Description of organisation

The Hermann Jülich Werkgemeinschaft e. V. is a social therapy facility near Hamburg in the north of Germany, spread over three locations in Schleswig-Holstein. In Hamfelde and Köthel, there is a fully inpatient facility with residential buildings and workshops. In Ahrensburg-Wulfsdorf the Werkgemeinschaft also runs workshops and an outpatient care service for assisted living in three apartment buildings.

A total of around 100 adults with mental disabilities live and work there. Based on the anthroposophical view of humanity, we have been offering this social therapeutic care for adults in need of care for 40 years.

As a recognised workshop for disabled people, the Werkgemeinschaft has a wide range of workplaces in various workshops. The different workshops at the three locations enable every person with disabilities to receive educational and employment support adapted to their individual abilities. The beautiful as well as useful results from the workshops, handmade and sustainable products, can be purchased in the webshop as well as directly through the workshops or at markets.

We offer a range of different courses and a variety of individual or group therapies to further develop different skills. For us, promoting means leading people to their abilities. Whether we find the right words in writing lessons, discover the fun of the voice in a choir, try out musical instruments or teach people to ride a bicycle safely in the bicycle school during skill training. The people in our care can learn activities appropriate to their mental and physical abilities. In addition to health promotion through curative eurythmy, group eurythmy, sick and Bothmer gymnastics, chirophonetics, oil dispersion baths and rehabilitation sports, the programme also includes riding, painting, music, writing and cycling.

The progressive success and the associated sense of achievement during the exercises give the patients self-confidence and thus meaning and quality of life until old age.

The exciting challenge of our work is: On the one hand to support the individualisation of people and on the other hand to strengthen the togetherness in the community of people with and without disabilities in order to create a good living together according to the motto: >> In opposites with each other - to cultivate social relationships <<

Inclusion topics

This organisation is willing to involve volunteers who face situations which make their participation in activities more difficult, from the following categories for different types of project:

• Disability
• Geographical obstacles
• Health problems