learn that cooperation is fun.”
Preparation and follow-up at school are essential since students are expected to process their experience and share it with their classmates who stayed at home. Each World:Class school sends at least one team of four students each per year, who keep contact to classmates via video connection and internet blog. This concept provides continuous stimuli to the school community to explore topics like globalization, development cooperation and intercultural aspects.
Local scholarship donor networks provide funding and thus ensure a multiplier effect beyond the school community. Major supporters of the World:Class concept were Peter Pohlmann (POCO) and the foundation Jackstädt.
Contact:
Matti Spieker