Various state-accredited degree programmes prepare students at the Institute for Waldorf Education, Inclusion and Intercultural Studies in Mannheim for (curative) educational work in Waldorf schools and other anthroposophic-oriented institutions. In this interview, two of the Institute’s graduates describe what sets this place of education apart.

At the heart of the Black Forest, Hofgut Himmelreich in Kirchzarten has been doing exemplary work in the field of vocational inclusion for many years. A new project on barrier-free learning in adult education encourages people with assistance needs to qualify as course instructors.

Being close to nature, appreciating and protecting it – this is the educational objective the charitable association urwüchsig e. V. (meaning ‘unspoilt’) is pursuing with the forest and meadow kindergarten it opened in the Rhine-Neckar region in April 2022. This parents’ initiative provides boys and girls from the age of three with a variety of spaces for adventure, in which the focus is on responsible action and a lively community.

Even more space for inclusion and mutual acceptance on equal footing: with the construction of a new meeting centre, multifunctional rooms for group lunches, workshops or evening events are being created at Sonnhalde Gempen.

The Christliche Sozialstation in Bad Dürkheim at the edge of Palatinate Forest in southwest Germany supports elderly people in need of assistance and care as well as their relatives. At the end of 2021, it was able to move into a barrier-free new building that finally has enough room for all the services – from everyday care to care for the dying. They have even been able to add new services such as a nostalgia café.